A COMPARISON OF THE PERCEPTIONS FIRST YEAR TEACHERS, PRACI‘ICE TEACHERS, AND SENIORS WITHOUT TEACHING EXPERIENCE HOLD OF THE PROBLEMS FACING BEGINNING TEACHERS IN PUERTO RICO Thesis for the Degree of Ph. D. MICHIGAN SKATE UNIVERSITY ‘Nzicafas Anfcl‘én Rodriguez '1 9:64 Resets LIB R A R Y Michigan State University This is to certify that the I thesis entitled A COMPARISON OF THE PERCEPTIONS FIRST YEAR TEACHERS, PRACTICE TEACHERS, AND SENIORS WITHOUT TEACHING EXPERIENCE HOLD OF THE PROBLEMS FACING BEGINNING TEACHERS IN PUERTO RICO presented by Nicolas Antolin Rodriguez has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Ph.D. degree in Education Cu / 7 r / (/1- / — )1 (LL; (In:‘)¢ \,: {:(/\ 1/, ~44 / Major professor rf Date June 3, 1964 ABSTRACT A COMPARISON OF THE PERCEPTIONS FIRST YEAR TEACHERS, PRACTICE TEACHERS, AND SENIORS WITHOUT TEACHING EXPERIENCE HOLD OF THE PRO-'SLENS FACING BECII‘=§§§II‘§G TEACHERS IX PLTER'TO RICO by Iicolas Antolin Rodriguez Problem The present study was designed to assess the differential percep- tions students of education at different stages of preparation hold of the problems encountered by the beginning teacher. More Specifically, it purported to determine the level of agreement among; a) one year teachers, b) seniors with practice teaching, and c) seniors without teaching experience in their expectancies of degrees of difficulty in- volved as the new teacher functionalizes a set of basic behaviors at the hard core of his professional role. The Sample A group of 72 teachers who had just finished their first year of experience in the field; 72 senior students of education who were finish— ing their practice teaching course, and 72 seniors Specializing in Sencondary education and were ready for, but had not taken their practice teaching course, constituted the sample in the study. The sample was f’U‘rther limited in that; a) all first year teachers were graduates from El”? College of Education of the University of Puerto Rico during the Nicolas Antolin Rodriguez 1961-62 academic year and hired by the State Department of Education in August, 1962, and b) the seniors were taking their practice teaching at the University of Puerto Rico in 1963. Procedure The following procedural steps were followed in the present study: (1) A 78-item, three-point scale measure instrument was designed to cover the basic professional role of the teacher, as organized into eight sections by professional behaviors. (2) The instrument was mailed to the teachers in the field and directly administered to the full-time senior students of education in the sample. (3) The collected data was coded, translated onto IBM cards, and a three-by-three cell chi-square analysis performed on all items using Michigan State Univer- sity's Control Data Corporation 3600. Act II program. Findings A comparison among the three sub-samples by means of the chi-square technique yielded the following findings: (1) With the exception of items 12, Table 4.2, and item 37, Table 4.4, the null hypothesis was rejected at the .01 level of significance Or higher; that i U} There is a difference in the perceptions of problems facing the beginning teacher as he faces his teaching role between; a) one year beginning teachers, b) senior students of education with practice teaching, and c) senior students of education without teaching experience. Nicolas Antolin Rodriguez k?) The directional hypothesis was reversed according to the find- ings in the analysis; that is, Rather than the direction of degrees of internalization and concern over the actual and potential difficulties faced by the neophyte at the outset in his professional role being from one year teachers to seniors without ex- perience in teaching, the contrary was demonstrated by the analysis. That is, seniors without practice teach- ing indicated a stronger significance and possible difficulty in functionalizing the professional behaviors presented to them in the questionnaire. (3) Beginning teachers had the tendency to withhold their responses to some basic items in the questionnaire, particularly on aspects of planning, evaluation, and methodology. Conclusions In his position of concern over the initial encounter with the profession, the senion student may be reacting, among other factors, to; a) difficulties of merging theory and practice, b) inadequacy of knowledge on such basic fields as psychology of learning, methodology and group dynamics in addition to his subject matter field of specializa- tion. Such feelings and attitudes seem to be logical outcomes of pre- service preparation, particularly at the stage when the student already lias a broad view of the profession and its problems, but lacks his laboratory experience. As the subject comes in contact with experience, the apprehensions ‘3f the previous stage seem to fade away rather quickly, as demonstrated bX’ the practice teachers, Group II in the sample. When the present Stnldy was made, practice as well as beginning teachers had had some Nicolas Antolin Rodriguez time to acquaint themselves with the profession. Insofar as it strengthened their feelings of security and adequacy, the degree of familiarity gained through actual teaching may be a positively reasonable explanation for the wide differentiation in perceptions. However, there is sufficient empirical evidence to justify a suggestion of Caution every time the practice or