The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of using self-assessment and written test scores for making inservice teacher education decisions. This involved: (a) determining whether prospective teachers' self-assessment and written test scores are valid indicators of their actual performance on given teaching skills; (b) comparing the validities of self-assessments and competency test scores; (c) comparing inservice teacher classification decisions based on self-assessments and written test scores; and (d) determining the extent of misclassifications resulting from the use of both sources of assessment data. Thirty-five student teachers and their classroom supervising teacher volunteered to participate in this study. / Three instruments were constructed for the study. The Self-Assessment Inventory assessed student teachers' perceptions of their ability to demonstrate thirty-one teaching skills during a ten-week internship period. The Student Competency Test assessed their knowledge and understanding of the same thirty-one skills. Supervising teachers assessed student teachers' actual classroom performance on the given skills through summative ratings on the Teacher Assessment Inventory. All instruments were administered during the last week of the internship period. / Nonparametric statistics and regression analysis were used to examine the differences and relationships between student teachers' self-assessments, written test scores, and actual performance ratings. Findings from this study suggest that: (a) student teachers' self-assessments were significantly higher (p < .05) than their written test scores; no differences existed between their self-assessments and performance ratings; and their written test scores were significantly lower (p < .05) than their performance ratings; (b) there was no relationship between student teachers' self-assessments and performance ratings; a significant, but weak (p < .05) relationship existed between their written test scores and performance ratings; and a significant (p < .05) relationship existed between their combined self-assessment and written test scores and their performance ratings; and (c) the use of self-assessments, written test scores, and the combination of the two for making inservice teacher training classification decisions resulted in making classification errors of 40, 69, and 23 percent, respectively. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4411. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine whether a set of specialized competencies necessary to perform effectively in the correctional education field could be identified and validated. If so, would such competencies be perceived as having the same degree of importance by academic and vocational instructors and by correctional administrators? The study also sought to determine the training method preferred by correctional education staff in the acquisition of the accepted competencies. / Competencies were identified from a review of the literature and input from correctional educators and validated by a panel of experts. Through this process, 61 competency statements, using a taxonomy of the following six categories: ability to be empathetic and humanistic, awareness of inmate culture, awareness of cultural setting, personal and professional self-awareness, professional education and experience, and security, were identified. / The 61 competencies were then incorporated into a survey instrument which was distributed to the entire population of 172 correctional educators employed in the nine Florida Department of Corrections youthful offender institutions. Ninty-nine (57%) of those surveyed responded. Fifty-nine percent (58) of the respondents were males and 31% (32) females; 10% (10) did not indicate their sex. Forty-seven (47%) were academic teachers, 27 (27%) vocational instructors; 21 (21%) administrators. Four respondents did not indicate their positions. The average number of years of experience in correctional education for the respondents was in the 10-20 range. The subjects averaged over 3 years of college training. Although administrators and instructors in academic fields had college degrees, the average formal educational level reflected Florida's certification requirements for vocational instructors, who need not have a degree. / Each survey competency statement was rated by respondents on a Likert-type scale as essential (5), important (4), useful (3), not important (2), and useless (1). In order to meet the criteria for a validated competency, the statement had to receive a mean score of 3.0 or higher by 55% of the respondents. Survey respondents were also asked to indicate the preferred method of training: formal schooling, internship, on-the-job training, or in-service training. / Findings of the study were that all 61 competencies were accepted as useful or higher. Preferred methods of learning the competencies were formal schooling or some form of formal or informal on-the-job training. Schooling was favored for skill and theory training while in-service and on-the-job were preferred for learning institution and inmate functions such as awareness of security procedures and inmate motivation factors. Internship was totally rejected by the respondents as a means of acquiring the identified competencies. The staff of the youthful offender institutions were found to be better educated and younger than the national average for correctional educators. Academic staff were primarily interested in teaching strategies; administrators were found to value their authority and mediation skills the most; and vocational instructors favored skills and knowledge which helped inmates to get and keep a job and become functional members of society after release from prison. / Suggestions for further research included means of utilizing the 61 validated statements in developing training programs and materials and evaluation instruments for correctional educators. In addition, differences in perceptions of the importance of certain categories of competencies by administration, academic, and vocational personnel raised questions regarding the effects of background and training on the values and emphasis reflected by these groups. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-03, Section: A, page: 1105. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

