The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions and experiences of teachers participating in an on-site master's degree program in their school district. Its intent was to provide school districts and universities with information for establishing future programs. To accomplish this, a questionnaire was distributed to teacher participants and instructors of six school districts in metropolitan Phoenix. Additionally, selected teacher participants, all program administrators and the university program administrator were interviewed. The following conclusions were based on the findings of this study. Teachers, instructors and administrators agreed that: (1) a master's degree is important to a teaching career and improves teaching, provided the course content is implemented. (2) participation in and completion of a master's degree program impacts student achievement. (3) courses taken through the on-site program were more appropriate than those offered through a university-based program. (4) a cohort system is beneficial to teachers in completing the program. Teachers agreed that: (1) a master's degree program has an impact on their practice. (2) courses in instructional strategies, diversity issues, special needs, child psychology, educational research and issues an valuable to their role. Instructors saw all courses offered as valuable. (3) the quality of a course is determined unilaterally by the instructor. (4) the convenience of proximity of the on-site program facilitates pursuing a master's degree. Teachers and instructors agreed that: (1) the on-site program is the best professional development for teachers and more helpful than inservice courses. (2) an on-site program should include more practical than theoretical aspects. All administrators indicated the program must include a balance. Teachers and administrators agreed that: (1) district and non-district instructors both provided quality instruction; however, district instructors bring relevant district information to the instruction. (2) the on-site program provides a meaningful professional development experience through its alignment with district philosophy and goals, and, as administrators further expressed, the optimum professional development experience for teachers. The long-term implication of the findings is the need for continued and extended university/school district collaboration in the area of teacher professional development.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/282494 |
| Date | January 1997 |
| Creators | Sandoval, Dolores A., 1949- |
| Contributors | Clark, Donald C. |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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