beginning teacher responded heavily on the third or ”not felt” category, especially in such aspects as discipline, planning, methodology, evaluation, school-community relations and school-time distribution. A COMPARISON OF.THE PERCEPTIONS FIRST YEAR TEACHERS, PRACTICE TEACHERS, rND SENIORS WITHOUT TEACHING EXPERIENCE HOLD OF THE PROBLEMS FACING BEGINNING TEACHERS IN PUERTO RICO Nicolas Antolin Rodriguez A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Education 1964 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My sincere appreciation and gratitude is hereby eXpressed to the persons who made this study possible, and through them to the institutions they represent, Hichigan State University and the University of Puerto Rico. To Dr. William N. Farquhar, his major adviser, the writer is especially indebted for his constant help and constructive criticism throughout the study, particularly on statistical design and methodology. To the members of his doctoral committee, Dr. Wilbur B. Brookover, Dr. George Z. Barnett and Dr. Carl H. Gross for their cheerful encourage- Inent and valuable suggestions. To Deans Augusto Bobonis and Herminia Vazquez, of the College of Ehducation of the Fniversity of Puerto Rico for the expeditious way in xfldich they provided the writer with ample opportunities to continue stiuflying. T Mrs. Lynda Crafton whose expert editing and typing were both a -o greeat asset and a privilege to be able to endorse. "lo my wife Betty, not only for her assistance with the many clerical taslcs at the beginning of the project, but for her forbearance and consstzant inspiration throughout the course of the study. ii TABLE Or CO\lEl§TS ACKNOWLEDGEHEHTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF APPENDICES Chapter I II I\7 Pace ii Iv vi THE PROBLEM 1 Statement of the Problem 2 Significance of the Study 3 Theoretical Background 3 Research Hypothesis 8 Definition of Terms 9 Organization of the Study 10 REVIEW OF RELATED RESEARCH 11 Teacher Personality and Teacher-Pupil Rapport 12 Pre-Service and ln—Service Preparation of Teachers. 20 Problems Inherent in the School and Community Settings 26 Summary 31 DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY 33 Description of the Sample 33 Construction of the Instrument 35 Summary of the \CI EPS' 3 Definition of Teacher Profess- ional Role . 3b Refinement and Administration of the Instrument 38 Statistical iypotnesis 40 Summary 42 ANALYSIS OF THE DATA 43 Global Hypothesis Test . 43 Completeness of Response . . . . . . . . . .. 44 Teacher- -Pupil Relationships as a Source of Difficulty 45 Planning as a Source of Difficulty 47 Evaluation as a Source of Difficultgg 50 Teaching Methods as a Source of Difficulty . 52 School- Community Relations as a Source of Difficulty. 55 Time Distribution as a Source of Difficulty 57 Problems of Personality Adjustment 59 Students Health as a Source of Difficulty 60 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . 62 iii Chapter Page V SEXMARY AND CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Basic Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Purpose of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Procedure Followed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Scope and Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Pertinent Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Conclusions and Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Suggestions for Future Study . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 ESIHLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 iv LIST OF TABLES Table NO. Page 4.1 Chi-square Values Testing the Perceptual Differences Between First Year Teachers, Seniors With Practice Teaching and Seniors Without Practice Teaching* Rela- tive to Teacher-Pupil Relationships as a Source of Problems for Beginning Teachers . . . . . . . . . . 45 .5 \J ._ Chi-square Values Testing the Perceptual Differences Between Groups I, II, and III Relative to Planning as a Source of Problems for Beginning Teachers . . . . 48 4.3 Chi-square Values Testing the Perceptual Differences Between Groups I, II, and III Relative to Evaluation of the Teaching-Learning Experience as a Source of Problems for Beginning Teachers . . . . . . . . . . 51 4..4 Chi-square Values Testing the Perceptual Differences Between Groups I, II, and III in Relation to Teach- ing Methods as a Source of Problems for Beginning Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 4+..5 Chi-square Values Testing the Perceptual Differences Between Groups I, II, and Ill Relative to Knowledge and Utilization of Community Resources in the Class- room Process as a Source of Problems for the Begin- ning Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 4-.€> Chi-square Values Testing the Perceptual Differences Between Groups I, II, and III Relative to Apportion ment of School Time as a Source of Problems for the Beginning Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 4- 7 Chi-square Values Testing the Perceptual Differences Between Groups I, II, and Ill Relative to Personal Adjustment as a Source of Problems for the Beginning Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 1"8 Chi-square Values Testing the Perceptual Differences Between Groups I, II, and III Relative to Students Health as a Source of Problems for the Beginning Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 EFSND this point forward these groups will be referred to as Groups I, II, and III. v Table No. Page 5.1 Average Responses Rounded to Whole Numbers for the Three Groups of Teachers to Three Levels of Problem Perception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b8 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix Page A The Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 B Cell Chi-square . