ABSTRACT
The study of children and their responses to primary school life is important because it is the children who are expected to 'learn'. Studies have consistently shown that children like teachers who are 'fair' and 'interesting', who will 'have a laugh' and will 'teach things'. Pupils are in a relatively powerless position vis-à-vis teachers and often feel vulnerable. It seems that they accept teacher authority and involve themselves most wholeheartedly in learning when their perceptions, interests and status as individuals are respected. Peer-groups provide both a cultural resource and a reference group for the actions of individual children at school. The relationship between teachers and children has, for many years, been seen by many educators as being a central element of primary schooling. Teacher expectations of pupils have been the subject of a considerable amount of research.
