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A STUDY OF SELECTED ASPECTS OF PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT CENTERS WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
THE IN-SERVICE EDUCATION OF LIBYAN TEACHERS

presented by
MOHAMED HASHEM FALOUGI

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A STUDY OF SELECTED ASPECTS OF
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTERS
WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE
IN-SERVICE EDUCATION OF LIBYAN TEACHERS

By
Mohamed H. Falougi

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

College of Education
Department of Secondary Education and Curriculum

1980

ABSTRACT
A STUDY OF SELECTED ASPECTS OF
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE
IN-SERVICE EDUCATION OF LIBYAN TEACHERS

By
Mohamed H. Falougi

The purpose of this study was to investigate the percep-
tions of participants in in-service education activities .
offered by four professional development centers in the state
of Michigan with respect to (a) scheduling appropriate times
for providing activities and programs; (b) centers' affilia-
tion with higher education institutions and their involvement
in teacher in-service education programs provided by profes-
sional development centers; (c) certification and degrees;
and (d) determinants of teacher in-service education activi—
ties and offerings. The study also explored whether and to
what extent professional deve10pment centers could help in
answering teacher in-service education needs in Libya.

Questionnaires and interviews were used to analyze the
perceptions of participants at the Detroit Center for Profes-
sional Growth and Development, the Region 12 Professional
Development Center, the Kent Professional Development Center,
and the Northwest Staff Development Center concerning their
involvement in program activities. Questionnaires were mailed
to a random sample of 281 participants; 180 individuals (64

percent) returned the questionnaire by the deadline date. Of

Mohamed H. Falougi

these,a total of 172 questionnaires (61 percent of the
original 281 surveys) were usable. The researcher also
visited the designated centers and interviewed the directors
of each center. Information was collected with regard to:
(a) scheduling appropriate time for activities and programs
of in-service education; (b) centers' affiliation with higher
education institutions and their involvement in teacher in-
service education programs; (c) support agencies; (d) certi-
fication and degrees; (e) expansion of on-going programs;
(f) determinants of in-service education activities and of-
ferings; (g) available materials and equipment; and (h) pro-
jected plans for future development. The relevant data from
the questionnaires were reported in frequencies and means.
The data analysis indicated that: (l) summers, weekday
evenings, vacation periods other than summers, and Saturdays
are appropriate times for professional development centers to
offer in-service education activities; (2) l to 2 weeks is a
reasonable length of time for professional development acti-
vities; (3) a lack of released time, the extensive time de-
mands of teaching jobs, family obligations, and a lack of
awareness about relevant programs are the greatest obstacles
to teacher participation in professional development center
activities; (5) higher education institutions provide signi-
ficant services, equipment, and personnel to professional
development center participants; (6) all participants and
directors at the four centers desired to continue and/or

increase their center's affiliation with higher education

Mohamed H. Falougi

institutions; (7) professional development center activities
rarely lead to or count towards a teaching certificate; (8)
the great majority of participants (89 percent) have already
met all requirements for permanent certification; (9) the
majority of the centers serve as a catalyst for linking to-
gether the special needs of the teacher population with the
resources of higher education institutions; (10) the majority
of the respondents indicated that courses, workshops, and
seminars provided by professional deve10pment centers for
in-service training had no salary increments; (ll) center
administrators and coordinators are primarily responsible for
determining professional growth programs; and (12) boards of
directors are responsible for developing the operational
policies of professional development centers. In general,
the vast majority of the participants were interested in
attending professional development activities that are char-
acterized by a high quality of organization, practicality and
usefulness, relevancy, and convenience.

The results of the study indicate that it would be help-
ful for develOping countries to establish professional devel-
opment centers. Such centers would provide opportunities
for teachers to have dialogues among themselves and to try
innovations in a non-threatening atmosphere. The professional
development concept seems to be especially valuable for coun-
tries where resources for teacher training are limited.

Several recommendations for professional development cen-

ters in general and for professional deve10pment centers in

Mohamed H. Falougi

Libya and other developing countries were made. Recommenda-

tions for further research also were suggested.

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to the memory of
my father, Hashem. It is also dedicated
with love to my mother, who spent many
nights waiting for my return, and to my
wife,Naima,for her care, patience, and
understanding.

ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The researcher gratefully acknowledges the support and
encouragement of the many fine people who worked with him
during the development of this study. Sincere appreciation
is extended to Dr. Peggy M. Riethmiller, my academic advi-
sor and committee chairperson, for her efforts and continual
assistance.

Sincere appreciation is also extended to Drs. Ben A.
Bohnhorst, Howard W. Hickey, Walter W. Scott, and John H.
Suehr for their valuable advice and insights as members of
my doctoral guidance committee. A special thanks is due to
Mrs. Paula Brictson, research consultant to the Michigan
Educational Assessment Program, who provided unlimited
assistance in gathering the needed information.

A special thanks is extended to the professional develop-
ment center directors for their help and time throughout
this process. Appreciation is especially due to Dr. Jessie
Kennedy, Director of the Detroit Center for Professional
Growth and Development; Dr. Dennis Sparks, Director of the
Northwest Staff Development Center; Mrs. Barbara Bird,
Director of the Kent Professional Deve10pment Center, and
Mr. Gerald Geik, Director of the Region 12 Professional

Development Center.

iii

The Office of Research Consultants in the College of
Education at Michigan State University assisted in facili—
tating the data organization. Particular appreciation is
extended to Mr. Khalil Elaian for his generous help with
the statistical procedures and computer processing.

Most of all, I wish to thank my wife, Naima, whose
constant love, support, courage, and sacrifices lighted my
way throughout this long, but beneficial, journey. I also
wish to extend a special thanks to my brother, Ahmed, who

looked after our family while I was abroad.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables .........................................
List of Figures ........................................
CHAPTER I: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY

Introduction .........................................
Purpose of the Study and Statement of the Problem....
The Need for the Study ...............................
Significance of the Study ............................
Design of the Study ..................................
Definition of Terms.» ................................
Limitations of the Study .............................
Assumptions of the Study .............................
Organization of the Study Report .....................

CHAPTER II: LIBYA AND ITS EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Introduction .........................................
Historical Background ................................
Development of the Educational System ................
Teacher Preparation ..................................
Educational Trends and Problems ......................

CHAPTER III: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Introduction .........................................
Teacher In-Service Education .........................
The Importance of Professional Development ...........
The Professional Development Center Movement .........
Definitions of Professional Development Centers ......
Types of Professional Development Centers ............
Purposes and Functions of Professional

Development Centers ................................
Financing Professional Development Centers ...........
Professional Development Centers in Michigan .........
Summary .................... . ..........................

CHAPTER IV: DESIGN OF THE STUDY

Introduction .........................................
Research Questions ...................................

V

Page
viii

xi

100
100

Instrumentation ......................................
Population and Sample ................................
Location~ .............................................
Survey Procedure .....................................
Pilot Group ..........................................
Distribution .........................................
Response Rate ........................................
Analysis of Data .....................................
Background of Respondents ............................
Summary ..............................................
CHAPTER V: ANALYSIS OF THE DATA
' Introduction .........................................
Characteristics of Respondents .......................
Teaching Responsibilities ..........................
Years of Full-Time Teaching Experience .............
School Level .......................................
Educational Level ..................................
Time Spent in Planning and Preparation .............
Amount of Extra Time Spent Working with Students...
Summary ............................................
Attitudes towards Professional Development Centers...
Expansion of Center Services .......................
Extent of Perceived Benefit from Expanded Services.
Perceptions of Who Uses Center Facilities ..........
Cost of Using Center Services ......................
Reactions to Various Descriptions of Center
Services .........................................
Relative Importance of Various Characteristics of
Professional Development Activities ..............

Ability to Apply Learning Gained from Professional
Deve10pment Activities to Teaching Situations....
Knowledge about the Evaluation of Individual

Centers ..........................................
Summary ............................................
Specific Data Regarding Research Questions ...........
Appropriate Times for Activities ...................
Center Affiliation with Higher Education
Institutions .....................................
Certification and Degrees ..........................
Curriculum Content Determinants ....................
CHAPTER VI: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction .........................................
Summary ..............................................
Conclusions ..........................................
Characteristics of Respondents .....................
Attitudes towards Professional Development Centers.
Research Questions .................................

vi

Page

101
103
105
108
109
110
111
112
114
119

121

122
124
126
126
129
131
131
133
133
134
137
139

141
143
145

147
150
151
152

163
173

180
180
185
185
186
187

Page

Observations ......................................... 190

Recommendations ...................................... 193
Recommendations for Professional Development

Centers in Michigan .............................. 193

Recomnendations for Professional Development
Centers in Libya and Other Developing Countries.. 194

Recommendations for Further Research ............... 197
BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................... 199
APPENDICES

Appendix A: Letter to Professional Development

Center Directors from the Author ....... . ............. 207
Appendix B: Letter to Professional Development

Center Directors from Midhigan State University.... 208
Appendix C: Cover Letter for the Questionnaire ...... 209
Appendix D: The Questionnaire ....................... 210
Appendix E: Follow-Up Letter to Participants from

the Author ......................................... 221
Appendix F: Thank You Letter to Professional

Development Center Directors from the Author ....... 222

vii

LIST OF TABLES

Page
Study Plan for the Primary Stage (According to
Ministerial Decree No. 245, 1974) ................. 32
Study Plan for the Unified Preparatory Stage
(According to Ministerial Decree No. 245, 1974)... 33
Study Plan for, the Secondary Stage (According to
Ministerial Decree No. 245, 1974) ................. 35
Distribution of Sample Population by Professional
Development Center ................................ 105
Percentage and Sex of Respondents by Professional
Development Center ................................ 113
Respondents by Age Group .......................... 116
Respondents by Primary Area of Responsibility ..... 117
Respondents by Full-Time/Part-Time Teaching
Responsibility .................................... 118
Respondents by Teaching Responsibility ............ 123
Respondents by Years of Full-Time Teaching
Experience ........................................ 125
Respondents by Type of School ..................... 127
Respondents by Completed Level of Education ....... 128
Respondents by Hours per Week Spent on Planning
and Preparation ................................... 130
Respondents by Hours per Week Spent Working with
Students beyond the Regular School Day ............ 132
Respondents' Attitudes towards Expanding Center
Services .......................................... 135
Extent of Perceived Benefit from Expanding Center
Services .......................................... 136

viii

Table
5.9

Page
Respondents' Perceptions of Who Uses Center
Facilities ....................................... 138
Cost of Using Center Services .................... 140

Respondents' Reactions to Descriptions of Center
Services ......................................... 142

Respondents' Attitudes towards the Relative
Importance of Various Characteristics of Center
Services ......................................... 144

Respondents' Ability to Apply Center Experiences
in Their Teaching ................................ 146

Respondents' Knowledge about the Evaluation of
Individual Centers ............................... 148

Respondents' Perceptions of the Extent to Which
Various Time Periods Are a Problem ............... 153

Mean and Ranking by Center of Problem Time
Periods .......................................... 155

Respondents' Perceptions of Problem Lengths of
Duration for Center Activities ................... 158

Mean and Ranking by Center of Problem.Lengths of
Duration for Center Activities ................... 158

Problems Associated with Participation in Center
Activities ....................................... 160

Mean and Ranking by Center of Problem Lengths of
Duration for Center Activities ................... 162

Mean and Ranking of Respondents' Perceptions
Concerning Organizations That Best Provide
Professional Development Center Services ......... 164

Mean and Ranking of Respondents' Perceptions
Concerning Their Center's Affiliation with Higher
Education Institutions ........................... 165

Respondents' Perceptions of the Services That
Higher Education Institutions Provide to Centers. 166

Mean and Ranking of Respondents' Perceptions

Concerning Their Center's Future Affiliation with
Higher Education Institutions .................... 157

ix

Table

Page
Ways in Which Respondents Are Compensated for
Participating in Center Activities ............... 170
Respondents' Perceptions of Services Offered by
Centers .......................................... 172
Respondents' Roles in Center Administration ...... 174

Respondents' Perceptions of Who Has Responsibility
for Planning Center Programs and Activities ...... 176

Respondents' Perceptions of Who Has Helped to
Develop Operational Policies for Centers ......... 176

Number and Percentage of Respondents Who Have
Participated in Center Activities ................ 177

Number and Percentage of Respondents Who Have
Participated in Activities at Each Center ........ 178

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page
2.1 Secretariat of Education Decision-Making

Hierarchy ........................................ 29
3.1 Perceived Relationship between Meeting Staff 88

Needs and Improved Student Learning ..............

xi

CHAPTER I

OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY

Introduction

 

Continuing education for professional development needs
to be given a higher priority. Such education provides oppor-
tunities for professional personnel to develop and expand
their personal and job-related competencies, and to prepare
for new professional roles and job assignments after their
initial professional or vocational certification. McGlothlin
emphasizes that a professional person is a lifelong learner:

No one man can hope to be a master of all know-
ledge, but he has a professional obligation to
try to keep abreast of those portions which are
essential to his practice. He cannot do so
without continued reading and study. The know-
ledge he acquires in professional school may be
sadly out-of-date long before he reaches retire-
ment. He must not run the risk of subjecting
his patients or clients to the dangers of obso-
lete knowledge. He must continue to be a scholar,
even in the press of practicei...A professional
person is a lifelong learner.

Professional continuing education is particularlyinpor-
tant for teachers, especially at a time when the demands on
the teaching profession are increasing. Chilana suggests

that well-organized and systematic in-service education is

 

1William J. McGlothlin, The Professional Schools (New
York: The Center for Applied Research in Education, Inc.,
1964). P. 28.

l

2
essential to improve efficiency and promote the deve10pment
of any profession, but it is much more important for educa-
tional workers because education occupies a unique and stra-
tegic position in the task of human development.2
Waskin notes that intellectual capacity and knowledge

obtained as the resultof the pre-service preparation of
teachers are not the only elements in teachers' training.

In more recent years in educational history, \/

leaders in education thought began to realize

that intellecutal capacity and knowledge are

not the only factors at work in training per-

sonnel to work effectively with children. In

light of societal changes and technological

advances, the need for "renewal" on the part

of classroom teachers has become a focal point

for consideration by educators at many levels.
However, Larson stresses that more than lip service must be
given to the concept that a teacher is always in the pro-
cess of "becoming" if teachers are to be able to cope with
the complexities of today.4

In-service education may be one of the best means of

helping teachers deal with those complexities. In the 19705,

the in-service training of teachers became one of the highest

priorities in American education. Teachers and educators

 

2Mulkh Raj Chilana, In-Service Education for Elementary
Teachers (New Delhi, India: India Association of Teacher
Educators, 1968), p. 1.

3Yvonne Fisher Waskin, "The Teacher Center Movement in
the United States and Its Implications for Teacher Education"
(Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan, 1976), p. 23
(hereafter cited as "Teacher Center Movement").

4Vera M. Larson, "Portland's In-Service Involves All Pro-
fessional Personnel," Educational Leadership (March 1974) :502.

3

called for effective and meaningful in-service programs as a
means of improving personal growth, professional competency,
and teaching effectiveness. The Michigan Department of Edu-
cation described the professional developuent process as:

a planned and organized effort to provide

teachers and other educational workers with

the knowledge and skills necessary to facili-

tate improved student learning and perfor-

mance. «

At the same time, the control and governance of in—
service education has become a hotly contested issue.6 Many
of the in-service programs that are offered are inadequate
and irrelevant to teachers' needs.7 In-service education
has too often consisted of "hot shot" programs that are
designed by administrators or college professors and that
require that teachers attend them on their own time.8

Concerns such as these have led to a search for more

appropriate alternatives. Many educators believe that

 

SMichigan Department of Education, Office of Profes-
sional Development, "Professional Development for School
Staffs: The Michigan Approach" (Lansing, Michigan) (here-
after cited as "Professional Development").

6James F. Collins, "Centers for the Education of
Teachers: Some Perspectives on Operation and Management"
(Speech delivered to the NCSIE Conference on State Action
for In-Service Education held in New Orleans, 1976), p. 22.

7Ben A. Harris and Wailand Bessent, In-Service Educa—
tion: A Guide to Better Practice (Englewood Cliffs, New
Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1969), p. 4 (hereafter cited as In;
Service Education).

8Roy A. Edelfelt, "In-Service Education of Teachers:
Priority for the Next Decade," Journal of Teacher Education
(Fall l974):250.