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 vi CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Preparation of teachers for present and future demands, a prepara- tion that must aim at both qualitative and quantitative factors, has become a nationwide concern. The responsibility of preparing the [necessary "number of competent teachers required to provide each ele- nuentary and secondary school pupil with a fair educational opportunity” r<3sts squarely upon the teacher training institutions. If the institu- tiaans are to fully accept their responsibilities, they must carry their ctnnmitment beyond mere practice to the realm of objectively understand- iiig the role of their teacher graduates. The idea of comparing the perceptions of the professional role of' teachers among senior students of education, student-practice tewachers and new inc nbents who have finished their first year of teauzhing experience, emerges from that pressing necessity for prepar- ing rnore and better qualified teachers. The challenges of the day in an iaicreasingly complex, swiftly changing society, keep pressing upon the S<:hool its new and ever higher demands for better education. This Clainn «of society for a more efficient service touches the entire in- Stitiit;ional personnel of the school, but it is the classroom teacher 1J1 the last analysis, has to crystalize the commitment. \‘v’h O , ‘xr‘ "The Post—War Struggle to Provide Competent Teachers,” NBA Re- Lé‘rch Bulletin, Vol. xxxv, No. 3, p. 15. r.) Statement of the Problem By the time the typical beginning teacher is ready to start his eactive career, he has formulated a frame of reference that will guide Piim in the observation of the various aspects of the teaching profession. fie feels ready to test those basic ideas, concepts, principles and slth pre-service and in-service levels, and c) poor communication and iaitegration of effort between school and community, and within the scfliool community itself.24 More Specifically, the highest convergence pc>int among researchers in the field is around the importance of labora- tcyry experience in context with the ongoing academic studies prior to '7 . . . . . . tenaching.“5 In other words, it is felt that the teacher training institu- tZiCDri must strive to merge theory and practice, and constantly assess itZS results against actual teaching efficiency shown by its graduates 111 the field. \———n 231bid., p.6. 240.B. Fuglaar, "Identifying Teachers Needs for Programs of Pro- feSsional Education,” Dissertation Abstracts, Vol.18 , 1957, pp. 63-64. ‘ 25F.A. Formica, "Teaching Difficulties Encountered by Beginning I"*lementary Teachers," Dissertation Abstracts, Vol. 23, No. 2, 1962, 13F>- 63-64. 8 Finally, recent literature on pre-service preparation of teachers clearly indicates that teacher preparation programs rest too heavily on . . 26 . . . opinion at the expense of sound theory. Accordingly, more rigid ap- plication of known social-psychological theory is urged, in context with a ”conceptual scheme for teacher education."27 The present study partakes of the idea involved in the last statement in the sense that it purports to assess what the student brings into his practice teach- ing course, what he takes from it, and hay he functionalizes his know- ledge in actual experience. Research Hypothesis This study was designed to investigate the following hypothesis: There is a difference in the perception of problems besetting the be- ginning teacher as he faces his teaching role among; a) senior students of education who have not taken their laboratory experience, b) senior Stiujents who are taking their laboratory experience and c) in-service teacluers with one year of experience. It is further hypothesized that (aquarienced beginners will express a higher degree of internalization and cxancern over the difficulties involved in functionalizing some basic: behaviors of the teaching profession. 26F.2fl. Kerlinger, ”Educational Attitudes and Perceptions of Teacheres: Suggestions for Teacher Effectiveness Research," School 322321, v01. 71, xo. 1, Spring 1963, pp. 1-11. 27E. Iloward, ”Ieeded: A Conceptual Scheme for Teacher Education," 1221-. pp. 12-26. Definition of Terms 1. Professional behaviors refer to those series of acts the . teacher is called upon to perform, the sum total of which constitutes liis professional role. For the purpose of the present study the measure instrument was organized under eight groups of such behaviors. 7 A student teacher or practice teacher is any student specializing in education who is taking his professional laboratory (experience at any of the practice centers. 3. By practice center it is understood any of the public schools Sc?lOCted by the College of Education of the UniVersity of Puerto Rico 1J1 cooperation with the Insular Department of Public Instruction where stiujent teachers practice four hours every day for one full semester. Theese schools, often referred to as cooperating schools, are all con- ceritrated in the metropolitan area of-San Juan, Puerto Rico. 4. The cooPerating teacher is the classroom teacher selected to intrnaduce the student teacher to actual field experience. He is re- Sponsilale for coaching, supervising and helping in the evaluation of the s tudent teacher . 