Journal of Education and Human Development June 2017, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 31-41 ISSN: 2334-296X (Print), 2334-2978 (Online) Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. Published by American Research Institute for Policy Development DOI: 10.15640/jehd.v6n2a4 URL: https://doi.org/10.15640/jehd.v6n2a4 31 Student Perceptions of Teacher Professional Attire Stephen Joseph, PhD Centre for Education Programmes The University of Trinidad and Tobago Valsayn Campus, Old Southern Main Road Curepe Trinidad and Tobago Abstract This quantitative study examined student perceptions of teacher professional attire at the secondary and tertiary levels of the education system. Five hundred and twenty-six (526) students were randomly drawn from Forms 1-6 in the secondary school system and tertiary-level students from Tobago as well as the northern and southern parts of Trinidad. One-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation tests were used to analyze student responses. These tests were done on the basis of a probability of error threshold of 1 in 20, or p< .05 and 1 in 100, or p< .01 respectively. Findings of the study revealed that while there were no statistically significant differences in secondary students’ perceptions about their teachers’ professional attire, there were significant differences in students’ perceptions at the tertiary level. The results also showed significant relationships between the variables measuring student perceptions of teachers’ attire and those measuring teacher occupational attributes, as well as student effort and behaviour in class. Keywords: student perceptions; teacher professional attire Introduction The question of teacher professional attire has been the subject of debate for decades among educators, politicians, journalists and the public at large. The debate resurfaced in the Trinidad and Tobago education system when politicians issued a call for a dress code to be developed for teachers (Hunte, 2016; Kong Soo, 2016). In an almost immediate response, the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA), the trade union that represents the interests of teachers, issued a statement indicating that the matter of appropriate dress for teachers is a subjective one that has to take into consideration legal, cultural, geographical and curriculum delivery contexts (Sorias, 2016). When asked what TTUTA considered as appropriate and professional dress, a representative of the union explained that “while some people believe that wearing a tie is professional, one must take into consideration the tropical climate in which we work.” The TTUTA official suggested a shirt (long-sleeved or short), and dress pants as appropriate attire for men; and non-revealing outfits without plunging necklines as appropriate for women (Sorias, 2016). While TTUTA argues that the issue of dress is subjective, the president of the National Parent/Teacher Association (NPTA) lamented that “teachers are now dressing in short skirts and tight pants and other unprofessional items of clothing at their workplace”(Hunte, 2016). The president of the association also identified the wearing of tattoos and multiple body piercings as problematic. Wong (as cited in Phillips & Smith, 1992) agrees that some features of a teacher’s dress style may prove distracting to students and lead to off-task behaviour.