4
in-service programs for professional growth should not be
designed or offered only by administrators or college pro-
fessors. In 1971, Ralph Tyler predicted that:

In-service training of the future will not be

limited to college and university campuses or

to school buildings but will be carried on in

a variety of settings related to the problems

and the resources to be dealt with.

The professional development center, which some educa-

tors consider to be one of the most powerful vehicles on
the scene today for the delivery of in-service education,

is an example of this trend.10

Open classrooms that pro-
vide educational alternatives for teachers and educators in
general, professional development centers are places where
teachers teach teachers, share new ideas, and seek new ways
to enrich and enliven the learning experiences of children.
At the centers, teachers become students of learning; they
are given the opportunity to experience new ways of learning
in new and different learning environments and to question
and evaluate their own ways of teaching. Professional

deve10pment centers are learning centers.11

 

9Ralph W. Tyler, "In-Service Education of Teachers: A
Look at the Past and Future," in Improving In-Service Educa-
tion: Pr0posals and Procedures for Change, edited by Louis
J. Rubin (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1971), p. 15.

10Allen A. Schnieder and Sam J. Yarger, "Teacher/
Teaching Centering in America," Journal of Teacher Education
(Spring 1974):5-12 (hereafter cited asT"Teacher/Teaching
Centering").

11Taken from materials published by the Learning Center
Board of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.

5

The professional development center concept has attained

a vast popularity among educators at many levels in the
United States and Europe. In recent years, both the number
of centers and the number of center participants have grown
rapidly. Schnieder and Yarger write:

The teacher and teaching center is one of the

hottest educational concepts on the scene today

....It has been generally estimated that it

takes over twenty years for a new innovation to

work its way into the mainstream of American

education. It has taken less than half a decade

for the teaching center to become a well-known

locus for new approaches to educational person-
nel development. 2

Purpose of the Study and Statement of the Problem

The study was designed to determine whether and to what
extent professional development centers in the state of
Michigan could help in answering teacher in-service education
needs in Libya. Though Libya has a very different culture,
educational system, and societal structure than doesvfichigan,
the researcher believes that innovations from other countries
can be adapted to meet Libyan needs and that the acceptance
of such innovations can potentially improve the educational
system of Libya.

The study examined participants' perceptions of in-
service education activities offered by four professional
development centers in the state of Michigan: the Detroit

Center for Professional Growth and Deve10pment, the Region

 

12Schnieder and Yarger, "Teacher/Teaching Centering,"

6

12 Professional Development Center, the Kent Professional
Deve10pment Center, and the Northwest Staff Development Cen-
ter. Five major research areas guided the development of
the study:

1. When are in-service education activities
offered to teachers in the various pro-
fessional development centers and what
are appropriate times for scheduling
such activities?

2. Is there any affiliation with and/or par-
ticipation between professional develop-
ment centers and higher education insti-
tutions?

3. Does teacher participation in professional
development activities count towards or
lead to certification and/or degrees?

4. How is the content of the curriculum of
professional development centers determined?
Who plans the program activities for
teacher in-service education?

5. How can the findings from the above ques-
tions relate to teacher in-service educa-
tion in the Libyan educational system?

Other areas, subordinate to these research questions,
were also studied. These included the function and organi-
zation of professional development centers in Michigan, the
ways in which centers meet the challenges posed by teacher
education and professional growth with regard to teacher in-
service education, and specific center practices that could

be adapted to improve teacher in-service education in Libya.

7

The Need for the Study

 

Libya, like other deve10ping countries, needs to improve
the in-service education programs offered to its teachers.
The aim of this study was to see whether or not the experi-
ences of professional development centers in the United
States might be used to help Libyan in-service education pro-
grams in areas such as:

1. Scheduling appropriate times for in-service
education activities (e.g., summer, weekends,
evenings).

2. The involvement of higher education institu-
tions and their affiliation with professional
development center activities.

3. The relationship between in-service education
and higher education certification and degrees.

4. Creating more relevant curricula for in-service
education activities. Teacher needs and pri-
orities should be given top priority in designing
teacher in-service education programs.

Significance of the Study

lkrservice education or educational renewal has been
defined as the process by which a school maintains continuous

growth towards offering maximally effective service to its
13

students and the community and is considered to be one of

 

13Joseph A. Califano, Harry F. Berry, and Ernest L.
Boyer, Commissioneriijeport on the Education Professions
1215:1216, HEW Publication No. 0E-77-12012 (Washington, D.C.:
U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1977),

p. 12 (hereafter cited as Commissioner's Report).

8

the key elements in educational change. Waskin suggests that

the nature of the professional development centers now in

existence seems to indicate that much of the renewal or in-

service education of teachers might well become the responsi-

bility of these centers.

14 Furthermore, Califano and others

point out that:

The teacher center is to be the critical element

in the design for educational renewal. It should
be seen as the "nerve center" which would orches-
trate the many diverse programs that would be
brought together under renewal. The center would
provide a wide range of resources for training
personnel on all levels, focusing on the trainees'
most pressing instructional problems, and affording
an Opportunity for participants to share experi-

ences with one another.

The study was designed to meet a number of needs:

1.

The need to provide policy-makers in Libya with
specific information about professional develop-
ment centers and their implications for in-
service education.

The need to help educational inspectors know
about the concept of professional deve10pment
centers.

The need to provide information that will help
inspectors to change or at least to question
their own positions with regard to issues
related to in-service education, teachers'
training, and assessments of teachers' needs.

The need to improve teacher education, in-
service education, and educational reform in

 

14Waskin, "The Teacher Center Movement," p. 18.

15
p. 13.

Califano, Berry, and Boyer, CommissionerYS Report,

9

Libya so that teachers are able to meet their
needs with respect to professional growth and
personal development.

5. The need to develop a greater understanding of
professional development centers in general
and the ways in which they can improve teacher
in-service education. '

The researcher's major concern in conducting this study was
whether or not professional development centers can provide
the solution to teacher in-service education needs in Libya

and:to teachers' needs in general.

Design of the Study

 

In order to find the answers to the above questions, the
following steps were taken:

1. The researcher conducted a survey of the lit-
erature on in-service education and profes-
sional development centers. The major.sources
of data were: (1) resources at the Michigan
State University library including reports
from the Educational Resources Information
Clearinghouse (ERIC), Dissertation Abstracts,

 

documents published by Unesco and the

U.S. Agency for International Development,
and books and periodicals on file at the
Michigan State university library; (2) lit-
erature from individuals directly involved
in working with professional development
centers and teacher in-serVice education;
(3) reports and publications of the Michi-
gan Department of Education; and (4) books
and materials personally owned or borrowed
by the writer.

10

2. A questionnaire was mailed to 281 school per-
sonnel who have participated in activities
offered by the four professional development
centers selected for the study. The question-
naire was prepared by the researcher with the
assistance of the chairperson and other members
of the doctoral guidance committee.

3. The researcher interviewed the directors
and key persons associated with each of the
four centers.

The data from the questionnaire were analyzed using the
facilities of the Michigan State University computer center.
On the basis of this analysis and the review of the litera-
ture, the researcher developed a number of conclusions and
recommendations concerning professional development centers

and the improvement of in-service teacher education in Libya.

Definition of Terms

 

In order to avoid semantic confusion or ambiguity in
the interpretation of this study, the following major terms
have been used throughout the study.

Professional Development. The comprehensive network

 

which complements and extends the professional education com-
ponent by providing alternatives for fulfilling professional
and personal growth. The professional development process
is "a planned and organized effort to provide teachers and
other educational workers with the knowledgeanuiskills neces-

sary to facilitate improved student learning and performance .16

 

16Michigan Dept. of Education, "Professional Development}'

11
In-service Education. Formal and informal activities
for the continuing professional growth and personal develop-
ment of teachers. In this study, in-service education
refers to the activities designed to promote the professional
growth of teachers for the purpose of improving educational
programs.
Professional Development Center. Schnieder and Yarger's
definition of professional development centers has been
selected as the most appropriate definition for the study:
A place, in situ, or in changing location, which
develops programs for the training and improve-
ment of educational personnel (in-service teachers,
pre-service teachers, administrators, paraprofes-
sionals, college teachers, etc.) in which the
participating personnel have an opportunity to
share successes, to utilize a wide range of educa-
tion resources, and to receive training speci-
fically related to their most pressing teaching
problems.1

The term "teacher center" is used synonymously with profes-

sional development center.

Professional Center Director. Anyone who is in charge
of the organization and operation of a professional develop-
ment center.

Curriculum. The program of studies or activities
offered to participants by the professional development cen-
ter.

University. An institution of higher education. In

this study, the term refers to organizations that are

 

17Schnieder and Yarger, "Teacher/Teaching Centering,"

12
involved in both pre-service and in-service education for
teachers.

Secretariat (Ministgy)_of Education. The organization
which is responsible for all general, vocational, technical,
continuing, and in-service teacher educational policies and
activities in Libya. The Minister of Education, who is a
member of the cabinet, is the head of the Secretariat of
Education. A

Inspectors. A separate corps of five inspectors

 

attached to the general administration of technical inspec-

tion in the Secretariat of Education in Libya. The inspec-

tors' role is that of examining educational operations from

a professional point of view and insuring that school pro-

grams develop in conformance with educational theory.
Planning. The prearrangement of policy and methods to

guide work towards given objectives. Planning is directional,

it establishes goals and guides action.18

Limitations of the Study

 

The study was limited by the following factors:

1. Because so little research has been conducted
with respect to the purposes and effectiveness
of professional development centers, the study
was limited to using literature and informa-
tion thatwes based almost entirely upon current
events and persons directly involved in center

 

18D. Kent Halstead, Statewide Planning in Higher Educa-
tion (Washington, D.C.: Superintendent of Documents, 1974),

P

13

research.19

The study was limited to four professional
deve10pment centers in the state of Michigan.

The study was designed to describe the centers'
activities with respect to the major research
questions. It did not attempt to evaluate the
effectiveness of professional development cen-
ters in Michigan or their ability to attain
their objectives.

There was no attempt to look at the relation-
ship between participation in professional
deve10pment center in-service activities and
pupil performance.

Assumptions of the Study

 

A number of assumptions guided the deve10pment of the

study:

Michigan professional development centers
are representative of professional development
centers elsewhere in the United States.

The dynamics of institutional deve10pment in
the United States are similar to those in
Libya.

The four research questions reflect actual
problems in the Libyan system of education.

 

1 Waskin, "The Teacher Center Movement," p. 18.

14

Organization of the Study Report

The study report is divided into six chapters:

Chapter I: Overview of the Study. Sections in

this chapter briefly discuss the current status

of in-service education and professional develop-
ment activities; the purpose, need for, limitations,
and assumptions of the study; methodology and
definitions of terms used in the study; and the
overall organization of the study report.

Chapter II: Libya and the Educational System.

 

Sections in this chapter provide background in-
formation about the history of education in
Libya, the current educational system, or-
ganizations for training teachers, and educa-
tional trends and problems.

Chapter III: Review of the Literature. Sections

 

in this chapter discuss the importance of

teacher in-service education and professional
deve10pment, trace the growth of the professional
development center movement, and describe the
four centers selected for the study.

Chapter IV: Design of the Study. Sections in
this chapter describe the procedures, instrumen-
tation, and data analysis methods used in the
study.

Chapter V: Presentation and Analysis of the
Qagg. Sections in this chapter present the
findings of the data analysis and interpret
the findings with respect to the four research
questions.

Chapter VI: Summary and Recommendations. Sections
in this chapter summarize the research findings '
and offer observations, conclusions, and

15

recommendations with respect to in-service educa-
tion in general and the implications of the

study for improving teacher in-service education
in Libya.

CHAPTER II

LIBYA AND ITS EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Introduction

 

More than 29 years have passed since Libya became inde-
pendent in 1951. Unfortunatley, the burden of deve10ping
an effective educational system has been heavy because of the
long period during which Libya was colonized by foreign coun-
tries. Education during the colonial period was almost exclu-
sively confined to teaching a small portion of the Islamic
holy book, the Qu-ran, and explaining the principles of Is-
lamic religion. Classes were small and only covered the most
elementary aspects of Islamic studies.

This chapter discusses the historical background of the
Libyan educational system, the current educational system,
the ways in which teachers are prepared, and trends and prob-

lems that confront the present educational system.

Historical Background

Education in the Arab world was disorganized and unsys-
tematic until the prophet Mohamed brought the message of
Islam. Ghamdi describes the impact of Islam:

In the Arabian peninsula, education remained hap-
hazard until the message of the prophet Mohammad

came from the Holy City of Mecca like a light in
the wilderness. This was an amazing advance in

16

17

human thought at a time when the whole world
lived in the darkness of ignorance. The
prophet was the first teacher; the Qu'ran,
the first textbook; and the Mosque, the first
school.

Islam emphasizes the importance of knowledge. The first
revelation of the Qu'ran begins with the divine command,
"Read." The Qu'ran urges people to seek knowledge:2

Read in the name of the Lord who created,

who created man out of a clot of congealed blood,
Read! and the Lord is the most beneficent,

He who taught by the pen,

Taught man that which he knew not. (Sura 96,1-5)

God will raise up, to suitable ranks and degrees,
those of you who believe and who have been
granted knowledge. (Sura 58, 11)

Those truly fear God, among his servants,
who have knowledge. (Sura 35,28)

...but no one knows its hidden meanings
except God and those who are firmly grounded
in knowledge say we believe in the Book; the
whole of it is from our Lord, and none will
grasp the Message except men of understanding.
(Sura 3, 7)

The importance of knowledge was emphasized by the prophet
Mohammad when he admonished his followers to:

Acquire knowledge, it enables the possessor to
distinguish right from wrong, it lights the
way to Heaven, it is our friend in the desert,
our society in solitude, our companion when
friendless, it guides us to happiness, it

 

1Mohammad A.H. Ghamdi, "A Study of Selected Factors
Related to Student Dropouts in the Secondary Schools of
Saudi Arabia" (Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State Univer-
sity, 1977), p. 16 (hereafter cited as "Student Dropouts").

2Libyan Arab Republic. The Glorious Kuran, translation
and commentary by AbdallahVLAli (Tripoli: 1973).

 

18

sustains us in misery, it is an armament among
friends and an armour against enemies.

This devotion to and search for knowledge soon made the
Arab world the preserver, if not the cradle, of civiliza-

3

tion. Higher education institutions have a long and honor-
able history in Arab countries and some of the world's
oldest universities (dating from the ninth century A.D.)
are to be found on Arab land. According to historical rec-
ords, the world's first institution of higher education was
established at Baghdad by the Caliph Al-Mamun in 830 A.D.
Other universities soon followed: the University of Qara-
wiyine in Morocco was founded in 859 A.D. and Al-Azhar
University in Egypt was founded in 972 A.D.4

The main impact of Arabic thought on modern education
came during the time of Islamic expansion in the middle ages
when Arabs welcomed and sponsored learned men, scientists,
artists, musicians, and poets from many places. Arab philo-
sophers established themselves by their significant indepen-
dent treatises as well as their reliable translations of
Greek, Roman, Persian, and Indian philosophers.

The Arabic contributions in education and in all the

branches of knowledge are so clear that they cannot be denied.

Arabs contributed many original texts in, for example,

 

3

4James A. Perkins, Higher Education: FromAutonomygto
S stems (New York: International Council for Educational
Deve opment, 1972), p. 185. '

Ghamdi, "Student Dropouts," p. 18.

l9
astronomy, medicine, mathematics, history, and music. They
invented algebra and chemistry, the names of which are de-
rived from.Arabic words. Arab scientists also greatly ad-
vanced our knowledge about astronomy. A list of distinguished
philosophers and scholars who have contributed to human know-
ledge would include:

. Al-Kindi,who taught science, logic, and meta-
physics in a liberal arts curriculum;

0 Al—Razi, who wrote an extensive summary of medi-
cine and whom many believed to be the greatest

early medieval physician;

0 Gaber Ibn Hyain, who invented algebra and from
whose name the word is derived;

0 Al-Mansruri, whose writing was used for many
years as a major required text for students;
and,

o Al-Farabi, Al-Hazan, Ibn Miskawaih, and A1-
Ghazali, who were leading scholars in the
eleventh century.

By the sixteenth century, Arab culture and civilization
fell into a long decline. The Arab empire disintegrated and
was divided into small, weak states. This was due to local
conditions and colonial partition, first by the Ottoman em-
pire and later by the various EurOpean powers.