5. The college supervisor is a faculty member of the College of Educatiaan charged with the reSponsibility of supervising, guiding, orientiaig and finally evaluating the work of the student teacher. 6- The terms laboratory experience and practice teaching are herewitfi used interchangeably. 10 Organization of the Study The general plan of the study is to present in the following chapter a review of the research done in relation to the perception of professional role problems among senior education majors, as compared with internalized difficulties as reported by beginning teachers in the discharge of their professional behaviors. In the third chapter, the design of the study will be described with reference to design, sampling {Drocedure, method of treatment, testing of hypothesis, and type of analysis. In chapter four, the results of the analysis will be reported, and in chapter five, a summary of findings and concluding statement will be rnade. CHAPTER II fiEYIEN 0F RELATED RESEARCH The purpose of this chapter is to review selected research done iri the field of role internalization by students of education at differ- erit levels of preparation through their first year of experience. Focus naill be placed on the professional problems facing the new incumbent eat the very beginning of his career and how these problems relate to tile teacher training institution. No attempt will be made to survey tile fields of role theory and criteria for the teacher competence1 ex- ceqat to the extent that it will be considered indispensable for the prwesent study. The complex of problems facing the neophyte teacher as reported iri the reviewed research falls within thnee broadly interrelated areas; a) teacher personality as it affects the classroom process, b) pre- serxkice and in-service preparation, and c) problems emerging from exist- I ing cxpnditions within the school and community where the teacher works. Apparenatly most problematic experiences of beginning teachers constitute the raither logical outcomes of the difficult process of bringing together and intxegrating " . . . in their behavior the cognitive, the psycho- social eand the psychomotor experiences as they move into the new role X lthivid G. Ryans, Characteristics of Teachers, American Council On Educxition: Washington, D.C., 1960. 12 A. r) . . . . . . oi teacher.” - Finally, the integration aspect, as indicated in the operational definition above, (Supra, p. 3) is a crucial element in the garofessional role of the teacher. Without that factor it is difficult tr\ make of the classroom "the laboratory for self-discovery." 3 Teacher Personality and Teacher-Pupil Rapport Few people would disagree with the principle that " . . . teachinU C: i1; effective to the extent that the teacher acts in ways that are frivorable to the development of basic skills, understandings, work lial)its, desirable attitudes, value judgments and adequate personal 4 acljustments of pupils." An answer to the question, however, on the neiture and Specificity of such ”acts” and 'ways," indiSpensable as it is to functionalize the more general and abstract definition, proves \ Fuazardous, indeed. A consistent theory of teacher behavior providing 4E1izabeth howard, op. cit., p. 22. 3Perceiving, Behaving, Becoming; A New Focus for Education; 62nd Yearlxook, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (NEA) Wasluington 6, D.C., 1962, p. 103, and Clark E. Mustakas, The Teacher and tflie Child: Personal Interaction in the Classroom, McGraw—Hill Book COmPaTU¢, Inc., Xew York, 1956, pp. 1-3, and Gilbert Highet, The Art of Ififigfililyg, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1954, p. 11, and C.M. Fleming, Iggchiaag; A Psychological Analysis, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1958, P- 1J3}, and Evans, ”Education in Personal Relationships with Special Re- ference: to Science Teaching," Researches and Studies; English University Institiite of Education: Leeds, Vols. 19-23, 1959-61, pp. 84-85, and C.H. ernss, et al., School and Society: Readings in the Social and EQLLEEEulhical Foundations of Education; D.C. Heath and Company, Boston 1963, pp. 3-8, 321-2 . 1+ Rywans, op. cit., p. 370. l3 enJSpicious conditions under which particular learnings could be most eiifectively produced,5 faces countless combinations of obstacles; a) grmaup differentiation within the socio-cultural milieu surrounding the scliool, b) "grade level and subject-matter taught," and c) variability (5f ”intellectual and personal characteristics" of the teachers and p14p>ils.6 In spite of all, research on teacher competence based primar- j_1)7 on ” . . . estimation of some of the major patterns of personal and sc5c ial characteristics of teachers,"7 offers a promising step forward in. the process of objectifying selection, preparation and placement of tezichers. ' In a comparison between education and non-education students in relgation to their choice of vocational objectives, Lapidus8 hypothesized d1at:, "education and non-education students would manifest different interrests and personality patterns, but relatively similar intellectual and scfliolarship characteristics.” In his objective of inquiring into mui ccxnparing characteristics between college students who select teachiJ1g as their professional goal and those who choose differently, the aiithor considered such variables as scholarship, interests, person- ality ‘traits and socio-economic background. 