This research involved the development of a preservice teacher training model for problem solving. This "composite" model integrates written, audiovisual, and simulation delivery systems for the purpose of teaching problem solving skills that will have a high degree of transfer. / A new design and evaluation model was developed using the Gagne and Briggs Design Model (1981), Dick's Evaluation Model (1977) and research in simulation and audiovisual design (Adair, 1972; Wilkie, 1973). These procedures were applied in developing the written, audiovisual and simulation training materials. An 18 hour instructional unit was designed and evaluated. The unit's problem solving objective is the organization of activity areas in a preschool classroom following the open school approach. / In the final stage of research, a summative evaluation of the instructional unit was carried out in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the composite Teacher Training Model as compared to the other instructional strategies taken individually. The study found significant differences between (a) the composite teacher training model and written instruction on rules, (b) the model and audiovisual instruction on rules, and (c) the model and written instruction on rules with audiovisual presentation; that is to say, the composite Teacher Training Model seemed to be more effective in training for problem solving than the other strategies. It also found a high degree of transfer of problem solving skill from the simulated classroom to real classroom problem solving performance. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: A, page: 2621. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The literature review revealed that the evaluation of inservice teacher education generally has been limited to any increase in teacher knowledge of specific topics or attitude changes which may affect a change in teacher behavior. Studies which attempted to measure a cause and effect relationship between the intervention and behavior changes in the natural setting have met with limited success. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects that a one-to-one inservice intervention had on the correct use of five operationally defined teacher behaviors. / A multiple baseline repeated measures design was used to measure changes in the classroom behavior of three teachers of the moderately and severely mentally handicapped. While continuous and direct observation was occurring across three teachers, each teacher received approximately two hours of direct inservice training on the appropriate use of the five teacher behaviors. The inservice occurred on days 11, 15, and 20, respectively, for teachers 1, 2, and 3. / The results indicated: (1) a functional relationship between the occurrence of the inservice sessions and an increase in the correct use of four of the five behaviors (verbal instructions, modeling, physical prompts, and consequences); and (2) the inservice intervention decreased the variability in the percent correct use of the target behaviors. Follow-up observations, approximately two weeks after the conclusion of the experiment, indicated that the teaching behaviors remained at the posttreatment levels. / These findings imply that a one-to-one inservice intervention can effectively change targeted behaviors and add to the consistency of the teachers' direct instruction. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-01, Section: A, page: 0210. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

This study was conducted to design a procedure that allows counselors and teachers to identify, using some predictors of student teacher success, those students able to succeed in science majors. As predictors variables, the following were used: grade point averages in general education courses (GPAG), in optative courses (GPAO), in communication courses (GPAC), in mathematics courses (GPAM) at the freshman level; and grade point averages in mathematics courses (HSM) and in language courses (HSL) at the high school level. Other predictors were high school diploma, age, sex, and major. As criterion of student teacher success, overall grade point average was used. / Using the transcripts of 124 teachers graduated from the Instituto Pedagogico de Maracay (Venezuela) in the fifth graduation class (1979), data were gathered and analyzed. Predictor variables were compared to student teacher success using zero-order correlations, and the significance of the correlations was tested using the .05 level of significance. A stepwise regression analysis was then incorporated into the study to determine those variables or sets of variables which had the greatest predictive ability. F tests were used to ascertain the significance of the correlations at the .05 level. / An analysis of variance was employed to determine the difference in overall GPA's of the science and humanities groups, and of the science and humanities potential groups as determined by the prediction equations. Finally, a Chi-square analysis was performed to determine if a significant number of students with good possibilities of success in science had selected instead a major in humanities. / The optimum sets of predictors found were for the total sample, the combination of grade point averages in optative courses (GPAO) and in high school mathematics courses (HSM); and, for the humanities group, no set of predictors was found, since the only significant predictor variable found was grade point average in communication courses. The ANOVA showed no significant difference in overall GPA's of the science and humanities groups. Finally, a significant number of potentially good students in science was found among the student teachers majoring in humanities. / Further research in this area should consider a sample from representatives of all the Venezuelan teacher colleges in order to broaden the generalizations reached. Also, the recommendation is made that replication of this study with other samples of the same size be done in order to reduce the shrinkage and to validate results. Finally, the recommendation is made that more precise measures of student abilities and success be employed; for example, by combining grade point averages with ability tests for the predictor variables, and using faculty rating plus overall GPA as measure of success. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-10, Section: A, page: 4365. