The purpose of this study was to develop a profile of the male primary teacher in Arizona. It was hoped that such research would provide practical information for Arizona's teacher education programs for the purpose of attracting qualified males into teaching as well as for school districts who wish to attract and maintain qualified male primary teachers. The study population consisted of 112 primary teachers (K-3) in the public school systems of Arizona. Data for this study was obtained by the questionnaire method. The questionnaire designed for this study was based on a review of the literature. Data was gathered that pertained to three areas: Personal Attributes, Professional Attributes, and Perceived Contributions. The typical male primary teacher in Arizona is Anglo, 36, and married to a working wife. He is likely to be a first born, born out of Arizona, and not the first in the family to go to college. Most were born into a middle- or working-class family and were reared in a traditional family in that the mother's main occupation was that of a housewife. The typical male primary teacher in Arizona is likely to have a master's degree, and over half have an undergraduate degree in primary education. The majority received their degree from an Arizona institution. He is likely to be teaching in the third grade and has previously taught at the primary level. Well over half reported professional membership and have attended a professional conference within the past six months to a year. Most, however, do not belong to a professional support group. Low salaries was the most reported career impediment, and less than half see opportunities for advancement. A majority plan to continue teaching at the primary level, while some plan to teach at the intermediate level. The typical male primary teacher feels accepted by students, parents, and female colleagues. They see the public as having a more positive attitude towards men who teach grades K-3. Over half see themselves as helpful with discipline problems and effective when conferring with parents. They also see themselves as effective motivators and offering their students a different learning experience. A little over half agree that they are a father substitute and that children should have a male primary teacher. Well over half do not think boys benefit more than girls do from having a male primary teacher. Most think the elementary schools should be defeminized. Most think their school administration values their teaching at the primary level.

A total of 47 teachers, randomly selected from 1328 elementary school teachers in a Southwestern urban school district, were randomly assigned to two six-hour, introductory computer in-services. Teachers receiving the BASIC in-service and the LOGO in-service were administered an attitude survey after the in-services. The survey was composed of seven demographic questions, 20-items designated to test attitudes toward computers in general and 20-items designed to test attitudes toward computers in the elementary school classroom. Scores were analyzed to determine the effect of the two treatments on attitudes as well as the effect of four demographic variables, regardless of treatment, on teacher's attitudes. There were no significant differences in attitudes of subjects receiving the BASIC in-service and those receiving the LOGO in-service. In addition, the previous computer training, grade level taught, and gender of the subjects, did not appear to affect their attitudes toward computers in general and in elementary school classrooms. One demographic variable, years of teaching experience, did significantly affect the mean scores on the attitude instrument. Those teachers in the study with one to fifteen years of teaching experience demonstrated a significantly more positive attitude toward computers in the elementary school classroom and toward computers in general as compared to those with 16 or more years of teaching experience.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the level of teachers' self-esteem on student achievement. This study surveys and analyzes factors of teachers' self-esteem. Its results are based on (1) a review of the literature to develop an understanding of historical perspectives and research, (2) the factors involved in the development of self-esteem, (3) the role of the parents, and (4) the role of the teacher. Forty-three teachers of grades three and five in North Central Texas completed the Gordon Personal Profile-Inventoiy to assess their levels of self-esteem. Six teachers with mid-range scores were eliminated from the study. The remaining 37 teachers were divided into high and low self-esteem categories. Students' Texas Learning Index scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills were matched with the appropriate teachers' scores. The findings of the study indicate that the students with teachers in the high level of self-esteem category scored an average of 5.67 points higher than those students with teachers in the low level of self-esteem categoiy. Findings resulting from the study led to the conclusion that teachers with high levels of self-esteem have a positive influence on the achievement of their students.

The purpose of this study was to identify the personality traits of effective elementary bilingual/ESL teachers, to identify the personality traits of effective traditional elementary teachers, and to compare the two groups.

The problem of this study was to determine the relationship between self-concept, expressed sexual knowledge, and attitude toward sex education of a group of experienced elementary teachers. A second dimension of the problem was to investigate the relationship of the three variables above with certain other factors that could possibly influence the effectiveness of the elementary teacher of sex education. These factors were age of the teacher, sex of the teacher ,grade level of teaching, educational level of the teacher, teaching experience, marital status of the teacher, number of siblings of the teacher, and church preference or affiliation of the teacher.

This study investigates the influence of inner-city and suburban student teaching upon adjustment and effectiveness of first-year elementary teachers, with secondary attention to their personal and professional problems of adjustment to their initial teaching location. The fifty-five subjects of this study were first-year, inner-city and suburban teachers in the Dallas area. Except for two Black females and three Anglo males, all were Anglo females. The findings of this study support the following conclusions 1. Student-teaching locale should not be the determining factor in deciding the type of school for first-year teachers. 2. Effective inner-city student teachers may be expected to be highly effective teachers in both inner-city schools and those in other locales. 3. Successful student-teaching experiences, regardless of location, can be expected to produce well-adjusted, effective teachers. 4. It can be anticipated that inner-city teachers will experience a negative change in optimism, attitudes toward teaching, general adjustment and mental health during their initial year of teaching. 5. Both suburban and inner-city teachers who enjoyed successful student-teaching experiences can be expected to have good self-perception, empathy, a favorable view of children, confidence regarding classroom discipline, and effectiveness as a teacher.

The purpose of this study was to survey the subject certified staff of Florida public elementary schools to determine how elements of Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory were perceived as being met in their current school employment. The descriptive study utilized an instrument that listed each of the 16 job factors in Herzberg’s theory. The instrument was designed to allow subjects to mark each job factor as contributing to their job satisfaction, neutral, or contributing to their job dissatisfaction. The instrument also had areas to record various biographical data regarding the subjects. The survey was conducted on a randomly selected subject group that was stratified over the five regions of Florida public schools. A total of 586 usable surveys were returned, a return rate of 71%. An estimation approach to inferential statistics was used to analyze the data. Interval estimation of the data was done through the construction of confidence intervals at the .95 level. Each job factor was analyzed with regard to the group as a whole and with regard to selected biographical information, including sex, years of teaching experience, job position, and degree held by subject. The job factors of Advancement, Salary, and Personal Life were perceived by over half of the subjects as not contributing to their job satisfaction. The job factors of Achievement and Interpersonal Relationships with Students were perceived by over 90% of the subjects as contributing to their job satisfaction. There was no significant difference between male and female subjects on all job factors with the exception of Responsibility. There was no significant difference between subjects with M.A. degrees and subjects with B.A. degrees with regard to any job factor. Subjects with the most years of teaching experience tended to have more members that perceived job factors as contributing to their job satisfaction than subjects with lesser years of teaching experience. It is recommended that further research be undertaken to determine the perceptions of certified personnel in Florida’s public secondary schools.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education