The Middle East enjoyed a civilization culturally
far superior to that of Western Europe. Alto-
gether this civilization endured for about five
hundred years, from the eigth to the thirteenth
century and witnessed intellectual, artistic,
scientific, and cultural achievements that

were to deeply influence world culture. Yet in
the end this rich and complex culture became
ossified, the high achievements in science,

20

literature, and medicine, and the fine arts
became dim memories, and pedantism and obscur-
antism replaced the thirst for knowledge and
intellectual activity. Similarly, the educa-
tional system that had once produced savants
and scholars, statesmen and administrators,

now became an agency for conservatism.and reac-
tion.

The situation in Libya was no different from that in the
rest of the Arab states. The Moslem conquest reached Libya
during the seventh century when the forces of the prophet,
led by Amr Ibn El-As (commander-in-chief for the Caliph Omar),
drove westward after conquering Egypt and founding the city
of Cairo in 641 AID. The arrival of the Moslem forces brought
unparalleled changes to Libya and affected its culture, lan-
guage, and, above all, its religion.6 Shortly after the Arab
conquest, mosque schools were established in a number of
cities throughout the country. Although the schools empha-
sized the study of the Qu'ran and the dissemination of its
message, these centers of learning also taught science, medi-
cine, and mathematics. The Tripoli mosque, which was estab-
lished Int Amr Ibn El-As along with other prominent mosques
in the country, became, in effect, a Moslem university in
Libya that attracted large numbers of students from all over

the Arab world.7

 

5Joseph S. Szyliowicz, Education and Modernization in
the Middlé‘East (Ithaca and Lofidon: Cornell university
Press, 1973), p. 51.

6Blumsum, Terence, Libya: The Country and Its People
(London: Queen Ann Press, 1968), p. 47.

71bid., p. 104.

 

21

From the sixteenth to the early twentieth century, Libya
was under the control of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. These
centuries of Turkish sovereignty had a long-term negative
effect on the country; Libya was isolated and had little con-
tact with the countries of EurOpe who by that time were
emerging from the long sleep of the Dark Ages. In Europe,
scientific and cultural development proceded rapidly and the
first signs of organized industry began to appear. Educa-
tion in Libya during this period was mainly religious in
nature. Boys attended classes attached to mosques and Zawias
(houses of learning and worship). These teaching centers
offered elementary and intermediate levels of education;
higher levels were offered by the mosque colleges. The
privilege of education was not extended to girls.

After the Suez Canal opened in 1869, the Mediterranean
took on a new importance for the European countries. Because
it was now part of a "highway" to the Far East, the European
countries were anxious to assure the safety and security of
their ships. They also were engaged in a race for imperial
expansion. This anxiety was one of the motives behind
France's invasions of Algeria (1848), Tunisia (1881), and
Morocco (1912); Britain's invasion of Egypt (1882); and Italy's
invasion of Libya. In 1911, Italy seized Libya from Turkey,
thus ending three hundred years of Ottoman sovereignty.

The Italian occupation was provoked by strategic considera-
tions. As one Italian writerexplained during World War II,

"We went in there simply in order to be able to breathe

\ V 22
freely in the Mediterranean-—to avoid being stifled amidst
the possessions and naval bases of France and Britain."
Turkey's withdrawal from Libya did not leave the Italians
masters of the country, however. Under the able leadership
of men like Omar Mukhtar,the Libyan peoples resisted the
Italian colonization efforts. Mukhtar carried out guerrilla
warfare against the Italians until 1931 when he was captured
and executed at the age of 73.

Italy used barbarous and inhuman methods to conquer
the Libyan Arab spirit. Wells were sealed, tribes that sur-
rendered were crowded into concentration camps, and Arab
chiefs were hurled from airplanes in full sight of their vil-
lages. These events are still remembered with extreme bitter-
ness and have left many Libyans with a permanent hatred for
the Italians.

Education also suffered during the period of Italian
colonization (1911-1943) and Libyan Arabiclinguisticq cul-
tural, and religious interests were neglected. The Italians
adopted a policy of not encouraging the development of Arabic
schools. They did encourage the development of primary
schools but the emphasis in these schools was on the "Italian-
ization" of the country. Few Libyans were allowed to attend
the Italian schools and the main language of instruction was
Italian. Only the traditional Zawias escaped the program of
Italianization but even they eventually had to close their

doors.

23

Between 1944 and 1951, the northern part of Libya was
occupied by the British and governed by a military admini-
stration; the French controlled the southern part of the
country. During this time education at the primary level
was offered on a limited basis for both boys and girls.

Libya was declared independent on December 24, 1951.
However, this independence was incomplete because the country
continued to have dependent relationships with foreign powers.
For example, in 1953 Libya and Great Britain signed an agree-
ment which allowed Great Britain to have military and air
bases on Libyan soil for a period of 20 years. In 1954,
Libya agreed to allow the United States to establish similar
bases.

During the long period of occupation when the country
was successfully subjected to Turkish rule, Italian domina-
tion, and British and French administration; the Libyan
people were totally deprived of the enlightening influence

8 At the time of independence,

of education and knowledge.
ignorance, sickness, and poverty pervaded the country.
About 90 percent of the population was illiterate and few
Libyans had received training in public or business admini-
stration or had acquired commercially useful skills. Only

16 Libyans held university degrees-—hardly a good foundation

on which to build an administrative hierarchy. This

 

;Libyan Arab Republic, Ministry of Education, "Report of

the L.A.R.," paper presented at the Third International .
Conferernce on Adult Education (Tripoli: MinistrycfiEEducation).

24

shortage of tedhnically trained personnel and graduates of
higher education was the direct result of the repressive
policy of Italian imperialism.

After independence a great deal of attention was
focused on providing equal educational Opportunities for all
citizens and on improving the quality of education in Libya.
The Libyan constitution of 1952 gave every citizen the right
to an education. It also stipulated that primary education
was compulsory for both boys and girls and that such educa-
tion should be free at all state schools and institutes.

Since the revolution of First September 1969, the
country has continued to place great emphasis on public edu-
cation and has encouraged and subsidized study abroad by
qualified students, especially in subjects not adequately
developed at the Libyan universities and/or institutions of
higher education. The critical need for technical skills
has been reemphasized and new facilities have been provided.
The constitutional declaration issued in December 1969 ex-
tended compulsory education to include nine years of primary
and preparatory school and stressed the right of all children
to have a free education.

Education is the right and duty of all Libyans
and is compulsory till the end of the prepara-
tory stage. It is the responsibility of the
state to provide schools, institutes, univer-
sities, and educational and cultural centers
offering free education. Cases in which pri-

vate schools may be established are regulated
by the law. The state gives special attention

25

to the care of youth, physically, mentally,
and morally.

Development of the Educational System

Formal education (the public school systemo is the agency
of society that has been specifically created to provide
a comprehensive and squential education for all young peOple.
The purpose of public education is the growth of students;
students should change for the better or grow as a result of
their educational experience. The desired change should be
in terms of how students analyze and solve problems, make
inferences, and think critically. Such change must include:
(a) knowledge (changes in intellectual abilities and thinking);
(b) character (changes in opinion, beliefs, and values); and,
(c) psychology (changes in internal psychological processes,
emotions, and attitudes towards oneself and others).

The importance of education was well illustrated by Plato
whenluasaid that a "life without inquiry is not worth living"
and by Thomas Jefferson who commented that "if a nation ex-
pects to be ignorant and free...it expects what never was
and never will be." Because many societies have become more
industrialized, more specialized, and more highly organized,
the educational contributions of the schools have become even
more important. The function of schools is to analyze and

justify new technological changes and to organize them

 

9Libyan Arab Republic, Revolutionary Council, The
Constitutional Declaration of 11th December 1969, Article
14 (Tripoli: Ministry of Education).

26

in systematic contents that help the learner to c0pe with
technological change without losing the balance between
social, cultural, and emotional attributes.

Public education applications to Libya are very great.
When Libya attained her independence in 1951, she found it
difficult to find people skillful and epxerienced enough to
administer the executive positions that are necessary for
her existence. Because of this, a great deal of attention
has been focused on improving the quality and quantity of
education, particularly since the September 1969 revolution.
Extensive efforts have been undertaken to improve public
education and a great deal of emphasis has been placed on

vocational and mass education.

Administration

 

The Secretariat of Education (formerly the Ministry of
Education) is the foremost authority with respect to all
educational matters in Libya. The Secretariat is responsible
for:

1. Developing educational policies.

2. Establishing schools, institutes, and colleges
for the enrollment of Libyan students at all
levels.

3. Preparing curricula, syllabi, and textbooks

as needed.

4. Employing and training teachers. When neces-
sary, the Secretariat also arranges for personnel
to attend training courses abroad.

27

5. Supervising private schools and institutes.
6. Eradicating illiteracy within a period of years.

There are two levels of administration in the educational
system in Libya: (1) at the central level, the Secretariat
of Education is concerned with overalleducational planning,
research, and follow-up; (2) at the local level, zone educa-
tional offices* suggest local development plans and carry
out the local educational process in accordance with central
decrees and instructions. The Secretariat reviews their
suggestions and recommendations and offers general policy
guidance.

In accordance with the principle of collective leader—
ship** declared by the "cultural revolution" on 15 April
1973 and by "the people's revolution," people's committees
were assigned responsibility for managing the Secretariat
of Education and the local educational zones. The chairman
of the people's committee in each zone was assigned responsi-
bility for directing educational activities in the zone.
Collectively, the chairmen of the people's committees form a
Secretariat people's committee which is considered to be the

highest authority in the Secretariat of Education. Figure

 

*Prior to the "cultural revolution" of 1973, the country
was divided into education provinces. These provinces had
the responsibility for achieving educational objectives in
their areas. After the revolution, the provinces and their
relative departments were abolished and replaced by zone offices .
**The principle holds that the people should control the
administrative machinery of the state.

28

2.1 outlines the latest reorganization (1973) of the educa-

tional administrative structure.

10

The Secretariat of Education's most recent five-year

plan, which started in 1976, has among its objectives:

1.

Providing educational services at all stages
in accordance with the compulsory education
law and in support of the principles of the
democracy of education.

Deve10ping qualitative and quantitative educa-
tional plans, particularly in technical educa-
tion. This process should seek to improve
syllabai, school textbooks, teaching aids,

and extracurricular activities. It should
also provide for student guidance and selec-
tion in order to supply adequate personnel

to meet the requirements of development plans.

Encouraging girls to continue their education.

Increasing coordination in the educational
pyramid by lessening the difference between
the base and the summit.

. Developing Teachers' Training Institutes to

improve performance in accordance with the
requirements of compulsory education.

Providing efficient educational adminis-
tration in schools, in local educational

 

10

Libyan Arab Republic, Ministry of Education, National

Commission for Education, Culture, and Science, "A Concise
National Report on Educational Developments in Libya," paper
presented at the Thirty-Sixth Session of the International
Conference on Education held in Geneva, Switzerland, 30
August-8 September 1977.

.29

zsoumumwm wawxmzicowmwoon cowumonpm mo umwnmuonoom

 

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acuuaucusnooa
scauaoavu

mo uoucoo
.4.

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one maficcaam
mo ceamw>war

aoaumwuaum
mo co«m«>uo«

mxoocuxoh can
manowuuso

uo conu>Hn
.1

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ecu zomuoumq

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.1

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Aunaaum
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mo acumu>«o«

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goonum
mo Gawau>an
.1

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mo acamu>wo
a.

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aounuaau
Hmcuouxm

mo cohau>aoa
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mo newmw>fio
.1

muoufioum
uo Godmu>uaa

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muaudau van .oucofium
.COMDmosvm ecu scammHEEou Macawumz
coHuooapm mo kucnoo oEoumam
mowufiszuc< mo kucsou

 

30

departments, and in other leading educa-

tional institutions.

7. Sending scholars to study abroad in subject
areas not locally available in order to
meet the requirements of development
plans.

8. Eradicating illiteracy and providing adult
education through national programs in
which all departments, organizations, and
institutions of both the private and public

sectors take part.11

Structure and Organization

 

The educational system of Libya follows the pattern of
a 6-3-3-4 system and includes a six-year elementary school,
a three-year preparatory school, a three-year secondary
school, and a four-year college. Technical and vocational
as well as teacher preparation education are also provided.
. A brief description of each level follows.

Primary Education. At the age of six, children of both

 

sexes attend primary schools, the first part of compulsory
education. Study in this stage lasts for six years. Pupils
in the first, second, third, and fifth grades are promoted
automatically. An exam at the school level is held at the
end of each school year for the fourth and sixth grades.
Depending upon the results of this exam, the pupil is either
promoted or retained at his/her grade level. Pupils who

fail the same grade twice are automatically promoted to the

 

IlIbid.

31

next grade level. Table 2.1 shows the study plan at the
elementary level.

Preparatory Education. The course of study which forms
the second part of compulsory education lasts for three
years. Promotion from the first and second grades is decided
by an exam at the school level. This exam consists of 40
grades for the year's work and 60 grades for the final test
in each school subject. No student is promoted unless he/she
obtains 50 percent of the maximum grade. However, a student
should not be failed more than two years in the same grade.
In the final year of this stage, an exam at the zone level
is held. To pass this exam, a student should obtain the
minimum pass mark for each subject. Should a student fail
two successive years, he/she will be issued an attestation
of completion of compulsory education. Table 2.2 illustrates
the study plan at the preparatory stage.

Secondary Education. To be admitted to secondary schools,

 

a student should hold a general preparatory school certi-
ficate and should not be over 18 years of age. The course

of study lasts for three years after which a general public
examination is held at the national level. Those who pass
the final exam are awarded the Certificate of General Educa-
tion. Study in the first year of this stage is general while
in the next two years students either join the literary or
scientific division according to their desires and capabilie

ties. To be promoted from the first or second years, a

32

Table 2.1

Study Plan for the Primary Stage
(According to Ministerial Decree No. 245, 1974)

 

 

Hours per Week by School Year

 

 

Subject
lst 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
Year Year Year Year Year Year
Islamics 3 3 3 3 3 3
Arabic 10 10 10 10 10 10
Arithmetic and
Practical Geometry 6 6 6 6 6 6
Science and
Health Education 1 2 2 3 4 4
Social Studies - l 2 2 4 4
National Development Plan - - - - - 2
Physical Education 3 3 3 2 2 2
Fine Arts 2 2 2 2 2 2
Agriculture (Boys) or
Domestic Science (Girls) - - 2 2 2 2
Music and Songs 1 l l l l 1
TOTAL 26 28 31 31 33 35

 

Note: When practical, at least 2 periods per week may be
spent in environmental and rural study in the 5th
and 6th years.

33

Table 2.2

Study Plan for the Unified Preparatory Stage

(According to Ministerial Decree No. 245, 1974)

 

Hours per Week by School Year

 

 

 

 

Subject
lst Year 2nd Year 3rd Year

Islamics 3 3 3
Arabic 7 7 7
National Development Plan - - 2
English 6 6 6
Mathematics 5 5 5
Science and
Health Education 4 4 4
Social Studies

History, Geography,

and Civics 4 4 4
Arts 2 2 2
Practical Studies

Handicrafts and

Agriculture (Boys) or

Domestic Science (Girls) 2 2 2
Physical Education 2 2 2
Music and Songs 1 l 1

Total 36 36 39

 

34

student should obtain the minimum pass mark for each subject.
He/she should also obtain at least 25 percent of the grade
assigned to that subject and 60 percent of the final exam
set up by the school at the end of the school year. Table
2.3 indicates the study plan for the secondary level.

Technical and Vocational Education. To be admitted to

 

this type of education the student should have a general
preparatory school certificate and should not be less than
15 years of age. The course of study ranges between two
and four years. This type of education is financially and
administratively run by the counterpart ministries except
for the Commercial and Applied Engineering Colleges which
are run by the Secretariat of Education. The Secretariat
of Education supervises the technical and vocationalschools,
manages their exams, and issues certificates.
Promotion from one grade to another is determined by
the year's work (40 percent) and the final exam (60 percent)
at the end of the year. To pass the exam a student should
score 50 percent of the total mark. Students of the final
year of study sit for a written exam and a practical one in
order to get a diploma. Under certain conditions, those who
show distinction upon graduation from the four-year institutes
are allowed to join some of the faculties of the university.
Higher Education. Higher education is provided by the
University of Libya, the Islamic University, and by other in-

stitutions and colleges. The first university in Libya was

Study Plan for the Secondary Stage

35

Table 2.3

(According to Ministerial Decree No. 245, 1974)

 

Hours per Week by School Year

 

 

SUbjeCt lst Year 2nd.and 3rd 2nd and 3rd
Years Years
(Literature) (Science)
Islamics 2 2 2
Arabic 8 10 6
English 6 8 6
French 4 6 4
Social Studies 2 - —
Geography 2 3 -
History 2 3 -
National * *
Development Plan - 2 2
Philosophy
(Introduction) - 2 -
Sociology
(Introduction) - 2 -
Mathematics
(including mechanics) 5 - 8
Physics 3 - 4
Chemistry 2 - 4
Natural History 2 - 4
Physical Training 2 2 2
Musical Education 1 - -
Drawing 1 l 1
Total 42 41 42

 

*For the 2nd year only.