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The new college graduate in education is the most critical factor influencing teacher supply. The study focused on this component of teacher supply, referred to as teacher production. The three-fold purpose of the study was to; (1) descriptively analyze teacher production in Florida for an 18-year period; (2) correlate selected variables to determine their influence on teacher production; and (3) examine state and institutional policies relative to manpower planning in education. / The Higher Education General Information Survey, annually conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, was used to compile the number of bachelors degrees awarded by public and private institutions in Florida by race, sex, and specialization for each of the 18 years spanned by the study. These data were analyzed to describe trends in numbers and demographic characteristics of the graduates, numbers of degrees awarded by specialization, and differences between private and public institutional sectors. Comparisons to national data, and institutional comparisons were made. / A correlational analysis revealed that average instructional salary, the total number of bachelors degrees awarded, and the number of female bachelors degrees were negatively correlated, while teacher shortage/surplus was positively correlated to teacher production. A multiple regression analysis resulted in a perfect positive correlation when the variables of teacher surplus/shortage, total number of bachelors degrees awarded, average instructional salary and the state unemployment rate were combined and compared to teacher production. / The overriding policy issue identified was the need to provide a sufficient number of teachers without lowering recently upgraded standards of entrance to the profession. Subordinate issues explored included recruitment and retention incentives, teacher education reform, ensuring adequate minority representation among the pool of new teachers, and supply/demand information systems. Recommendations for policy action in Florida were made in each of the policy areas. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-04, Section: A, page: 0951. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to determine (a) factors that result in change in preservice teachers' attitudes towards pupil control, (b) if a difference exists between the pupil control attitudes of preservice teachers participating in full time student teaching and education majors, and (c) rationale given by preservice teachers for behaving similarly and differently than their cooperating teachers. In order to fulfill these different but related purposes, three analyses were conducted. / First, a regression model was designed and tested for statistical significance between seven predictor variables and the dependent variable, pupil control ideology of preservice teachers at the conclusion of student teaching. The predictor variables included: (a) pupil control ideology of preservice teachers before student teaching, (b) pupil control ideology of the cooperating teacher, (c) preservice teacher training site, (d) preservice teacher's locus of control, (e) number of pupils in the student teaching classroom, (f) grade level of pupils in the classroom, and (g) economic status of pupils in the school where student teaching took place. / Next, an analysis of covariance was used to determine if there is a difference between the pupil control ideology of preservice teachers and education major participating in a 2-week field experience. / Finally, a qualitative method, the critical incident technique (Flanagan, 1954), was used to determine why preservice teachers behaved similarly and differently from their cooperating teacher in handling pupil control incidents. / Findings. A test of significance on the multiple regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between three different predictor variables and the pupil control ideology of preservice teachers. There was a significant relationship between preservice teachers' pupil control ideology at the beginning and end of student teaching. Preservice teachers' attitudes toward pupil control became more custodial as economic level of pupils in the school decreased. Preservice teachers' trained at the Panama City campus became more humanistic in their views towards pupil control. / There was no significant difference between the pupil control ideologies of preservice teachers participating in full time student teaching and education majors. This was attributed to the fact that the university students participated in a 2-week field experience. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.) / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-01, Section: A, page: 0119. / Major Professor: Virginia P. Green. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between anxiety about teaching and the following personal and educational characteristics of student teachers: age, marital status, number of children, overall grade point average, prior contact hours with assigned cooperating teacher, early field experience hours, major, and employment history. A secondary purpose of the study was to investigate sources of stress in student teaching. / The subjects were 98 student teachers from the departments of Early Childhood, Middle Grades, and Secondary Education at Valdosta State College, Valdosta, Georgia. / Prior to entering the field, student teachers were administered two instruments: (a) the Teaching Anxiety Scale (TCHAS), and (b) The Student Teacher Questionnaire. / The Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, Confidence Intervals, and Analysis of Variance were used to analyze the data. / A significant negative correlation was found between anxiety about teaching (as measured by the Teaching Anxiety Scale) and prior contact with cooperating teachers. As hours of observation and participation with cooperating teachers increased (prior to student teaching), there was a decrease in student teachers' anxiety about teaching. / Student teachers who had been employed as teachers' aides or substitute teachers had significantly lower anxiety scores than those who had been employed in other positions which involved working with children/young people. / There were no significant relationships found between anxiety about teaching and student teachers' age, number of children, overall grade point average, or early field experience hours. No significant effects were found for marital status or major. / During the quarter, five early childhood student teachers were interviewed about sources of stress in student teaching. The data were analyzed using the method of qualitative data analysis outlined by Bogdan and Biklen (1982). / Five main sources of stress emerged from the interview data analysis: (a) the cooperating teacher, (b) college coursework versus the reality of teaching, (c) discipline, (d) job search, and (e) age. Reasons were given by student teachers as to why each source was stressful. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-11, Section: A, page: 3556. / Major Professor: Virginia P. Green. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 32-11, Section: A, page: 6277. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1971.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 32-11, Section: A, page: 6279. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1971.