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No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This exploratory study considered the possible impact that organizational climate, content area, adult development group, career stage, and conceptual level did have on the implementation of an innovation by junior high school teachers in an urban school system. Formal instrumentation consisted of the Organizational Climate Index (OCI) (Stern, Steinkoff & Richman, 1975) and the Paragraph Completion Method (PCM) for assessing conceptual levels (Hunt, Greenwood, Noy & Watson, 1973). Parameters developed by Sheehy (1976) and Levinson (1979) were used to determine adult development groups; career stages were determine by indicators set by Yarger and Mertens (1979). An approved questionnaire based on the system's model was used to determine the extent of implementation. Reliability coefficients of .79 and better were established for interrater agreement and implementation scores (student and teacher report). A stepwise regression analysis was conducted using the implementation scores and percentage scores for specific tasks as the dependent variables. The broad categories of climate and conceptual level did not impact significantly. However, subscales such as organizational effectiveness, coping with uncertainty, accepting orders, as well as adult development group and career stage were significant at the .01 level. / Ed. D.

In efforts to bridge the gap between the conceptualized theories about mentoring and the realities in progress, this study looks closely to the process of mentoring. Six veteran teachers and their beginning teacher partners were observed during their mentoring sessions, which were the basis of one public school district mentor program. Three issues were addressed: the context of mentoring, the circumstances and conditions in which the mentoring occurred; the content of the discussions between mentors and beginning teachers, the types and degree of thought and interaction during mentoring; the nature of any influence that the mentoring experience had upon the mentor, ‘The mentoring sets met at similar times and places, after school in a classroom; however, the contexts in which they met differed in that each set established a unique tone, The mentoring sets discussed the same topics, the classroom, the school, the BTAP, and personal matters; however, the content of their conversations differed in that the interaction between the teachers in each set was unique. The veteran teachers in each set reported being influenced by the mentoring relationship. The three issues were discussed separately but the connection between them is apparent and the effect that the context and the content of the mentoring relationships had on the influence that was felt by the mentor is summarized. Conclusions about the dynamic nature of mentoring relationships and suggestions for future mentoring programs are included. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to develop an assessment instrument which could by utilized by school systems to determine the extent to which their staff development programs for teachers reflected characteristics of effective staff development programs. Those characteristics or attributes which were recognized consistently across the literature by leading educational practitioners, consultants, and staff developers, were identified and used as indicators of effective staff development programs. Identified characteristics were grouped in four domains: Validation of Staff Development; Resources for Staff Development; Accommodation of Adult Learning Needs; and, Climate to Support Staff Development. Based on identified attributes, a questionnaire was developed which provided a measure of the effectiveness of a school system's staff development program. The questionnaire was field tested, modified, then sent to a stratified random sample of 45 school systems in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Six weeks later, the questionnaire was again sent to the same sample. Data from the two administrations of the questionnaire were analyzed to determine the validity and reliability of the instrument. Although a number of specialists in the field of staff development have identified a variety of practices which they believe to be effective, there currently is no adequate model or mechanism for comprehensive evaluation of existing staff development programs. The study resulted in the development of an instrument which will enable school systems to reflect critically on their existing programs and to plan for program improvement. / Ed. D.

Participation in inservice training is one way in which teachers and other educational professionals learn and update the skills that they bring to the instructional process. Unfortunately, little descriptive or empirical research has been conducted that specifically examines the training professional who provides the training. This study had three main goals: to provide a window on the strategies that trainers use when they plan for workshop delivery; to examine the differences between expert and non-expert teacher trainers using an information processing perspective grounded in the research on cognitive psychology, expertise, and teaching; and finally, to provide an in-depth look at how expert trainers plan for workshops. The study had two parts. First, a workshop planning strategy questionnaire and demographic survey were administered to 78 training professionals attached to 16 federally funded regional training centers. Next, think aloud interviews were conducted with 3 trainers who had been identified as training experts by their peers. Exploratory data analyses revealed that trainers consider training expertise to be a function of three dimensions: knowledge of content, social affective skills and planning/organizational abilities. Exploratory analyses also showed that both experts and non-experts report using a wide variety of strategies when planning for workshops, although the least frequently reported strategies were rehearsal strategies (scripting and practicing what to say and do). Both experts and non-experts reported using strategies consistently in familiar and unfamiliar settings. A Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA showed that were no significant differences between the groups of trainers in the reported use of metacognitive strategies. However, expert trainers report extensive metacognitive strategy use (particularly planning and self-monitoring strategies) during the think aloud interviews. Two additional Kruskal-Wallis ANOVAs revealed that neither previous coursework on teaching methodology and training nor previous classroom teaching experience (except at grades 4-5) showed any significant effects with respect to trainers’ categorization as experts. Experts, however, appear to be able to use their previous experiences and knowledge in a way which helps them become experts. The study concludes with implications for training development programs and implication for preparing and developing teacher trainers. / Ed. D.

This study proposes to show the progress made in the in-service education program of Johnson County and to determine the effectiveness of its newly adopted in-service program.

The educational reform movement of the 1980's has called for a restructuring of our nation's public schools. The effective schools research and reform literature, such as the Carnegie Report (1986), suggest that collegiality offers teachers and administrators the opportunity to improve the structure of our nation's schools. Collegiality encourages intellectual sharing which promotes professionalism, consensus and unity among a school staff. Peer coaching is recognized as one way teachers are provided opportunities to work in a collegial setting. The peer coaching model requires that teachers be provided with (a) theory, (b) practice in observation skills, (c) practice with notetaking as a source of data collection, (d) practice in giving specific feedback from the notes during an observation and (e) practice in observing videotaped teaching episodes. An important contribution of the peer coaching model is that it allows teachers the opportunity to observe and learn from each other. Therefore, if teachers are to benefit from the peer coaching model, they must be able to provide feedback to their peers that is both useful and accurate. Hall (1988) implied that the peer coaching teachers in her study needed more training in feedback skills in order to provide useful feedback to their peers. However, to date, there is no empirical evidence to support Hall's assumption. Furthermore, if the peer coaching model is to be successfully implemented and positively affect teacher behavior, then staff development personnel need information to address selected variables which may be impeding feedback in the peer coaching model. Therefore, the researcher of this dissertation conducted an investigative social research study in order to provide an objective assessment of peer coaching feedback and then to investigate selected variables that may be impeding that feedback. In order to provide this information, the researcher conducted her study in a large suburban public school system that had implemented peer coaching for a three year period. A select group of 54 teachers, who had been trained in mentoring and peer coaching skills, participated in telephone interviews, "scripting," feedback commentaries and a questionnaire in order to provide the data needed for the study. / Ed. D.