36
founded in 1956 when a faculty of arts was established at
Benghazi. In that same year, the Islamic University was
established at Beida. In 1970, this university was annexed
to the University of Libya as the faculty of Arabic language
and Islamic studies.

In the twenty years since its creation, the University
of Libya has gradually expanded. In 1957, the faculty of
science in Tripoli and the faculty of commerce and economics
in Benghazi were added to the university. Other faculties
followed; a faculty of law was established in Benghazi in
1962, and a faculty of agriculture was established in Tripoli
in 1966. In 1961, a faculty of advanced technology was
established in Tripoli with the help of the United Nations
Special Fund. This became the faculty of engineering in
1962 and was annexed to the University of Libya in 1967.

In that same year, the teachers' training college in Tripoli
was annexed to the university and became the faculty of
education. A faculty of medicine was established in Benghazi
in 1970, a faculty of petroleum and minerals was established
in Tripoli in 1972, and a faculty of education was estab-
lished in Beida in 1973. In August 1973, the University

of Libya was divided into two universities: the University
of Benghazi, which included all of the faculties in Benghazi
and Beida; and the University of Tripoli, which included

all of the faculties in Tripoli and Sebha. In 1976, both
universities were renamed: the University of Benghazi

became the University of Garyoxmis , and the University of Tripoli

37

became the Al-Fatih University. It is expected that the
faculties in Beida will be made into an independent uni-

versity.

Tpacher Preparation

 

Education is a dynamic force in the life of every indi-
vidual, one which influences his or her physical, mental,
emotional, social, and ethical deve10pment. The term educa-
tion may be interpreted both as the process through which
experience or information is gained, and as the product of
the learning process. John Dewey believed that education:

...is that reconstruction or reorganization of
experience which adds to the meaning of experience
and which increases abilit to direct the course
of subsequent experience.1¥

Ongoing efforts to improve teacher preparation programs
are vital elements in improving public education. Many
studies have been conducted in the United States and other
parts of the world concerning the effectiveness of pre-
service teacher education. In the Arab countries, the Arab
Organization for Education, Culture, and Science has long
been involved in teacher preparation. In 1972, participants
at a conference on "The Preparation of Arab Teachers" recom-

mended that:

Teacher preparation should consist of the following
essential components:

 

12John Dewey, Democracy and Education (New York: Mac-
millan, 1916), pp. 90-91.

38

a. general education dealing with the Arab
world in particular and contemporary global
issues in addition to other subjects;

b. major fields of specialization in a number
of allied educational disciplines;

c. education fields as theoretical studies
in education such as educational psycho-
logy, counseling, educational administra-
tion, teaching methodology. and supervised
student teaching; and,

d. practicum programs where the student teachers
focus on the application of the theoretical
prepaigtion to practical problems in peda-

SOBY-
The conference participants also suggested that:

The academic part of teacher education is not
only intended to fill in the teacher in his
major subject, but it should also be designed
as to train him to continously acquire know-
ledge in his major field. A teacher in a
rapidly changing world should face childrip
with up-to-date knowledge in his subject.

A resolution adopted by the Cultural Department of the

Arab League General Secretariat suggests some ways to im-
prove present teacher education programs in Arab countries.
The resolution recommends that:

It is important to carry out a follow-up study

of graduate teachers from colleges and insti-

tutions by observing them directly at work,

by evaluating their cultural impact on the

community at large....The ultimate objective
is to improve the existing standards of

 

13Arab Organization for Education, Culture, and Science,
Department of Education, The Preparation of Arab Teachers,
report of a conference held in Cairo, Egypt, 8¥17 January
1972 (Kuwait: Al-Takadom Press, 1973), p. 23 (original in
Arabic).

14Ibid., p. 129.

39

teaching by staffing the faculty with well-
qualified teachers. 5

Additionally, Al-Roushad and Abdullatif, in a paper
presented at the First International Conference on Islamic
Education, make some suggestions concerning ways that col-
leges of education can help their graduates keep up-to-date
about new teaching techniques and other areas of education.

It is vitally important for the Education Col-
leges and the Ministry of Education to jointly
follow up on their university graduates. This
follow up activity can be conducted in various
ways such as:

a. to establish a sub-office to follow up the
university graduates in every college. This
sub-office will supply the graduates with
the documentation and literature necessary
for their professions;

b. to set up a seminar for graduates in each
college annually: the graduates will select
the agenda for each semunar by themselves;

c. every college of education should seek the
help of its graduates in conducting various
research itudies, especially field re-
searches. 6
Arab education leaders have emphasized the importance of
practice teaching and student teaching in teacher education.
Participants at the 1972 Cairo conference made the following

recommendations:

 

15Arab League, General Secretariat, Cultural Department,
Collection of the Arab League Council Relations on Cultural
Affairs to Be Executedbby_the AraETCountries, 1946-1966
(original in Arabic).

16Mohammed Al-Roushad and Ahmed Abdullatif, "The Colleges
of Education's Role in Teacher Preparation," paper presented
at the First International Conference on Islamic Education
held in Jedda, Saudi Arabia (Jedda: King Abdulaziz Univer-
sity Press, 1977), p. 15 (original in Arabic).

 

40

l. The emphasis on practical training in stu-
dent teaching would be transforming the
theories and basics of teaching skills
into the teacher's competent performance
in his profession. This should be achieved
by the following field experiences:

a. short visits to training schools;

b. more frequent observations of student
teachers;

c. concurrent and not separate implementa-
tion of student teaching and training;

d. seminars for discussing pedagogical
problems; and,

e. visits to other colleges of education
within the country.

Utilization of current research findings in
all the preceding areas, and updating peda-
gogical practices of the teacher.

2. The utilization of the current research
findings in the evaluation of professional
growth of teachers is vitil in preparing
the prospective teachers. 7

With regard to evaluating teacher preparation programs, the
conference participants recommended the following:

1. There is a need for continous review and eval-
uation of programs and techniques of preparing
teachers in order to meet the demands of devel-
opment in Arab societies and to improve the
existing programs and techniques.

2. Evaluation should include all aspects of the
educational process such as planning, curri-
culum deve10pment, preparation of textbooks,
and the development of faculties for teacher
preparation. For this kind of evaluation the
staff should be specialized in its techniques.

3. This Organization, the Arab League, will faci-
litate regular contacts among the representa-
tives of Arab countries for study and exchange
of experiences in regard to teacher prepara-
tion.

 

17Arab Organization for Education, Culture, and Science,
The Preparation of Arab Teachers, p. 27.

41

4. The follow-up of teacher graduates from
colleges and institutions of education
should be through visits, meetings, and
questionnaires that should be answered by
the graduates, institution directors, and
teacher educators in order to improve
teacher education programs and to help im-18
prove the efficiency of graduate teachers.

In Libya, primary school teachers are trained in two
types of institutes:

1. General course institutes. These include:

a. the five-year system after the primary
stage, and

b. the two-year system after the preparatory
stage.

2. Special course institutes. These last for
four years after receipt of the preparatory
school certificate.
Iiolders of a primary certificate are eligible to attend
ggeneral institutes for four years, after which they receive
as general teaching certificate. Until 1962, these institutes
Iarepared teachers of both sexes. Today, the remaining insti-
thtes only serve women and are administered by the Women's
Ikeachers' Training College. Most primary teacher training
luas been taken over by the special teacher training insti-
ttites. These institutes require certification at the prepara-
tcxry level and grant a special teaching certificate after four
Ye ars of training .
Secondary school teachers attend the Colleges of Arts and

EChJcation at the University of Garyounis and Al-Fatih Univer-

Sityn Students in the College of Arts are chosen from among

181b1d., p. 27.

42
those who hold a general secondary certificate. They receive
a B.A. in arts and education after studying for four years
and specializing in Arabic, English, history, geography, soci-
ology, philosophy, or social studies. The College of Educa-
tion also offers four years of professional preparation in a
inumber of fields such as Arabic, English, French, history,
geography, sociology, philosophy, social studies, mathematics,
chemistry, physics, science, and biology. Those who enroll

in this college receive a B.A. or B.Sc. in their major field

and in education.

Educational Trends and Problems

\

Certain long-term trends and problems characterize educa—
‘tion in Libya. Most significant is the rapid expansion of
(educational services. Most of this expansion has occurred
laecause of the high illiteracy rate that prevailed before in-
cdependence. Not surprisingly, the two most serious educational
Ixroblems that Libya will face for many years to come are:
Cl) the struggle to eliminate illiteracy, and (2) the construc-
tiJDn of a system.of modern school buildings adequate to meet
the needs of an expanded school population.

The many changes in Libyan society also present new
Challenges for theeducational system. The system needs to
Cflmange in a way that enables Libyan citizens:

I. To be free in their choices, thoughts, and

beliefs;

43

2. TO be healthy not only physically, but also
mentally, psychologically, and intellectually;

3. To be productive and COOperative; and,

4. To be faithful to their country, culture,
and values.

In other words, the rapid changes in Libyan society call
for critical changes in the educational system in order
to establish and maintain curricula and instruction that re-
flects an appreciation for individual human existence. Educa-
tional changes and curricular reforms need to consider the
following:

1. The changing nature of Libyan Arab society that
has been brought about the the introduction
of socialism in the 1969 revolution and by the
announcement of cultural, agricultural, and
people's revoultions in 1973, 1974, and 1977
respectively;

2. The national dedication to providing equal
educational Opportunities for all citizens;

3. The need for educational information to be
relevant to individual needs and national

goals;

4. The increasing rate of demand for agricul-
tural and technical education; and,

5. The new national target and philosophy of
"building the individual" and "increasing

productivity."
Another important trend and problem is that the educa-
tional system is not able to meet Libya's need for technical,

‘managerial, and skilled personnel, either in numbers or in

44

the types of courses offered. Research findings estimate that
if higher education and secondary level vocational schools

and training programs continue to operate at their 1973 capa-
city, they will supply only about 26.7 percent and 10 percent,
respectively, of the graduates needed for technical, manageriaL
and skilled jobs by 1988. The same research indicates that
institutions of higher education will graduate only 42 per-
cent of the candidates needed for professional jobs. Further-
more, school experiences in Libya are not as relevant to

the real world of work as they sholud be. Political theory,
its applications, and its impact on pOpular aspirations and
needs have not yet been clearly linked with educational theory,
daily school activities, and the subjects of instruction.

These relationships need to be strengthened.

Finally, programs to encourage teacher staff development
or teacher professional growth face special problems. Schools
in Libya are relatively new and nearly all are growing
rapidly. Most schools have been or still are dependent on
expatriate staff. Local staff members are normally young
and lack experience. It is essential, therefore, to establish
a definite, systematic patternof professional development
programs or teacher in-service education programs. These
programs must be strong enough to convince teaching personnel
that attendance will improve their prospects for growth and
advancement, and flexible enough to adjust to the inevitable

stress and change that accompanies any such program.

4-5

It is noteworthy that pre-service training programs
offered by colleges of education are not sufficient for devel-
Oping the skills needed by today's teachers. Furthermore,
the current in-service education programs provided by the
Secretariat are not considered to be appropriate and are not
well-received by teachers. A new, more effective professional
deve10pment program should be introduced and should come from

and develop within the teaching staff.

CHAPTER III

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Introduction

The professional growth of teachers and school personnel
is a vital element in any formula for improving public edu-
cation. Teacher in-service education and professional
development activities are essential to the teaching-learning
process, students' performance, and teachers' personal growth.
Many different methods have been employed in efforts to
improve teacher in—service education programs, but the most
important step in improving such programs is assessing the
quality of existing in-service programs.

This study investigated participants' perceptions of
teacher in-service education activities Offered by four
professional development centers in the state of Michigan
with respect to: (a) scheduling appropriate times for pro-
viding activities and programs; (b) centers' affiliation
with higher education institutions and the involvement of
these institutions in teacher in-service education programs;
(c) certification and degrees; and, (d) responsibility for
planning the content of center programs. The researcher
also examined whether and to what extent the experiences of

professional deve10pment centers in the state of Michigan

46

47

can be used to help answer teacher in-service education
needs in Libya.

This chapter presents a review of the literature on
teacher in-service education programs and traces the history
of the professional development center movement. Among the
topics discussed are the interest in teacher in-service edu-
cation, the importance of professional development, the pro-
fessional development center movement, various definitions
and types of centers, center purposes and functions,
financing center activities, and professional development

centers in the state of Michigan.

Teacher In-Service Education

A great deal of literature has been written about the
general topic of in-service education, much of which directly
relates to the area of professional deve10pment for teachers.
Hundreds of documents onthis subject are catalogued in the
ERIC system. Many journal articles have been published in
the last decade and more than 2,000 books, periodicals, and
published papers have been written since 1957.1 As Marsha
Ream.has observed, the topic of in-service education has

always been of great interest to professional educators.

 

1Alexander M. Nichelson et al, The Literature on In-
Service Teacher Education, ISTE Report III (Palo Alto,
California: June 1976), p. 4.

2Marsha A. Ream, In-Service Education of Teachers:
Research Summary l966-Sl (Washington, D.C.: National
Education Association, Research Division, 1966).

48
The sc0pe Of in-service education programs has expanded

rapidly but, as Holly notes, there has been no corresponding
growth in our understanding of the context in which programs
are offered or of the theoretical foundations on which they

are based:

Missing is the context through which current pro-
grams can be viewed and, lacking this theoretical
understanding, teachers are deprived of much that
continuing education has to offer. Furthermore,
often practices that are detrimental to the
growth of teachers and to the growth Of children
whom they touch, are adopted.3
Though these concerns need to be addressed, all that we
know today suggests that in-service education programs might
still be the best vehicle for teachers and school personnel
to become knowledgeable and skillful about new programs.
Rubin recommends that educators meet the challenge of new
technological devices and instructional methods by insti-
tuting professional growth programs that guarantee that
teachers will master the necessary skills.4
Educators at a 1975 workshop in Atlanta, Georgia, dis-
cussed the future of in-service education. In her article,

"Looking Back at Thinking Ahead: 87 Educators in Session,"

Johnson summarizes the participants' recommendations:

 

3Mary Louise Hulbert Holly, "A Conceptual Framework for
Personal-Professional Growth: Implications for In-Service
Education" (Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University,
1977), P. 6.

4Louis J. Rubin, Improving In-Service Education: Pro-
posals and Procedures for Change (Boston: Allyn and Bacon,
19717} PP. 16-17.

 

49

In-service education should be recognized
as an essential element of the educational
process.

In-service education should reflect the same
principles that educators endorse for students ‘/
...e.g., individualized instruction and the
freedom to choose among alternatives.

. The changing role of the teacher should be

recognized in designing in-service educa—
tion.

In reconceptualizing in-service education,
attention should be given to research and
development...e.g., validating existing
procedures and learning about change and
renewal.

In-service education should be elevated in
priority at local, state, and national
levels.

Turner points out that the format of in-service educa—

tion, the climate in which such education is conducted, and

the extent of teacher involvement in educational programs

have a great impact upon teachers' perceptions about in-

service education. His main conclusions may be summarized

as follows:

1.

There is no single format for in-service educa-
tion that is effective for all teachers; however,
there are elements which should be incorporated
into all programs if teachers are to perceive
them as effective. Objectives must be closely
related to the reality of the classroom; topics
should be limited to those which can be exten-
sively studied during the workshop; skills and
information presented should be those which

 

5

Margo Johnson, "Looking Back at Thinking Ahead: 87

Educators in Session" in Rethinking In-Service Education,
edited by Roy A. Edelfelt and Margo Johnson (Washington,
D.C.: National Educational Association, 1975), P. 73.

50
teachers can use immediately in their class-

rooms; and workshops should be concerned with
resolving the kinds of problems which teachers
encounter daily.