5.3 . ~xa11en and Travers, Op. Cit. 6Rxnans o cit p 371 - ,__R_.______., . . 71bid ‘— 8Ge<1rge Lapidus, "A Comparison of Education and Non-Education StUantS \Jith ReSpect to Their Choice of Vocational Objectives," (un- published Ph.D. Dissertation, New York University, 1955.) 14 The population sample of Lapidus' project consisted of 1300 students graduating from Brooklyn College in June, 1953. The sample was divided into two equal groups for the purpose of comparison; a) 630 education—- elementary and secondary--students and b) 650 students from the humanities, social science and science departments of the Brooklyn College. The criteria used for comparison were; a) high school grade index, b) Brook- lyn College Entrance Examination, c) A.C.E. Psychological Examination, d) College Grade Index, e) Thurstone Temperament Schedule, f) Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory and g) Kuder Preference Record. The treat- ment of the data included the t-test of significance, differences be- tween percentages and Chi-Square test. Among other findings, Lapidus' comparisons revealed the following; a) science students showed significant superiority over education students on the high school average, b) science students performed better than elementary, but not better than secondary school students on the entrance test, c) only male science students made better grades than secondary education males. In relation to personality character- istics, elementary education students appeared to be more mature social- ly, more cheerful, self-possessed, relaxed and they seemed to have had healthier family relationships than the rest of their colleagues.9 While non-education students scored higher in reflective thinking, ele- mentary education majors scored higher in social adjustment, morale R 3k summary of findings on the theme is included in Ryans', 92: 91.3, PP- 385-86. 15 and family relations. All education majors manifested higher positive attitudes towards salutary teacher-pupil relationships than non-educa- tion students. No appreciable differences were found between both groups in relation to socio-economic factors. In conclusion; a) the basic hypothesis was proved, b) elementary education students showed a richer potential for healthy teacher-pupil rapport,10 and c) secondary education students resembled non-education students more than they did elementary education students. In their effort to better study the personality of the teacher, particularly those traits which can affect more closely the interperson- al relations within the classroom setting, some reSearchers refer back to early childhood experiences. Certain aspects of teacher's identifi- cation with their professional role were studied by Jackson and Moscovicill. The authors proposed themselves to answer a set of questions; a) ”What has led these people to the choice of teaching as a career?" b) ”How do they view themselves and the task of education?" and c) "What are the central psychological issues they must resolve if they are to be - . “) Successful in the classroom?”l- "Two groups of graduate students in a major university participated lOSee also Robert Callis, "Change in Teacher-Pupil Attitudes Re- lated to Training and Experience,” Educational and Psychological Measures, Vol. x, 1950, p. 726. 11Philip W. Jackson and Pela Moscovici, ”The Teacher-to-Be: A Studyr<3f Embryonic Identification with Professional Role," School Review, Vol. 71, No. 1, Spring 1963, pp. 41‘65- 13Ibid. 16 in the study;"13 a) an experimental group composed of twelve females and fifteen males all holding Master's degrees in secondary school teach- ing, and b) a control group composed of twenty-seven students paired in every possible rCSpect to the experimental group--age, sex, prepara- tion, field of specialization--except that no "control” member intended to teach. Three major fields were represented in the experiment; a) languages, 10 females and 10 males, b) social science, 12 females and 12 males, and c) natural science, 5 females and 5 males. The projective technique was used with the following measure instruments; a) the Draw- a-Teacher Test as developed by Travers and others, b) the Word Associa- tion Test as modified by Goodenough for teacher application, and c) the Word Completion Form as designed by Hilton for assessing identification with teaching. The instruments were administered in sessions and the Draw-a-Teacher Test was given in the same room in order to control the factor "setting.” A comparison of both groups of students on each instrument through correlations and the t-test methods demonstrated that only the ”teacher emphasis score on the Draw-a-Teacher Test successfully discriminated at the .05 level between teachers-to-be and the controls."14 An interpretation of the drawings demonstrated; a) that the teacher-to- be projected himself into the teaching setting while the controls did 131bid., p. 43. 