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The relationship between selected student teacher characteristics and anxiety about teaching: An investigation of stress in student teaching

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.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_78093
ContributorsDodd, Elizabeth Lilly., Florida State University
Source SetsFlorida State University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText
Format137 p.
RightsOn campus use only.
RelationDissertation Abstracts International

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