2. The climate in which in-service education is V//
conducted is a major ingredient in teachers'
perceptions of effective in-service education.

It must be a relaxed, non-threatening atmosphere
in which they can question and express Opinions,
try new teaching behaviors, share ideas with
others, change the direction of the activities
when needed, and evaluate programs daily.

3. Teachers must be actively involved in the
learning process...not passive listeners.6

In 1957, Berge, Russell, and Walden surveyed several hun-
dred school districts across the country and identified
three approaches to organizing the political structure of in-
service education: the centralized approach in which in-
service education is initiated and conducted by persons in
the central office of the school system; the decentralized
approach in which in-service education is the responsibility
of the local school staff; and the centrally coordinated
approach in which local programs are coordinated through a

central office.7

 

6I. S. Turner, "A Study of Teachers' Perceptions of an
In- Service Program in Three Southern Maryland Counties"
(Ph. D. dissertation, George Washington University, 1970).

7Marvin L. Berge, Harris E. Russell, and Charles B.
Walden, "In- Service Education Programs of Local School Sys—
temsfl'in In- Service Education for Teachers, Supervisors, and
Administrators, Fifty-Sixth Yearbook of the National Society
fOr the Study of Education, Part I, edited by Nelson B.

 

51

Fishback points out that in-service education, whether
individually or group initiated, is a process of working
towards change and should be viewed in terms of:

1. Human behavior; the changes are ordinarily
identified as gaining new knowledge, increasing
understanding, acquiring more desirable atti-
tudes, and strengthening interests....

2. Materials, media, and knowledge itself; changes
may suggest exploration, evaluation, modifi-
cation, amplification, and elimination....

' 3. Personal involvement; both contributes to
behavior changes and leads to changes in
administrative and teaching practices.

In a 1976 literature review, Howey identified seven cate-
gories into which in-service education could be divided:

1. Transitional (from pre-service to in-service),
Comprehensive school renewal/role orientation,
Content or specific skill development,

. Personal growth,

. Continuing graduate level education,

General professional growth, and

\lO‘kfl-l-‘wN

Career progression.

The Importance of Professional Development

 

Well-organized and systematic in-service education is
essential to any profession, but it is much more important

for educational workers because education occupies a unique

 

Henry (Chicago, 1957), p. 13

8Woodson W. Fishback, "In-Service Education Considera-
tions: Psychological Factors," in Readings in In-Service
Education, edited by I.J. Patel and M.B. Bach (India: Anand
Press, 1968).

9Kenneth R. Howey, "Putting In-Service Education into
Perspective ," Journal of Teacher Education 27 (Summer 1976) : 101-5 .

 

 

52

and strategic position in the task of human and national
development. This need is recognized in a 1966 report by
the Indian Ministry of Education:

In all professions, there is need to provide

further training and special courses of study,

on a continuing basis, after initial profes-

sional preparation. The need is most urgent

in the teaching profession because of the

rapid advances in all fields of knowledge and

continuing evolution of pedagogical theory

and practice.

The term "in-service education" as used in this study
refers to the comprehensive network which complements and
extends the professional educational component by providing
alternatives for fulfilling professional and personal growth.
These alternatives represent the means available to profes-
sional personnel to develop and expand individualized and
job-related competencies and to prepare for new professional
roles and job assignments after initial professional prepa-
ration. In-service activities are necessary for professional
survival.ll

In-service teacher education is generally defined as any
type of activity that will bring new insights, growth, under-
standing, qualifications, and improvement on the job. The

National Commission on Teacher Education describes in-service

teacher education as:

 

10India, Ministry of Education, Education and National
Develqpment: Report of the Education Commission 1964-66,
(New Delhi, India: Government ofOIndia Press, 1966), p 84.

11R.H. Shaffer, "Staff Development: Key to Survival,"
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
Journal 97(1972): 261-262.

53

That growth which takes place after the teacher
is on the job. It is a continuation of the pro-
fessional development which was begun during the
pre-service period of preparation. In-service
education is a process inherent in any planned
program designed to make the individual a more
effective teacher. This type of education ihould
be an integral part of any school program.1

Though there is general agreement about the need for
in-service education, educational leaders and curriculum
planners have different perspectives concerning the exact
nature of that education. Some take a very broad perspective
and include in their definition "all activities" directed
towards teachers, administrators, and supervisors. Hass
writes:

Broadly conceived, in-service education includes

all activities engaged in by professional

personnel during their service and designed

to contribute to improvement on the job.13
Orrange and Van Ryn define in-service education as a portion f
of a professional development program that is designed to
increase competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes)

14

needed by school personnel. Some educators also include

 

12National Commission on Teacher Education and Profes-
sional Standards, The Teaching Profession Grows In Service,
(Washington, D.C.: National Education Association, 1949).P.9.

13C. Glen Hass, "In-Service Education Today,‘ in 22:
Service Education for Teachera, Supervisorsp_and Administra-
tors, Fifty-Sixth Yearbook of the National Society for the
Study of Education, Part I, edited by Nelson B. Henry
(Chicago: 1957), p. 13.

14Patricia A. Orrange and Mike Van Ryn, "Agency Roles
and Responsibilities," in Rethinking In-Service Education,
edited by Roy A. Edelfelt andMargo Johnson (Washington,
D.C.: National Education Association, 1975), p. 47.

54

activities oriented towards parents and lay personnel.

Other educators define in-service education in a much
narrower sense. They use the term only to refer to "programs
of professional study and work" for teachers. Edelfelt and
Johnson define in-service educationau;"any professional
development activity that a teacher undertakes singly or
with other teachers after receiving his or her initial

..15 i~

For the purposes of this study, in-service education

certificate and after beginning professional practice.

refers to any activity (formal or informal) that is designed
to promote the professional development and personal growth
of teachers and is sponsored by professional development
centers that serve teachers and other school personnel. The
term1"professional development" is used synonymously with
in-service education.

In-service education is essential because of the
increasing demands on the teaching profession. Teachers have
to be skilled, knowledgeable, and dynamic in order to meet
the challenges posed by the explosion of knowledge and infor-
mation. The importance of teacher professional development
cannot be underestimated. .According to Hass, in—service edit-2:N
cation is needed to (1) promote the continuous improvement
of the entire professional staff of a school system, (2)

keep members of the profession abreast of new knowledge,

 

15Roy A. Edelfelt and Margo Johnson, eds., Rethinking
In-Service Education (Washington, D.C.: National Education
Association, 1975). P. 5.

 

55

(3) release creative abilities, and (4) eliminate defi—

deficiencies in the background preparation of teachers and

other professional workers in education.

16

In a survey conducted in England, Scotland, and Wales;

Cane found that teachers expressed a strong need for in-

service education:

.so very few teachers were completely antag-

onistic to the idea that in-service training was
a necessary part of their future working life.
In each of three countries 80 percent of the
teaching staff declared positively their need
for in-service training. 7

Harris and Bessent believe that in-service education

programs are important for a number Of reasons:

1.

Pre-service preparation of professional staff
members is rarely ideal and may be primarily
an introduction to professional preparation
rather than professional preparation as such.

Social and educational change makes current
professional practices obsolete or relatively
ineffective in a very short period of time.
This applies to methods and techniques, tools,
and substantive knowledge itself.

Coordination and articulation of instructional
practices require changes in people.

Other diverse factors argue for in-service
education activities such as morale which can
be stimulated and maintained through in—
service education.

Howey identifies six categories of reasons why teachers

engage in in-service education activities:

 

16
17

Hass, "In-Service Education Today," p. 13.

Brian Cane, In-Service Trainiag (Great Britain: King,

Thorne and Stace Ltd., 1969), p. 4.

18

Harris and Bessent, In-Service Education, pp. 3-4.

56

l. "Transitional"——as introductory activities to
allow teachers to move from generalized, pre—
service education to a specific role.

2. "Job-Specific"——as a response to typically
recurring needs and problems in a particular
situation.

3. "System-Related"——as a response to dramatic
changes in society and in the schools.
Because of these changes teachers must
reorient or redefine their roles.

4. "General Professional Development"-—as a
means of staying current professionally
without regard to applying the information

to one's specific situation.

5. "Career Progression"-—as a means of changing

roles or responsibilities.

6. "Personal Development"——as a process of

understanding and enhancing the individual

in a professional role.19

Hite also cites a number of reasons for the increased
interest in in-service education including (1) economic
pressures and declining enrollments at the university level,
(2) concerns about maintaining quality education with an
increasingly older, fully certified staff at the state level,
(3) demands for retraining to meet specific needs (e.g.

multi-cultural education and mainstreaming at the district

 

19Kenneth R. Howey, "A Framework for Planning Alterna-
tive Approaches to In-Service Teacher Education," in Planning
In-Service Teacher Egucation: Promising Alternatives, edited
by Herbert Hite and Kenneth Howey (Washington, D.C.: The
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education,
1977). P. 32.

57

level, and (4) the political position of teacher organi- .7
zations.20

The many reasons that have been cited concerning the
importance of in-service education can be summarized into

three broad categories:

Personal Growth. In-service education can help teachers

 

to improve as individuals. This type of education goes
beyond the requirements of a specific job or even of the
profession. Harris and Bessent note, "In-service education
must include all activities aimed at the improVement of

21 This belief is also reflected

professional staff members."
in the James Report, "The third cycle (in-service education)
comprehends the whole range of activities by which teachers
can extend their personal education."22

Professional Growth. In-service education can help im-

 

prove overall teaching capabilities, regardless Of any
specific job assignment. The National Education Research

Division notes that "the term in-service education is used by

 

20Herbert Hite, "In-Service Education: Perceptions,
Purposes, and Practices," in Planning In-Service Teacher
Education: Promising Alternatives," edited by Herbert Hite

 

and Kenneth Howey (Washington, D.C.: The American Association
of Colleges for Teacher Education, 1977), p. 4.
21

Harris and Bessent, In-Service Education, p. 2.

22United Kingdom, Secretary of State for Education and
Science, Tgacher Training and Education: A Report byga Com-
mittee of Inquiry Appointed by the Secretary of State for
EducatiOn and Science under the Chairmanship of Lord James of
Rusholme, Paragraph 2T2. (London: Her Majesty's Stationery
Office, 1972), p. 5.

58

educators to denote efforts of administrative and supervisory
officials to promote by appropriate means the professional

1."23 Howsam

growth and development of educational personne
comments, "Continuing professional education is education
following entry to the profession, the need for which is
derived from the development of knowledge and skills which
were not available at the time of pre-service preparation
or were not included in the preparatory program."24
Job-Specific. This type of in-service education is
designed to meet the needs of the job situations in which
teachers find themselves. Job-oriented, in-service education
includes training in meeting the specific educational needs
of the children being taught (although this is not mentioned
in any of the definitions). Hass observes that ". .in-
service education includes all activities engaged in by the
professional personnel during their service and designed to
contribute to improvement on the job."25 Orrange and Van

Ryn see in-service education as ...that portion of profes-
sional deve10pment that includes a program of activities

planned to increase the competencies——know1edge, skills, and

 

23National Education Association, Research Division,
In-Service Education of Teachers: Research Summary 1966-$1
(Washington, D.C.: 1966), p. 3. (ERIC Document’Reproduction
Service No. ED 143 653)

24Robert B. Howsam, "Governance of Teacher Education by
Consortium," in Governance by Consortium, edited by John H.
Hansen (Syracuse: The Multi-State Consortium on Performance-
Based Teacher Education, 1974), p. 18.

25Hass, "In-Service Education Today," p. 13.

59

attitudes—ineeded by school personnel in the performance

of their assigned responsibilities."26

The Professional Development Center Movement

In-service teacher education is a natural continuation
of the professional pre-service education in which teachers
have participated. Additional training and special cOurses
of study are of the utmost importance in the teaching pro-
fession because of the rapid advances in all fields of know-
ledge. Devancy and Thorn point to the importance of such
training:

Teachers must be more than technicians, they
must continue to be learners. Long-lasting
improvements in education will come about
through in-service programs that identify
individual starting points for learning in
each teacher; build on teachers' motivation

to take more, not less, responsibility for
curriculum and instruction decisions in the
school and the classroom; and welcome teachers
to participate in the design of professional

' development programs.

DeVault comments that curriculum.improvement and profes-
sional development are two immediate reasons behind the pro-
fessonal development center movement, "Curriculum develop-

ment and in-service education are two needs which have

fostered the creation of teachers centers in many

 

26
p. 47.
27Kathleen Devancy and Lorraine Thorn, Exploring Teacher

Centers (San Francisco. Far West Laboratory for Educational
Research and Deve10pment, 1975), p. 7.

Orrange and Van Ryn, "Agency Roles and Responsibilities , "

60

countries."28

In the United Kingdom, Working Paper NO. 10 of the

Schools Council sets forth the rationale for British teacher

centers:

The most important function of local groups and
centers is undoubtedly to focus local interest
and to give teachers a setting within which

new objectives can be discussed and defined and
new ideas on content and methods in a variety Of
subjects can be aired.29

Although many differences exist in the range and emphasis
of instructional programs for teachers; in most countries
professional development centers were originally started to
support major curricular dissemination or reform efforts.
Taylor argues that the professional development center, as
an in-service strategy, is particularly effective in sup-
porting some types of curriculum change:

A change in teaching style must be induced, not
ordered, because it involves a change in beliefs
and habits, not merely an addition of knowledge.
A teacher requires time to grow in understanding
and conviction and to work out the implica-

tions of the new style in his daily classroom
practice. The extended, participatory, voluntary,

and local in-service training offered by teacher
centers suits such a change. 0

 

28M. Vere DeVault, "Teacher Centers: An International
Concept," Journal of Teacher Education 25 (Spring 1974): 37.

29United Kingdom, Schools Council, Curriculum Develop-
ment: Teachers Groups and Centers, Working Paper NO. 10
(London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1967), p. 6.

3OL.C. Taylor, "Teacher Centers and the Character of
Curricular Change," in Teacher Centers: What Place in Educa-
tion?, edited by Sharon Feiman (Chicago: University of
Chicago, 1978), p. 119.

 

 

61
Professional development centers have become one of the

most pOpular educational concepts since the 1960's. Centers
can now be found on every continent, with the greatest number
in North America, EurOpe, and Australia. Despite the wide-
Spread interest in the concept and Unesco's plans to promote
the development of the concept and information sharing about
professional development centers and in-service programs,
there are currently no comprehensive, worldwide surveys Of
the professional development center movement. With the excep-
tion of England, Japan, and the United States, there are very
few in-depth studies of centers and little detailed documen-
tation exists for programs in other countries.

Joyce and Weil suggest that the movement towards pro-
fessional development centers has had a number of origins
and that these factors are now interacting to influence the
current professional development center movement.

1. One of the origins is from the revolution
in schooling and teacher training that
apparently is underway in England at the
present time. The combination of events
stimulated by the Schools Council, the
Plowden report, the more recent James
report on teacher training, and the
general Infant School movement have all
resulted in the establishment of a far
greater need for teacher training at the
in-service level than England has had for
some time. This movement has interacted
with the tradition in England that the
teacher continues his studies throughout
his career and has resulted in the estab-
lishment of a variety of types of teacher
centers. These centers of in-service educa-
tion range from informal environments in
which teachers study new curriculum materials
and talk with others who have experiement
with them too rather than formal settings for
workshops in which teachers study particular

62

curriculum forms which they then introduce
into their classrooms. Stimulated specially
by the efforts Of the private American founda-
tions, the English movement for school reform
has had enormous publicity in the United
States.

2. A certain stimulus to establish a tradition
of ongoing in-service teacher education in the
United States has come from.the U.S. Office of
Education. Teachers for the Real World
argues persuasively fOr the establishment of
centers for teacher education in or very close
to the setting in which the teacher works...
the schools. It suggests that colleges and
universities have been adequate for teaching
general theories-about teaching but not for
clinical training and that new institutions
need to be created for the purpose.

 

3. Another origin has been the movement toward
competency-based teacher education and cer-
tification. Although the major thrust of this
movement has thus far been at the pre-service
level, all of the articulated conceptions of
competency-based education have assumed con-
tinuing education for the teachers in which
teachers would analyze their competency and
would engage in efforts to improve their
performance.3

England, Japan, France, the USSR, and the United States
were among the first countries to develop professional devel-
opment centers to meet in-service and pre-service needs Of
teachers. In England, professional development centers grew

rather spontaneously out Of the frustrations British teachers

 

*Teachers for the Real World is a report prepared by B.O.
Smith and others fOr the Task Force of the NDEA National
Institute for Advanced Study in Teaching Disadvantaged Youth
(Washington, D.C.: American Association of Colleges for
Teacher Education, 1969. ERIC Document Reproduction Service
NO. ED 027 267.)