141mm, p. 44.. not, b) the teacher candidate visualized a high school classroom, some- times oversupplied with all kinds of teaching aids and ornamental de- tails while the non-education major visualized a rather barren college czlassroom, and c) the would-be-teacher identified the teacher as to [)osition in the classroom and sex, implying authority and command, vfliile the control groups did not discriminate between teacher and pupils. As an instrument of predictability, the Draw-a-Teacher Test seems CC) hold promise. However, as do most projective instruments it requires eail's reactions to student teacher's professional behaviors in the <:]_arssroom process. More Specifically, POSR items are arranged under a fiJV(3-factor continuum intended to portray teacher's personality traits lentztioning in context with classroom activity; a)friendly, cheerful, ilncj eidmired, b) knowledgeable, c) interesting and preferred, d) strict C()nt:r01 and e) democratic procedure. Because POSR factors combine the errlpé-iithical in "a” and ”e" with what could be interpreted as competence falltrbrs, "b" and "d”, the instrument measures teacher-pupil rapport and highlights teacher competence. In the course of three college semesters POSR was administered to alfll 7th through 12th graders composing the classes of 554 student teach- el:3 . A modified form of the same instrument was given to the student teéiclier group--lll males and 443 females--at the end of their laboratory \____ 7 _ “ODonald J. Veldman and Robert F. Peck, "Student Teacher Character- :Lstlics From the Pupils' Viewpoint," Journal of Educational Psychology, ‘01. 54, x0. 6, December, 1963, pp. 346-355. ‘20 6>q3erience by their cooperating teachers. The treatment of the data iiicluded the following; a) data reduced to item scores, b) item scores reuduced to item means for each student teacher, c) factor analysis to iriclude tests of invariance for time and sex, d) analysis of variance, 6?) zero-order and multiple correlations with California Psychological ‘Ilnxlentory and the Self-Reporting Inventory--CPI and SRI--scales, and f') validation against supervisor ratings of intelligence. Except for slight variations, the factor composition for male and .fcnnale practice teachers remained essentially the same. In such factors reelxative to the permissive "empathic potential," females scored higher ttiaii males. This finding, which permeates in an overt or implied way Erie reviewed research on teacher personality, is in keeping with an ac:ce2pted social value in American culture. Another interesting out- Ccnnee of the research was the relatively slight importance given by the SLupezrvisor of practice teaching to the "preferred-interesting" and 'Vitnnocratic" teacher factors in his evaluation of teacher competence. AT’Péarently supervisors emphasized poise, ”knowledgeableness” and "task- OITiantedness" in their evaluation while the students emphasized the InCVree permissive aspects. In conclusion, all the aforesaid findings ”liégklt have been more meaningful had the sample used been more balanced. Pre-Service and In-Service Preparation of Teachers The institutional reSponsibility of the school grows in direct - . . . o . m H proportion to sc1ent1f1c and technological advances. lhe age of cy- be'IInetics” demands teachers well enough prepared so they need not 21 I; . . .. .. .. . . . fear the children's high spirits, curiOSity, critical penetra- tixan and capacity for debunking."21 To aim to produce that 'profess- 90 . . ”‘r is the in- iC)nal man” who is not ”mere artisan” or ”mere routineer ezsczapable, difficult task of the teacher education institution. Of CiriJcial importance in the teacher preparation program is that aspect (2c3ncerned with the combination and functionalization of theory and p>reactice--the laboratory experience. The following is a selection of rezsearch projects done in the field of pre-service and in-service educa- \ tzic3n for teachers. The need to increase teacher activities leading to continued {urcbfessional growth motivated Fuglaar's study on the subject in 1957.23 SEDeczifically, the author intended to identify teacher needs which C(DLlld lead to fruitful suggestions for the professional education pro- glfarns. By means of the "critical incident" technique Fuglaar projected Cmwver, reported having relatively no problems "measuring daily learn- "using results of itlgg" item 21, Table 4.2; interviewing, item 29, and aiclaievement tests,” item 34, both in Table 4.3, in addition to the rest C>f rather low responses on the ”acutely felt” category. Obviously some "I’lus getting” response set is operating in the reSpondents. Still arnother noticeable result of the findings is the number of ommissions SCHDred by the first year teachers. Except for items 33 and 34, seniors ‘Vitfliout teaching experience moved somewhat more to the middle position 1r1 comparison to their previous scoring, while practice teachers contin- Lle1 r-r Appalachian State Teachers College,” Unpublished Ed.D. Dissertation, Indiana University, 1950. Young, Pualine, Scientific Social Surveys and Research, Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1956. ‘ Zulauf, Romeo, ”An Appriasal of Selected Aspects of a Teacher Education Program at the Northern Illinois State Teachers College Based Upon a Follow-Up Inquiry of Beginning Secondary School Teachers," Un- published Ed.D. Dissertation, Indiana University, 1956. APPENDIX A The Questionnaire Instructions: Please answer this questionnaire carefully. Read each item and indicate with a check mark ( ) the intensity