31Bruce R. Joyce and Marsha Weil, Concepts of Teacher Cen-
ters (Washington, D.C.: ERIC Clearinghouse on Technical
Education, 1973), pp. 2-3 (ERIC Document Reproduction Service
No. ED 075 375).

63
faced in the early 1960's. The centers developed from a

large and Obscure mixture of needs, but the Nuffield Founda-
tion was instrumental in bringing teachers together locally.
The movement gained impetus and direction from the Nuffield
Foundation primary mathematics project and the work of the
teacher-dominated schools council, created in 1964. The
Nuffield Foundation involved teachers in the production of
math curricula by including them on development teams and

by inviting local groups of teachers to try out drafts of
materials and provide feedback to the developers. Typically
these groups worked through the materials as learners, then
explored ways of using them as part of their teaching. Over
time, these local groups became the foundation for permanent

32 As teachers found this approach to be

teacher centers.
increasingly successful in helping to solve their teaching
problems, professional development centers became more wide-
spread and institutionalized.

From the beginning, British teacher centers reflected a
concern that teachers have a high degree Of professional and
local independence and an active role in the development of
new curricula. Today, as Caldwell has indicated, British
teachers centers serve three basic purposes: (1) they offer
in-service training to further the growth of fundamental

knowledge relevant to educational problems; (2) they provide

an opportunity for social gathering and interaction; and,

 

32Paul S. Pilcher, "Teacher Centers: Can They Work
Here?" Phi Delta Kappan.

64

(3) they aid in curriculum development.33 Caldwell also
notes that two additional points about professional develop-
ment centers in England deserved to be mentioned: (1)
teacher participation in British centers depends largely on
the amount of influence and direction given by the Local
Education Authority (LEA). This direction ranges from giving
teachers responsibility for organizing centers to keeping
centers under the strict control of the LEA, and (2) in-
service education in Britain places great emphasis on solving
problems common to all teachers. Workshop leaders attempt
to lead teachers through experiences that give them both the
knowledge and skills necessary to solve classroom problems
on their own.34
In Japan, as in Britain, professional development centers
began at the grassroots level. Thirty or forty years ago,
groups of Japanese teachers began to meet informallyimihouses,
at schools, or elsewhere. These small "study circles" even-
tually sought more formalized accommodations as teachers'
needs increased and as technological advances led to the
development of more sophisticated educational aids. In time,
these formalized centers became popular throughout the

country. Today every prefecture has an "education center"

where educational research is conducted and Japanese teachers

 

33Robert M. Caldwell, "Transplanting the British Teacher
Center in the U.S," Phi Delta Kappan 60 (March 1979): 518.

34rbid., pp. 519-520.

65

meet for in-service education activities.35
The Japanese centers are among the most prominent
buildings on the urban landscape. They usually include labo-
ratories; classrooms; audio-visual units; libraries; staff
Offices; and, in several cases, planetariums and museums.
These centers were launched because of the national interest
in raising the quality of science education. In the mid-
l960's, the centers were expanded to include other academic
areas such as languages and social studies. Japan's system
emphasizes single-subject teaching centers, particularly in
the sciences. The Japanese generally use release time as
a means of encouraging teacher participation in professional
deve10pment activities. The Japanese apparently believe
that if one offers in-service training courses, one should
provide release time so that teachers may attend them.36
The history of the professional development center move-
ment in the United States can be traced to the late 1960's

when American teachers and educators became interested in

the teacher center movement in England:

 

35Albert J. Leonard, "Teacher Centers: Where Do They
Come From.and Why?" (paper presented at the National Con-
ference of the American Educational Research Association held
in Chicago, Illinois, 15-19 April 1974, ERIC Document Repro-
duction Service No. ED 090 204) (hereafter cited as "Teacher
Centers").

36L.C. Taylor, "Reflections on British Teachers' Centers,"
in Essays on Teachers Centers, edited by Kathleen Devancy
(San Francisco: Far WestdLaboratory for Educational Research
and Development, 1977), pp. 133-146.

66

England has perhaps influenced most directly the
development of centers in the United States.
American teachers visiting British schools in
recent years were impressed with the friendly, in-
formal, and purposeful atmosphere of centers and
came home determined to start centers responsive

to the immediate needs pf teachers both in the
field and in training.3

Although professional development centers in England had
not been in existence long enough to withstand the test of
time and had not been evaluated by extensive research, the
concept was accepted enthusiastically in American educational

38

circles. The rationale for this rapid and widespread

acceptance is summarized in the following statement by M.

Martus:

What seemed impressive about some of the centers
was an atmosphere that fostered lively discussion
of a range of tools and resources for learning, a
climate that encouraged teachers to take initia-
tive in seeking advice and help, and an oppor-
tunity to participate in creating curricula that
would fit one's particular classroomneeds.39

The first professional development centers began to
appear in the United States in the early 1970's. These

centers adapted practices Observed in England to fit

 

37Harry Bell and John Peighted, ”Teacher Centers and

In-Service Education," in Fastback 71 (Bloomington, Indiana:
Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1976).

38Yvonne Fisher Waskin, "The Teacher Center Movement in
the United States and Its Implications for Teacher Education"
(Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan, 1976)
(hereafter cited as "Teacher Center Movement").

39Marjorie Martus, Foreword to Teacher Centers: What
Place in Education? edited by Sharon Feiman (Chicago:
University of Chicago, 1978).

 

67

local conditions.40

Stephen Bailey and Harry Silberman were
among the first educational leaders to advocate that the
United States adopt this approach. Since that time, a number
of demonstration centers have been started by Task Force '72
of the U.S. Office of Education; the Ford Foundation has
supported a series of programs; the National Education Associ-
ation, the American Federation of Teachers, and the United
Federation of Teachers have shown a great deal of interest

in the concept and have published position papers outlining
some possible models. At the state level, Texas, New York,
and Florida have passed legislation regarding the development

of centers.41

Definitions of Professional Development Centers

 

Although the concept Of professional development centers
has been in existence for several decades, there is still
some disagreement as to its proper definition. Waskin sug-
gests that a definition of professional development centers
is difficult to establish because there is no one framework
that specifies how centers will be organized or what functions
they will serve.42 Yarger notes that a clear, precise defi-

nition of a professional development center, like so many

 

40

41M. Vere DeVault, "Teacher Centers in Japan, England
and the United States: A Series of Case Studies" (Madison:
University of Wisconsin, 1973, p. 77. (ERIC Document Repro-
duction Service No. ED 093 856)

42

Ibid.

Waskin, "Teacher Center Movement," p. 25.

68

43 He

other educational concepts, is difficult to achieve.
adds that this lack of precision might in itself be a desir-
able condition. He believes that innovative educators
increasingly have found that the more precise the definition
of a new educational approach, the more firm the resistance
to accepting that definition and, ultimately, to accepting
the concept itself.44

Professional development centers are a tool for communi-
cating needs and for translating these needs into practical
skills.

The teacher center is both a place and a concept;
a place where skills are improved and innovations
shared; and a concept of professional growth
which responds to the needs of teachers and en-
hances their professional growth in a positive and
constructive way.

Although it may be impossible to offer a simple, concise
definition of a professional deve10pment center, it is pos-
sible to establish some generally accepted definitions that
make the concept more understandable. Schnieder and Yarger

developed a "generally-specific" definition when they des-

cribed a professional development center as:

 

43Sam J. Yarger, "In-Service Education and Teacher Cen-
ters," in Teacher Centers: Cgmmissigner's Report on the
Education Professions 1975-1976, by Joseph A. Califano,
Harry F. Berry, and Ernest L. Boyer, HEW Publication No.
OE-77-12012 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare, 1977), p. 28.

44Ibid., p. 28.

45Corinne Levin and Robert Horwitz, "The Teacher Center,
Inc. (New Haven, Connecticut): A Case Study," Educational
Leadership 33 (March 1976): 439.

 

69

A place, in situ or in changing locations, which
develops programs for the training and improve-
ment of educational personnel (in-service
teachers, pre-service teachers, administrators,
paraprofessionals, college teachers, etc.) in
which the participating personnel have an Oppor-
tunity to share successes, to utilize a wide
range of education resources, and to receive
training specifically related to their most
pressing teaching problems.

Another definition has been developed by Bailey:

Teacher centers are just what the term implies:
local physical facilities and self-improvement
programs organized and run by the teachers them-
selves for purposes of upgrading educational
performance. Their primary function is to make
possible a review of existing curricula and
other educational practices by groups of
teachers and to encourage teacher attempts to
bring about changes.

No single professional development center can be con-
sidered to be "typical" because each center embodies unique
resources and attempts to fulfill unique needs. Edelfelt
states that there is no quick and easy definition of a pro-
fessional development center, but he adds that a center is

most often:

1. A place (but it could also be an idea) around
which teachers gather, individually or in
groups, to get help with the immediate and
everyday problems they face in teaching.

2. Characterized by a feeling, a feeling of
being in a place where you can get advice and
support from people you trust. You are there
because you want to be, and the human resources

 

46Allen A. Schnieder and Sam J. Yarger, "Teacher/Teaching
Centering in America," Journal of Teacher Education 25 (Spring
1974):6 (hereafter cited as "Teacher/Teaching Centering").

47Stephen K. Bailey, "Teachers' Centers: A British
First," Phi Delta Kappan 53 (November l971):146 (hereafter
cited as "Teachers' Centers").

70

you draw upon are likely to be your peers
and staff, people who have no authority
over you, who are not in positions to
assess your capabilities and intentions,
and who cannot penalize you for what you
do or do not know.

3. A place where you call the shots in terms
Of the kinds of resources you wanz rather
than having them thrust upon you. 3

Types of Professional Development Centers

In order to understand and communicate about the experi-
ences of existing professional development centers in the
United States or elesewhere, one has to first explore the
diverse ways in which they are organized. Three authors

(Schnieder, Yarger, and Leonard) have extensively studied

49

professional development centers. Their findings seem to

indicate that centers can be classified into seven organiza-
tional categories:

1. Independent Teacher Centers are characterized
by the absence of any formal affiliation with
an established institution. Teachers become
involved with this type of center on a purely
voluntary basis; thus, the center tends to
have high teacher credibility and to deal with

 

48Roy A. Edelfelt and Tamar Orvell, "Teacher Centers:
Where, What, Why?" in Fastback 117 (Bloomington, Indiana:
Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1978), p. 8.

49Schnieder and Yarger, "Teacher/Teaching Centering,"
p. 7; Sam J. Yarger and Allen A. Schnieder, "Understanding
Existing Teacher Centers," in Teacher Centers: Commissioner's
Report on the Education Professions 1975:1976 by Joseph A.
Califano, Harry F. Berry, and Ernest L. Boyer, HEW Publication
NO. 0E-77-12012 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare, 1977), pp. 42-43); and Leonard,
"Teacher Centers," p. 6.

 

71

individual teacher needs rather than with

complex institutional concerns.

"Almost" Independent Teacher Centers are

 

formally linked with an educational insti-
tution (either a school system or a higher
education institution) but maintain a high
degree Of autonomy. Involvement in center
activities is voluntary, and the emphasis
is usually on the perceived needs of either
the clients or the program leaders rather
than on institutional goals.

Professional Organization Teacher Centers

 

can be of two kinds: "negotiated" teacher
association centers often emerge as the
result of formal bargaining procedures
between the association and a school

system; "subject area" (e.g., social studies)
centers often deveIOp from the concerns of

a partiuclar subject-focused organization.
These two types of centers are the rarest

of American centers.

Single Unit Teacher Centers are probably the

 

most common type of American centers. These
centers are characterized by their associa-
tion with and administration by a single
educational institution. Typically, these
centers have a high level of organization,
are sophisticated in their approach to pro-
gram development, and have thoroughly
developed institutional goals.

Free Partnership Teacher Centers are based

 

on the collaborative efforts of two insti-
tutions, usually a higher education insti-
tution and a public school system. Program

72

development in these centers shows evi-
dence of attempts to accommodate the needs
and goals of both partners.

6. Free Consortium Teacher Centers are the
result of collaboration between three or
more institutions. Program organization,
communications, level of commitment, and
policy-making structures are usually more
complex and formal than in a partnership.
Program development tends to be more
general than in the other types of centers
because the goals and constraints of each
party must be taken into account.

7. Legislative/Political Consortium Teacher

 

Centers are created either by legislative
mandate or as the result of political in-
fluence. The organization and constituency

of these centers is determined by the legis-

lature or political groups.51

Purposes and Functions of Professional Development Centers

Just as there is a lack of standardization in British
teacher centers, so too is there a great diversity among
U.S. prOfessional development centers. Some centers are run
cooperatively by school districts and higher education insti-
tutions, while others are field-based extensions of higher
education programs. Centers may even be independently
operated by local school districts. Whatever their purpose,

centers are rarely managed by classroom teachers and are

 

51Ibid.

73

usually intended to meet the specific needs Of the agencies
that fund them.

The Education Amendment of 1976 attempted to correct
this by defining a standard set of purposes for all profes-
sional development centers funded under the provisions of
the Teacher Centers Program. Section 532 of Public Law
94-482 declared:

The term "teacher center" means any site operated
by a local educational agency which serves teachers,
from public and nonpublic schools of a state, or

an area or community within a state, in which
teachers with the assistance of such consultants
and experts as may be necessary, may:

A. Develop and produce curricula designed to
meet the educational needs of the persons in
the community, area, or state being served,
including the use of educational research
findings or new or improved methods, practices,
and techniques in the development of such
curricula, and

B. Provide training to improve the skills of
teachers to enable such teachers to meet
the special educational needs of persons
such teachers serve better, and to famil-
iarize such teachers with developments in
curriculum development and educational
research, including the manner in which
the research can be used to improve their
teaching skills.51

Burrell identifies four purposes of professional develop-
ment centers:
1. To enable teachers to have continual access
to information and ideas that have developed

without being limited to the time of the
particular meeting or workshop, and to

 

51New England Program in Teacher Education. "Helps for
a Teacher Center Proposal." No. 169. Durham, New Hampshire:
1977, p. 2. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service NO. ED 143
653)

74

provide a base for curriculum development and
in-service education activities which meet the
needs Of the center members.

. To act as an information center for schools

and teachers within the geographical area
served by the center, and to provide a facility
for cooperation and coordination between the
school and the community.

. To provide a range of services and facilities

to back up and complement the resources of
the schools, and to provide also stimuli for
professional growth.

. The center can act as a valuable social center

and informal meeting place for teachers within
the area. To provide an informal environment
in which teachers are free to experiment with
various methodologies, exchange ideas on
teaching strategies and suggest solutions to
classroom problems.52

Joyce and Weil made one of the earliest attempts to link

the general purposes of professional development centers

with their style of operation.

53 They identified three

different types of centers:

1.

Informal Style Centers attempt to meet the
needs of teachers by providing a place where
they can improve themselves on their own
terms.54 Informal style is used to create

an environment in which teachers eXplore
curriculum materials and help each other
think out approaches to teaching. This style
also refers to personal development programs.
Bailey comments:

 

52

David Burrell,"The Teachers' Center: A Critical

Analysis," Educational Leadership 33 (March 1976), p. 423.

53
54

Sharon Feiman, "The Teacher Center Concept,

Joyce and Weil, Concepts of Teacher Centers.

in

Teacher Centers: What Place in Education? edited by Sharon

 

Feiman (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1978), p. 7.

75

Teachers' Centers are just what the
term implies: local physical facilities
and self-improvement programs organized
and run by the teachers themselves for
the purpose pg upgrading educational
performance.

2. "Corporate" Style Centers are designed to
serve the needs of schools and to help teachers

acquire the competencies required to implement

56

new curricula or improve existing ones. Cor-

porate style centers may also serve as places
where the state, higher education institutions,
and the schools come together to cooperate

in teacher education. This term refers to

any staff development program. Feiman des-
cribes this type of center:

The central focus of the center will be
its role as a facilitating agency to

(1) provide coordination for all teacher
training activities now being conducted,
from whatever source, by whatever person
or agency, in order to achieve greater
impact, cost effectiveness and improve-
ment; (2) achieve more effective deploy-
ment of existing training efforts, par-
ticularly to individual school sites,
and to the administrative and instruc-
tional personnel that work together at
those sites; (3) develop new training
programs or products or processes to
meet currently unmet needs.

3. Competency-Based Centers offer activities
designed to increase teachers' skills
along predetermined lines or in response

to diagnosis by peers or supervisors.58

 

55Bailey, "Teachers' Centers," p. 146.
56

57
58

Feiman, "Teacher Center Concept," p. 8.
Joyce and Weil, Concgpts of Teacher Centers, p. 11

Feiman, "Teacher Center Concept," p. 8.

76

The competency-based center is developed
around sets of instructional systems designed
to help teachers acquire specific teaching
skills and strategies. This type of center
provides three types of support for the
overall educational effort:

1. General support through training
to improve teacher competence within
defined teacher roles. '

2. Flexible support to teachers by
helping them.diagnose their perfor-
mance and receive training to
increase specific competencies in
terms of their needs.

3. Support to innovative efforts
within the area.59

Schnieder, Yarger, and Leonard point out that in order

to assess centers' potential for fostering educational reform,

one must first understand the functions they serve.

60 In

their analysis Of the professional development center meve-

ment, they classified centers according to four functional

types:

"Facilitating” Centers purport to provide

 

an atmosphere that will enable teachers to
explore new ideas and techniques through

‘ direct interaction with other teachers and/or

"hands-on" experience with new curricular
materials. The function of these centers is
to facilitate the personal and professional
development of teachers.

 

59
60

Joyce and Weil, Concepts of Teacher Centers, pp. 13-14.

Schnieder and Yarger, "Teacher/Teaching Centering,"

p. 8; Yarger and Schnieder, "Understanding Existing Teacher
Centers"; and Leonard, "Teacher Centers."

77

"Advocacy" Centers are characterized by a
visible commitment to a specific philosophy,
orientation, or educational movement such

as open education or competency-based educa-
tion.

"Responsive" Centers may be one of two kinds:

 

one type attempts to respond to the specific
needs of individual educators, another focuses
on specified institutional needs. Responsive
centers are not dominated by a particular
philosophical theme but are based on identifying
problems and seeking to solve them.

"Functionally Unique" Centers are described by

 

Yarger as those which serve a limited, unique
function such as materials development,
research, and/or field testing of available
materials. However, Leonard sees this type
of center as one which simultaneously serves
several of the above functions (e.g. facili-
tative, advocacy, and/or responsive).

Parsons also attempts to summarize the primary functions

61

of professional development centers. He suggests that

there is general agreement that centers have six primary

functions.

1.

They serve

As clearinghouses for disseminating informa-
tion, material resourcesy and talent. Profes-
sional development centers serve to put teachers
within a local area in touch with one another;
to make it possible for teachers to share good

 

61

Theodore W. Parsons, "Developing a Teacher Center"

(Washington, D.C.: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teacher Education,
October 1972), pp. 2-5 (ERIC Document Reproduction Service
NO. ED 086 673)

78

ideas, promising practices, problems and
materials; and to bring information,

talent, and resources to teachers. They

can disseminate new ideas and procedures;
put teachers into closer communication with
one another while enhancing their individual
sense of professional orientation; reduce the
sense of anonymity, powerlessness, and lone-
liness that affects so many teachers in
schools today; and optimize the use of local
talent by making it accessible to teachers
and others whom the center serves.

As vehicles for teachers to come together to
work cooperatively on solutions to common
problems. Professional development centers
make it possible for teachers to meet for
purposes of discussion or to review and/or
develop teaching methods. Improving
curricula and educational practices is very
much dependent upon teachers having access
to one another's ideas and the assistance of
colleagues in solving problems and creating
new teaching materials.

. As vehicles for teachers to expressyprofessional
identify through efforts that are focused on
problems of professional practice as opposed

to problems of teacher welfare. Professionali-
zation in teaching will be based principally
upon the development of attitudes, commitments,
language, concepts, and self definitions that
focus on teaching and its effect upon children
and the community at large. Achieving this
will require attention to significant teaching
problems. By helping teachers to make such

a shift, professional development centers

79

should contribute to the enhancement of
professional identity.

4. As training centers for both pre-service and

 

in-service teachers. Professional development

 

centers can contribute to furthering the pro-
fessional skills and competencies of teachers
already in service. By involving pre-service
teachers in the activities of a center, in-

service teachers can contribute substantially
to raising the quality of pre-service training.

5. As vehicles for teachers and non-teachers to
come together to work COOperatively on the
development of educational programs. Since

 

the focus of professional development centers
is on the improvement of teaching practice and
curriculum, it becomes a relatively easy matter
for participating teachers to seek the consul-
tative and advisory assistance of members of
the community.

6. As vehicles for coordinatingteacher develop-
ment activities andyparent programs in order
to facilitate effective learning and social-
emotional development in children. Effective
professional development centers can design
and implement programs that will assure that
teachers and parents work on complementary
(if not collaborative) courses of action.

Financing Professional Development Centers

Allocating funds for any new movement, program, or
innovation is One of the most difficult tasks to accomplish.

A relatively small percentage of the total funds spent on

80

American education is allocated for professional development.
Waskin states that the amount Of money invested in profes-
sional growth has been negligible incomparison with alloca-
tions for salaries, physical plants, and other programs.62
A recent national survey showed that in 180 school districts
an average of less than one-half of one percent of the total
education dollars is spent on in-service training.63
Education leaders may still see the professional development
center movement as a luxury or perhaps they still believe

that teachers who have an initial state certificate have
completed their training.

A great variety of patterns are used to finance profes-
sional development center activities. In many cases, it is
impossible to generate adequate financial support from
local sources. Therefore, it is important that there be a
commitmentirom the federal government as well as from state
and local sources.

Schnieder and Yarger, in a survey of the funding patterns
of 600 centers, report that at least three major conclusions
can be drawn:

1. Although widespread and numerous, most of the
teaching centering taking place in America is
being carried out with very little financial

support-—meaning among other things that
continuing professional development apparently

 

62Waskin, "Teacher Center Movement," p. 38.

63Michael and Mary Van Ryan, Survey Of In-Service Educa-
tion (Albany: New York State Department of Education,’l974).

 

81

comes, to a large degree, out of the hides
of the participants;

2. It is time again to truck out all of the
exciting analogies between education and
the other professions and between education
and business and industry, regarding the
low esteem.and comparatively low level
of support given to staff deve10pment in
education; and

3. Although the percentage of education funds
devoted to teaching centers is relatively low,
the absolute total for the survey sample
alone is approximately $10 million, supporting
a substantial network of centers to provide
many new ideas and promising approaches to
staff development.

Just as each professional development center is unique
with respect to its programs and organization, so too each
center also has unique ways of attaining financial support.
The continued existence of professional development centers
despite their minimal funding may reflect the strong desire
of many administrators, teachers, and community members to
reallocate existing resources for purposes they see as

being important.

Professional Development Centers in Michigan

 

It appears that efforts to develop a statewide system
Of teacher professional development in Michigan have been
influenced largely by the growing demands of new knowledge,
mandated educational programs, and the changing role of the
schools. In order to maintain up-to-date knowledge and

skills, educators and school staff should be provided with

 

6L'Schnieder and Yarger, "Teacher/Teaching Centering
in America," p. 11.

82

every Opportunity to maintain and improve their professional
skills, to seek continuous growth experiences, and to acquire
new knowledge through their entire work life. The state

plan for school staff development in Michigan has been pre-
pared in an effort to meet that need.

During the past twenty-five years new teaching
demands have accumulated at a very rapid rate,
many of them stimulated by federal support for
new programs. There is a need to establish an
orderly means by which new knowledge and new
teaching strategies become diffused throughout
Michigan's school systems.

Department of Education records indicate that
most provisional certificate holders complete
requirements for a continuing teaching certifi-
cate four to six years after graduation from
college. Of the approximately 109,000 certified
persons employed in Michigan's public schools,
75 percent hold a permanent or continuing certi-
ficate and have completed all necessary state
requirements beyond the bachelor's degree.

In addition, a similarly high percentage of the
professional public work force in Michigan is
at or very near the top of the local district
salary schedule. With declining student
enrollments and provisions in most master con-
tracts for layoffs to be made on a seniority
basis, it is predicted that professional school
staff will tend to include more persons: (1)
with extended experience; (2) at the maximum
salary level; and (3) with higher levels of
college or university preparation than ever
before.

Inherent in a systematic approach to staff
development programming is the notion of (l)
coordination of existing resources, (2)
collaboration among the various individuals and
and agencies concerned with the education of
teachers and children, (3) development of in-
service planning models which will allow for
local assessment of educator needs, (4) local
planning of in-service actiyities, and (5)
local delivery of programs. 5

 

65Michigan Department of Education, Office of Professional
Development, "State Plan for School Staff Development in

83

In Michigan, a professional development program is
defined as a planned, organized effort to improve job-related
knowledge and skills by cOntinuing in-service education for
teachers, administrators, and other school support staff.
Since the needs of education workers may be individual and
unique, planning for a professional deve10pment program must
include inventories and needs assessments designed to identify
knowledge areas or particular skills that should be addressed
by the professional development program.66

The Michigan Department of Education defines staff
development as:

A planned and organized effort to: (1) provide
teachers and other educational workers with
knowledge and skills to facilitate improved
student learnin and performance commensurate

with individual student incentive and potential,
(2) meet additionaldevelopmental needs of
students, and (3) meet the specific needs of staff
that may or may not be related to cognitive out-
comes.

The "State Plan for School Staff Development in Michigan"
proposes that the state establish:

A network of up to 25 centers designated by the
State Board of Education to assure access by

 

Michigan,‘ unpublished form (Lansing, Michigan: March 22,
1979) (hereafter cited as "State Plan").

66Michigan Department of Education, Office of Professional
Deve10pment, "Request for a Proposal for Procedures and Models
for a Professional Deve10pment Center'(Lansing, Michigan:
October 1977).

67Michigan Department of Education, Office Of Professional
Development, "Four State Project to Develop a System or Systems
to Improve Student Achievement through Staff Development,"
program revision request, unpublished form PRR-2, FY1978-79
(Lansing, Michigan: 1979).

84

every local staff development center and local
school district. The purpose of the state staff
development center is to deliver in-service pro-
grams to individual local staff development

center constituents, serve as consultant to local
staff development centers, disseminate information
concerning effective in-service programs, identify
resources for local staff development centers,
disseminate information and offer technical
assistance relative to state and federal programs
with in-service components, serve as a communica-
tion link between the Department of Education and
local districtCS)staff development centers. The
state staff development centers should have access
to materials, libraries, and films.6

Local staff development centers are described as follows:

A local staff deve10pment center shall serve a
minimum of 750 professional personnel. The
purpose of the centers is to provide in-service
activities to meet the identified needs of teachers,
administrators and other support personnel whom
individual center policy boards identify as the
target group for the center activities. Local
staff development centers shall identify local
staff needs for in-service training, prioritize
identified needs for in-service programs, iden-
tify resources for responding to needs, provide
evaluation information relative to in-service
programs, identify local staff development needs
relative to state and federal programs with
in-service components, and be represented on
state staff development center policy boards.69

The State Plan also describes the Department's annual
process to link state and federal categorical programs with
locally-identified needs and to disseminate information on
staff development programs sponsored by the various programs
and service areas within the Department. The responsibilities

of the Department relative to the planning process are:

 

68Michigan Department of Education, "State Plan," p. 2.

69Ibid., p. 3.

The

85

. Identification of funding levels of state and

federal programs with in-service components.

. Coordination and explication of in-service

planning relative to the use of categorical
funding.

. Development of professional staff develcfiment

planning models which includeJneeds assessment,
program planning and evaluation procedures.

. Materials development and...training workshops.
. Technical assistance and dissemination to

colleges and universities, intermediate and
local school districts relative to state and
local identified needs, model progrags, Teacher
Corps, and Teacher Center Programs.

role Of the Department is one of coordinating,

brokering, networking, and disseminating information in order

to have an impact on staff development planning models for

local educators.

Staff members at the Department of Education use an

eight-step planning process for staff development activities:

1.
2.

Specifying expectations for student learning.

Determining any variances between expectations
and achievements.

. Analyzing whether students' unmet needs could

be better met through provision of a professional
development program for staff.

. Identifying the related professional development

needs of teachers and other school staff.

. Compiling information on possible models and

procedures available to meet those needs.

. Matching staff development activities to the

most available models in terms of (a) staff
needs, (b) available resources, and (c) student
outcomes; or concluding that there is no match,
and proceeding to develop an appropriate
activity.

. ProViding incentives for adopting or adapting

models or procedures locally.

 

70

Michigan Department of Education, "State Plan."

86

. Establishing an evaluation mechanism to determine

the effectiveness of the professional develop-
ment activity in meeting staff and/or student
needs.71

State Plan activities are grouped under four objectives:

1.

Design and implement a structure that will (a)
coordinate the various staff deve10pment programs
and activities within the Department; and (b)
provide a communication network among MDE staff
responsible for administration of staff develop-
ment programs and activities.

. Design and implement an organizational structure

that will provide linkages between the various
field-based staff development efforts and between
the field—based efforts and the Michigan Depart-
ment of Education.

. Provide an opportunity for and encourage the

intimate involvement of local and intermediate
school district and institution of higher educa-
tion personnel in the state-supported staff
development process.

 

. Develop an evaluation procedure to determine

the effectiveness of regional staff development
programs and whether the State Plan for School
Staff Development has been effective and dis-
seminate the results of the evaluation.

The State Plan also identifies specific activities for

accomplishing each Objective. The agency responsible for

each activitiy is identified as is the timeline for completion
and the expected outcome(s) of each activity. The Department
hopes that such detailed planning will help educators to

see the role of each agency in a comprehensive approach to

staff development.

Funds for planning professional development centers have

been made available since the legislature passed the 1975-77

 

71
72

Ibid.
Ibid.

87

appropriation act for the Department of Education. As a
result of this act and others, several professional develop-
ment centers, including the three selected for the study,
were created to provide school personnel with additional
skills,competencies and knowledge. The following sections
briefly describe the three state-funded centers and the

one federally-funded center that were the focus of the study.

The Detroit Center for Professional Growth and Development

The Detroit Center began operation in 1976 as Michigan's
first state-funded development center. The Center, which was
deisgned to serve Wayne County, currently focuses most of its
efforts on the 10,000 classroom teachers in the public schools
of Detroit. Programs for school administrators and parapro-
fessionals are also available. Though the Center is located
in the College of Education at Wayne State University, pro-
fessional development activities are held throughout the
district.

In 1978, the center's goals were to involve teachers
and staff in a three-phase process of developing:

1. Awareness: The recognition of specific learning
problems; the understanding of the causative

variables; a knowledge of the center and other
resources that are available for direct assistance.

2. Readiness: The willingness to participate in
staff development activities.

3. Commitment: The sustained effort to foster
improved learning; the willingness to utilize
newly-learned knowledge in the classroom;
the utilization of student achievement data

88

as the basis for "recycling" of training;

the commitment of available resources to

the improvement effort.73
The overall goal of the Detroit Center is to improve the
learning of pupils in the Detroit school system. The major
focus of the center is to implement staff development acti-

vities that link perceived and stated needs Of school members

with the learning needs Of their students.

 

 

 

Meeting Increased Improved
Staff [—fi Staff ._p Student
Needs Skills Learning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 3.1. Perceived Relationship between Meeting Staff
Needs and Improved Student Learning

This goal, which was articulated in 1975, has as its corner-
stone:

...the assumption that the behavior of educational
personnel is an influenceable variable which effects
the learning process and that providing Opportunities
which will increase the skills and meet the needs

of staff members 72 one way to foster improved
student learning. (See Figure 3.1)

 

73Detroit Center for Professional-Growth and Development,
"Annual Report: October l977-September 1978." (Detroit,
Michigan: Wayne State University, College of Education),
p. l (hereafter cited as "Annual Report").

7['Detroit Center for Professional Growth and Deve10pment,
"The Detroit Area Professional Development Center" (Detroit,
Michigan: Wayne State University, College of Education,
August 6, 1975), p. 1. (This document was accepted by the
Michigan Department of Education as the basis for funding the
Detroit Center.)