or magnitude of the problem felt, in the space provided for your reSponse. Check under one (1) your ”acutely felt” problems; under two (2) your ”moderately felt" problems, and under three (3) your ”non felt” problems. Your response to this questionnaire should be based exclusively on your own experiences as a teacher during this school year. Your prompt and honest reply will be of great help to us in designing and conduct- ing better professional experiences and opportunities for our practice teachers and even for yourself. Thank you for your cooperation. Supervisors of Practice Teaching College of Education University of Puerto Rico Name: ‘ Position: Age: Sex: Subject taught: School level: elementary junior high senior high Preparation: Normal B.A. Elem. Education B.A. Second. Educa. \ Specialization: Spanish Social Studies English Mathematics Science Business Education Physical Education Home Economics Industrial Arts Others Town: Zone: rural urban 80 Group I - Problems Related to Teacher-Pupil Relationships 1 2 1. Taking care of individual differences 2. How to improve school-community relationships 3. Stimulating interest in learning among the students 4. Identifying and trying to solve student's personal problems. 5. Improving inter-pupil relationships 6. How to deal with student control problems Group I__- Problems Related to Planning of Instruction 7. Preparing the teaching unit 8. Using the master unit 9. Using the textbook ' 10. Using reference materials 11. Selectionfiof teaching aids 12. Using audio-visual resources 13. Using community resources 14. Sharing unit planning with the students 15. Preparing the daily plan 81 1 2 3 - l6. Formulating objectives 17. Selecting motivating activities 18. Selection and use of effective techniques of instruction l9. Selection and useuof teaching references 20. Formulation and use of the assignment 21. Measuring daily learning 22. Integration of daily plan with the teach- ing unit 23. Class development 24. Taking care of needs and interests of the students 25. Time apportionment for the different parts of the class period Group II - Problems Related to the Evaluation of the Teaching-Learning Experience 26. Utilization of the diverse techniques of evaluation 27. Preparation of tests 28. Observation 29. Individual and groupal interviews 30. Anecdoted and cummulative record of Students Ix) 31. Use of standard tests for the different subjects 32 Use given to results of achievement tests 33. Using results of diagnostic tests 34 Use given to results of achievement tests 35. Means used for evaluating results of tests 36. Analysis, interpretation and use given to rest results in general Group IV_- Problems Relative to Knowledge, Selection and Use of the Different Methods of Teaching. 37. Problem-solving method 38. Laboratory method 39. Project method 40. Socialized discussion 41. Directed study 83 42. Discussion techniques (panel, forum, de- bate, etc.) 43. Appreciation 44. Committee work 45. Demonstration 46. Drill 47. Review 48. Lecture 49. Assignment g8. Questions and answers g1. Grouping within classes gg, Use of realia and direct experience ' ‘0" ¢ ". o ‘ '.-—-. . 'q .Imp P V d 84 Group E - Problems Dealing with Knowledge and Usage of Community Resources 53. What means to use in order to know the community 54. How to use community resources to enrich the classroom process 55. How to engage the community resources to enrich the general school program 56. How to bring the school and theucommun- ity closer together 57. Identifying and helping to ameliorate community problems 58. Attitude of local supervision toward the new teacher 59. Attitude of the faculty toward the new teacher Group y;_- Problems Relative to School Time Distribution 60. How to better distribute the school day to attain higher academic achievement 61. Activities and techniques used in order to attain more effective teaching in less time 62. Making better use of free time 85 63. Means to use in order to best enrich the classroom experience in spite of time limitations 64 Making the best possible use of the homeroom period 65. What means to use in order to cover the school program for the grade in the stipulated or assigned time 66. Selecting the appropriate materials and activities to achieve the objectives and at the same time enrich its program. Group VII - Problems Related to Personal Adjustment 67. Satisfactorily facing personal problems outside the classroom 68. Deriving more personal satisfaction from my work 69. Pacing and solving personal frustra- tions 70. Cultivating better human relations within as well as without the school situation Group VIII - Problems Related to Students' health 71. Means to use to improve environmental health conditions 86 re 72. Making the daily health observation of the student 73. Means used to take care of students' health problems 74. Administration of selective health tests to students (sight, hearing, weight, height) 75. Using the results of selective tests 76. Using the various health services of the community in the school situation 77. Transfering health knowledge of the students into desirable health habits 78. Designing and using adequate teaching media to facilitate good experience in health education APPENDIX B Cell Chi-Square 88 Table 1 Individual Chi-Square Cell Values for all Items of the Questionnaire Legend: 1 - First year teachers 1 - Acutely Felt II - Practice teachers 2 - Moderately Felt III - Seniors without practice teaching 3 - Not Felt Question Group Response 1. Z l 1 I 2.82 .23 7.14 II 6.02 1.02 3.50 III 1.07 2.22 .64 2 I 8.05 .02 8.24 II 3.86 .47 1.25 III .76 .66 3.06 3 I 6.04 .07 7.70 11 3.57 1.69 .63 III .32 1.08 3.93 4 I 6.00 .06 9.63 II 9.38 .93 4.17 III .38 1.45 1.13 5 I 11 95 .11 9.20 II 10.94 .77 10.00 III .02 .29 .02 6 I 5.76 .09 6.50 II .64 .26 .04 III 2.56 .65 5.54 7 I 6.37 3.86 5.02 II 4.26 2.33 .31 III .21 .19 7.84 89 Table 1 continued Individual Chi-Square Cell Values for all Items of the Questionnaire Question Group ReSponse i a 2 8 I 21.27 2.48 11.64 II 11.41 .08 11.64 III 1.52 1.69 .00 9 I 17 02 .27 14 50 II 14.55 .71 14.02 III .10 .11 .00 10 I 7.12 .43 8.80 11 8.47 .00 5.83 III .06 .35 .30 11 I 9.06 .21 6.00 II 10.83 1.69 3.06 III .08 .71 .49 12 I 2.85 1.33 .30 II 1.08 1.33 .10 III .42 .00 .73 13 I 14.82 6.86 5.61 II 8.25 9.33 .11 III .95 .19 4. 7 14 I 7.53 .09 11.21 II 7.53 .70 7.42 III .00 .28 .39 15 I 20.06 .01 9.63 II 24.63 5.68 8.53 III .23 6.09 .03 90 Table 1 continued Individual Chi-Square Cell Values for all Items of the Questionnaire Question Group ReSponse i _ 16 I 7.68 .89 II 5.28 .17 III .22 .02 17 I 6.69 .19 II 5.25 .99 III .09 .05 18 I 12.00 .55 II 6.26 .48 III .93 .76 19 I 14.45 .00 II 6.05 .37 III 1.80 .45 20 I 8.47 .00 II 9.94 .00 III .06 .00 21 I 20.49 .29 II 13.67 .73 III .69 .43 22 I 10.09 .27 II 13.81 .27 III .29 .08 23 I 12.07 .64 II 14.78 .84 III .14 .96 IL» 13 11. .05 15. 11 .09 11. .17 13 .24 .83 .84 .86 .17 .72 .45 .63 .18 .33 .26 .04 .47 84 76 .51 .33 .61 .17 .11 91 Table 1 continued Individual Chi-Square Cell Values for all Items of the Questionnaire Question Group ReSponse i a 24 I 15.15 .07 II 11.26 .69 III .29 .08 25 I 20.01 .07 II 9.20 .27 III 2.07 .07 26 I 9.71 .00 II 11.92 .64 III .11 .11 27 I 1.85 .52 II 2.05 .64 III .01 .19 28 I 14.11 .03 II 9.63 .48 III .43 .27 29 I 4.27 .78 II 3.27 .03 III .07 .13 30 I 4.17 .87 II ‘ 1.31 .22 III .81 .22 31 I 3.05 .52 II 1.19 .64 III .43 .19 Ito H ubm LA) 11. 10. .Ol .10 .22 .36 .46 .85 .46 .72 .22 .39 .76 .17 .26 33 85 .25 .89 .42 .96 .99 .99 .74 .19 .19 92 Table 1 continued Individual Chi-Square Cell Values for all Items of the Questionnaire Question Group Response 1 a 2 32 I 3.85 .64 8.45 II 4.65 .04 3.20 III .04 1.00 1.25 33 I 12.30 .19 11.95 II 9.42 .43 7.18 III .19 .05 .60 34 I 22.04 1.75 11.84 II 10.67 .89 4.26 III 2.04 .14 1.89 35 I 5.72 .23 7.08 II 4.02 .06 4.71 III .15 .06 .24 36 I 1.47 1.94 6.50 II 1.47 .00 1.15 III .00 1.77 2.18 37 I 2.08 .93 3.70 II 2.35 .23 1.81 III .01 .23 .33 38 I 5.60 .73 7.04 II 2.64 .02 .67 III .55 .52 3.38 39 I 14 02 .00 15 76 II 11.70 .49 6.38 111 .10 .59 2.08 93 Table 1 continued Individual Chi-Square Cell Values for all Items of the Questionnaire Question Group Response 1 2 2 40 I 11.64 .24 7.58 11 14.73 1.35 4.26 111 .18 .45 .47 41 I 4.05 .44 6.86 11 7.20 1.06 1.19 III .45 2.87 2.33 42 I 4.43 2.60 10.67 II 1.63 1.67 3.38 III .68 .10 2.04 43 I 10.19 .85 1.88 II 7.01 .43 .62 III .30 .07 .35 44 I 10.85 .00 7.80 11 3.47 1.57 .02 111 2.05 1.57 7.09 45 I 10.78 1.63 16.02 II 7.41 .30 5.83 III .31 .53 2.52 46 I 7.73 2.23 10.60 II 9.50 .18 4.80 III .09 1.14 1.13 47 I 12.70 1.07 12.21 II 13.80 .55 10.61 111 .02 .09 .06 94 Table 1 continued Individual Chi-Square Cell Values for all Items of the Questionnaire Question Group Response 2 2 2 48 I 13.87 .02 9.66 II 14.41 .22 6.59 III .01 .11 .29 49 I 16.10 .55 14.29 11 11.52 .77 10.32 III .38 .02 .32 50 I 11.56 .16 15.76 II 16.00 .64 24.08 III .36 .16 .88 51 I 11.12 .46 13.40 11 10.73 .89 8.88 111 .00 .07 .46 52 I 7.67 .33‘ 9.31 II 7.01 .33 6.23 111 .01 .00 .31 53 I 8.17 .36 11.74 11 9.55 .16 15.03 III .05 .04 .20 54 I .20 2.40 8.33 II 3.50 .17 9.40 III 2.02 1.28 .03 55 I 12 45 .92 10 32 II 7.76 5.43 .47 III .55 1.88 6.37 11' 95 Iable 1 continued Individual Chi-Square Cell Values for all Items of the Questionnaire Question Group Response .1. 2 2 56 I 14.42 1.67 11.21 11 12.16 11.27 .11 III .10 4.27 9.13 57 I 15.13 4.84 /.76 11 10.13 4.00 3.67 111 .50 .04 .76 58 I 12.34 .10 19.17 11 17.38 .76 31.70 111 .43 .31 1.57 59 I 18.35 . .03 20.02 11 18.88 2.67 35.85 III .00 3.23 2.29 60 I 15.75 .61 16.08 11 14.82 .73 13.87 111 .01 .01 .08 61 I 5.29 .09 9.75 II 5.86 .37 7.47 III .01 .09 .15 62 I 10.45 1.71 12.32 II 10.94 1.19 10.29 III .01 .05 .09 63 I 9.59 1.38 8.07 II 5.89 1.03 3.49 III .47 .03 .97 96 Table 1 continued Individua1 Chi-Square Cell Values for all Items of the Questionnaire Question Group ReSponse 2 .2. 64 I 7.26 .00 II 5.33 .02 III .15 .00 65 I 6.83 .25 II 7.52 .19 III .02 .00 66 I 18.13 5.01 11 11.84 1.51 III 7 1.02 67 I 3.21 4.83 II 11.21 4.51 III 2.42 .01 68 I 15.15 .01 II 12.65 .29 III .11 .38 69 I 13.56 .53 II 5.79 4.21 III 1.63 1.75 70 I 18.62 .00 11 13.88 .60 III .35 .60 71 I 12.03 .41 II 6.53 .18 III .83 1.14 10. 10. .00 14. 16. .04 15. 14. .00 12 11 lo.) .76 .22 .54 .56 .00 .06 89 89 .75 .31 .17 .19 .59 .77 81 33 31 84 .48 .95 .01 97 Table I continued Individua1 Chi-Square Cell Values for all Items of the Questionnaire Question Group Response 1 _ 72 I 9.48 .18 II 6.26 .06 III .33 .37 73 I 8.66 .02 II 6.27 .02 III .19 .07 74 I 11.72 .01 II 7.54 .02 III .35 .01 75 I 7.70 .00 II 6.02 .67 III .10 .67 76 I 14.44 .04 II 9.00 .04 III .64 .17 77 I 16.33 .00 II 8.33 .04 III 1.33 .64 78 I 16.11 .00 11 10.82 .57 III .52 .06 02on Ito .40 .10 .10 .84 10. .05 32 .12 .54 .35 .33 .05 .71 .06 .84 .77 .80 .80 .20 .18 .04 .06