89
The Detroit Center does not operate in isolation. Active
and continuous cooperation with and support from many areas
has enhanced and maximized the center's service capabilities.
The Detroit Center has successfully integrated the resources
of higher education institutions with those of the center and
the Detroit school systemiin ways that are mutually beneficial.
Collaboration with the Detroit Center has enabled university
faculty to contribute their expertise, particularly in
research and theory, to enhance center in-service activities.
In addition, student teachers may participate in center
training activities.
The center uses a wide variety of techniques for the
delivery of in-service education, including:
1. Use of experts from colleges, universities,
industries, and other institutions related

to education as resource persons in work-
shop settingp and in classrooms.

2. Demonstrations and follow-up in classrooms
to initiate goal-directed, objective-based
modified teaching behaviors related to
in-service experiences.

3. Cluster and individual conferences which
focused needs and problems that come out
from the daily routine in class.

4. Worksh0p series on selected topics providing
participants with an Opportunity to try
suggested methods, procedires, and innova- 75
tions with consultant support and feedback.
In 1980, Detroit Center staff members identified a
number of managerial, education, and administrative objectives

and grouped them under five major themes that reflect Center

7SDetroit Center for Professional Growth and Deve10pment,
"Annual Report," p. 27.

90

priorities. These themes are: (a) increased staff competencies;
(b) improved student achievement in reading and mathematics;
(c) continued inter-institutional cooperation; (d) development
of educational leadership; and (e) dissemination of informa-

tion about successful programs and projects.76

The Region 12 Professional Development Center
The Region 12 Center began operation in the fall of 1977

and is designed to serve more than 5,000 educators in Barry,
Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, and St. Joseph Counties and in
five intermediate school district areas in southwest Michigan.
The center is located at the Kalamazoo Valley Intermdiate
School District Service Center and utilizes the intermediate
school district offices in each county as satellite centers.
The Region 12 Center's primary purpose is providing in-service
programs to improve school staff competencies and skills
related to the delivery of educational services to students.
The center is based on the belief that:

Professional educators must be provided the oppor-

tunity to maintain and improve teaching and other

skills and to acquire new knowledge throughout

their entire work life.
A regional governance council of eighteen teachers and admin-

istrators governs the center. This council formulates center

operational policy and plans and coordinates the

 

761bid., p. 47.

77Region 12 Professional Development Center, "Annual
Report: October 1977-September 1978" (Kalamazoo, Michigan:
Kalamazoo Valley Intermediate School District), p. l.

91

implementation and evaluation of center programs. Five
professional development advisory councils (one for each
county or intermediate school district in Region 12) have
been created to link local school staff needs and resources
throughout southwestern Michigan. The advisory councils
identify needs on a regional basis, identify possible
resources to meet those needs, and assist in planning and
coordinating regional professional development services. The
Region 12 Center's plans for 1978-1979 included focusing

the center's efforts on:

1. Developing a more systematic procedure for
effectively assisting local districts and
buildings with regard to needs assessment,
need verification/prioritization, and staff
commitment to meeting needs identified.~

2. Creating a more systematic approach to facili-
tating professional development programs for
local districts and buildings.

3. Working with four Special project schools to
Obtain student impact data. This included
hiring an outside professional evaluator to
guide the development of the evaluation
design, data collection, and summary of
results.

4. Expanding the existing human resource bank of
trainers in Michigan who are available to
deliver professional deve10pment programs in
response to specific needs.

5. The continued development of regional programs
with a greater frequency of in-depth programming,
thereby increasing the chances for greater

92

impact on the classroom.

6. The improvement of documentation/evaluation

mechanisms.78

The Kent Professional Development Center

The Kent Center began Operation in October 1977 and is
designed to serve staff from.twenty school districts in the
Kent Intermediate School District area. Approximately 6,000
educators from twenty public school districts and seventy
non-public schools are the target population for the center's
programs. The Kent Center officers are housed in the Kent
Intermediate School District in southeast Grand Rapids.

The Kent Professional Development Center designs programs
which not only have a knowledge component, but which also
include specific goals and objectives in order to develOp
skills that can be utilized in the classroom. The Kent
Center also can plan programs to suit a specific need. The
center is not bound by traditional university course struc-
tures, but it has worked with universities to adapt their
resources to meet the needs of Kent clientele. Therefore,
the goal of the Kent Professional Development Center is
to:

...bring together representatives from teacher
groups, administrators, school boards, citizens,
and the nine colleges and universities that
serve the Kent Intermediate service area to

identify needs, establish priorities, and
plan programs based on these needs that

J

 

781bid., p. 36.

93

result in improved learning experiences
for students.79

The Kent Center is governed by a board of ten voting

and two ex-officio members. The functions of the governing

board are to:

1.

Establish PDC policies and bylaws to include
processes for amending its own procedures
and membership;

. Hire and evaluate the PDC director;
. Approve hiring and evaluation of additional

PDC staff;

. Approve budgets and expenditures;
. Approve programs recommended by the Kent

Advisory Council on professional development
and establish priorities for their implemen-
taion;

. Accept, reject, or amend recommendations from

PDC staff and the professional development
advisory council;

. Approve program design committees to assist

center staff in the design, implementation,
and evaluation of programs; and

. Approve information about the PDC for

dissemination.

An advisory council whose thirty members represent

teachers,

administrators, colleges of education,sehool boards,

and citizens, works with the governing board. Its functions

 

are to:
1. Assist in establishing building level advisory
committees;
79Kent Professional Development Center. "Final Report:

October 1, 1977-September 30, 1978." (Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Kent Intermediate School District), p. 6.

80Ibid., p.4.

94

Arrange training for members of building
level advisory committees in the identification
of student and teacher needs;

Analyze needs assessment data and identify

critical areas of need;

Recommend programs to the governing board,
based on identified needs;

Assist in the identification of possible
professional development resourcs;

Analyze and coordinate local and intermediate
school district professional development

activities;

Provide communication linkage with the governing
board, program design committees, center staff,
building level advisory committees, and all
constituencies represented on the council; and

Maintain communication linkages with the state

Department of Education internal council on

professional development.81

The Kent Professional Development Center's plans for

1978-79 included focusing efforts on:

A. Ongoing needs assessment including:

1. in-service needs assessment process to
identify school staff and department
needs;

2. generic skills inventory to identify
individual teacher needs;

3. interviews with selected teachers for
validation of the written form;

4. in-service needs assessment process to
identify administrator/supervisor/personnel
needs; and

 

81

Ibid., p. 3.

95

5. In-service needs assessment process to
identify future needs of education.

B. Programs:

1. Establish a program design team to design,
implement and evaluate a program based on
each priority need recommended to the
governing board by the Advisory Council
and each mandated need; and

2. Design a training session for program
design team members and design a simpler
guide for program design team.members to
follow in designing programs.

C. Communication Network:

Provide ongoing training sessions to enhance
the effectiveness of our two-way communication
linkage between our building level advisory
committees and the professional deve10pment
center.

D. Evaluation:

1. Design and implement procedures for obtaining
participant perceptions of professional 7
deve10pment center programs;

2. Conduct a followeup survey of participant
perceptions of programs' transfer effects
to classrooms;

3. Conduct a survey of perceived responsive-
ness and effectiveness of professional
development center activities relative
to needs as perceived by significant
audiences;

4. Analyze evaluation data from.program sur-
veys and interviews to feed back to center
staff during the year to increase center
effectiveness;

5. Interview professional development center
director and staff on their perceptions of
program.operation; and,

6. Coordinate a three-member external panel
review of overall operations and effective- 2
ness of the professional development center.

 

821bid., pp. 76-77.

96

The Northwest Staff Development Center

The Northwest Center is a federally-funded staff develop-
ment center serving educators in seven districts in northwest
Wayne County. Located at Wilcox Center in Livonia, Michigan,
the Northwest Center seeks to:

...promote the cognitive and affective develop-
ment of staff and students through a multi-
district approach to in-service education. It
is recognized that student learning will be
enhanced through the presentation to educators
of high quaggty professional development
activities.

The center is governed by a policy board which has respon-
sibility for determining all center policies and which has
final authority of all center programs. (The center's director
may approve programs that do not exceed an expenditure of
$2,000.00.) All programs and services offered by the center
must be based on priorities established through a needs
assessment process and must also reflect the project consor-
tium goals and Objectives as specified in the federal appli-
cation for funding.84

Programs offered by the center are based on the following
assumptions and goals:

1. Individuals have diverse attitudes, values,
and learning styles. Consequently, staff

development activities must use a variety
of techniques and approaches to meet

 

83Northwest Staff Development Center, "Policy and Oper-
ating Procedures Manual: September 1979" (Livonia, Michigan),
p. 1.

84Ibid., p. 16

97

teacher/administrator needs.

2. Learning is a continuing, lifelong process.
Staff development activities must reflect
the fact that educators will experience
different needs at various points in their
careers.

3. People are capable of self-direction and
responsible behavior. Staff deve10pment
activities must be built on a recognition
that, given a choice, educators will select
programs that will most enhance their pro-
fessional growth.

4. Individuals learn and grow most in environ-
ments that promote their self-esteem and
respect. Consequently, staff deve10pment
activities must promote the dignity and
worth of each person.

5. Staff development activities that are most
worthwhile usually possess several of the
following elements: (1) are ongoing pro-
grams, (2) require the active participation
of teachers in the planning, implementation,
and evaluation Of the activity, (3) are
school-based, (4) involve administrators,
(5) deal with the concrete, day-to-day prob-
problems of educators, (6) are individualized,
(7) involve demonstrations, supervised prac-
tice, and feedback, (8) provide for sharing
and mutual support among educators.

6. The techniques and methods used in staff
deve10pment activities must be consistent
with the basic pringiples of learning and
effective teaching. 5

Summary

The professional development of teachers and school per-
sonnel is a vital element in any formula for improving public
education. Teacher in-service education and professional
development activities are important for teachers to improve

their personal growth, professional competencies and teaching

 

85Ibid., p. 1.

98
effectiveness, particularly at a time when the demands on the
teaching profession are increasing. Well-organized and
systematic in-service education is essential for any profes-
sion, but it is much more improtant for educational workers
because education occupies a unique and strategic position
in the task of human and national development. The major
reasons for in-service education are to promote the continuous
improvement of the total professional staff of the school.
system; to keep the profession abreast of new knowledge;-
to release creative abilities; and to eliminate deficiencies
in the background preparation of teachers and other profes-
sional workers in education. In-service education can enhance
personal growth, professional development, and specific job
competencies.

Professional development centers are one response to this
need. These centers, which represent one of the most popular
educational concepts since the 19608, can be found on every
continent, with the greatest number located in North America,
Europe, and Australia. According to Waskin, the professional
development center movement in the United States began in
the mid-19603. She notes that the movement grew slowly
until about 1970, and increased significantly by 1973.

The statistics show that of the teacher centers
surveyd, 9 percent were established before 1970
and 91 percent were established since 1970, which

is a powerful indicator of this rapidly ascending
popularity.86

 

86Waskin, "Teacher Center Movement," p. 109.

99

In Michigan, it appears that efforts to develop a state-
wide system of professional development centers for teachers
have been largely influenced by the growing demand for new
knowledge, mandated educational programs, and rising expecta-
tions concerning the role of the schools. In response to this
demand, the 1975—77 Appropriate Act for the Department of
Education made funds available for planning professional-1
deve10pment centers. As a result of this act and others,
several state-funded professional development centers and a
federally-funded center were created to provide school per-
sonnel with additional skills, competencies, and knowledge.
Three state-funded centers (the Detroit Center for Professional
Growth and Development, the Region 12 Professional Development
Center, and the Kent Professional Development Center) and
a federally-funded center (the Northwest Staff Development

Center) were selected for the study.

CHAPTER IV

DESIGN OF THE STUDY

Introduction

 

This chapter describes the research design and outlines
the methods used in collecting and analyzing the data. The
sections in Chapter IV describe the research questions,
instrumentation, population and samples, location, survey
procedure, pilot group, distribution, respondents included
in the study, procedures for analyzing the data, and the

background characteristics Of respondents.

Research Questions

 

The researcher investigated five primary research areas
concerning the activities of four professional development
centers in the state of Michigan:

1. When are in-service education activities
offered to teachers in the various professional
development centers and what are appropriate
times for offering such activities?

2. Is there any affiliation with and/or participa-
tion between professional development centers
and higher education institutions?

3. Does teacher participation in professional
development center actities count towards or
lead to certification and/or degrees?

100

101

4. How is the content of the curriculum of pro-
fessional development centers determined? Who
plans the program activities for teacher in—
service education?

5. How (k) the findings from.the above questions
relate to teacher education and in-service
education activites for Libyan teachers?

Instrumentation

 

The descriptive-survey method was chosen for the study
because "description tells us what we reckon with...descrip-
tive studies help us in learning how to accomplish desired

purposes."l

After consulting with the researcher's committee
chairperson and the Office of Research Consultation (ORC)
at Michigan State University, the researcher decided to use
a questionnaire as the major research instrument. Babbie
notes that questionnaire design is the process by which
, researchers devise procedures that will result in observations
relevant to the general concepts they are studying.2 Goods
and Scates describe the questionnaire as:
.a form.prepared and distributed to secure res-
ponses to certain questions; as a result, these
questions are factual, intended to Obtain infor-

mation about conditions or practices of which the
respondent is presumed to have knowledge. The

 

1Carter V. Good and Douglas E. Scates, Methods Of
Research (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1954),
p. 254.

2Earl R. Babbie, The Practice of Social Research (Bel-
mont, California: ‘Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc., 1975),
p. 105.

 

102

questionnaire has been used increasingly,

however, to inquire into the Opinions and

attitudes of a group....It is a major ins-
trument for data-gathering in descriptive

survey studies...

. The questionnaire method was selected because, as Selting
and others note:

1. The questionnaire is likely to be a less
expensive procedure than the interview.
It requires much less skill to administer
them than an interview. In fact, question-
naires are often simply mailed or handed
to respondents with a minimum of explana-
tion.

2. Another advantage of the questionnaire is
that respondents may have greater confidence
in their anonymity and thus feel freer to
express views they fear might be disapproved
of or might get them into trouble.

3. It may place less pressure on the subject
for immediate response. When the subject is
given ample time for filling out the ques-
tionnaire, he can consider each point care-
fully rather than replying Zith the first
thought that comes to mind.

As no instrument was available that could be used for
gathering the necessary data, the researcher developed a
questionnaire that asked participants for background infor-
mation about themselves and asked for information concerning
their attitudes towards and involvement in professional
development center activities. The deve10pment of the

questionnaire went through five stages: (1) the instrument

 

3Good and Scates, Methods of Research.

4ClaireSelting et aL Research Methods in Social Rela-
tions (New York: Published for the Society for the Psycho-
logical Study of Social Issues by Holt, Reinhart, and Win-
ston, Inc., 1965), pp. 238-241.

 

103

was discussed with the Office of Research Consultation

whose observations and feedback were appreciated; (2) a
tentative form covering the first four research areas was
prepared; (3) the researcher's chairperson reviewed the ques-
tionnaire and made recommendations concerning revisions, modi-
fications, and deletions; (4) the questionnaire was pilot-
tested in the Region 12 Professional Development Center (Kala-
mazoo Valley Intermediate School District) where many notes,
comments, and recommendations were taken into consideration;
and, (a) a final, more efficient format was developed with

the help of the researcher's committee chairperson.

Population and Sample

The study focused on activities at four professional
development centers in the state of Michigan: the Detroit
Center for Professional Growth and Dexelopment, the Region

12 Professional Development Center, the Kent Professional

 

*
Most of the questions used in the survey were adapted
from the following sources:

"The Teacher Center Movement in the United States and
Its Implications fOr Teacher Education" by Yvonne Fisher
Waskin (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan, 1976).

"Professional Development Needs as Perceived by Full-
Time Teachers Not Pursuing Advanced Study and Factors
Affecting Their Acceptance of Programs Designed to Meet
These Needs" by Charles Thomas King (Ph.D. dissertation,
Michigan State University, 1978).

"A Study of the Status of Michigan's Current K-12 Teacher
Professional Development System from.the Perspective of
Evaluation Research Theory' by Cecilia Morris (Ph.D.
dissertation, Michigan State University, 1979).

104

Development Center, and the Northwest Staff Development
Center. Three of the four centers (the Detroit Center, the
Region 12 Center, and the Kent Center) are funded by the
state of Michigan; the fourth center (the Northwest Center)
is funded by the federal government.

The population for the study consisted of the 25,000
K-12 teachers and administrators who are served by the four
professional development centers. These school personnel work
in the Detroit public schools; five intermediate school dis-
tricts located in Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, and
St. Joseph Counties in southwest Michigan; twenty public
school districts and seventy non-public school districts in
the.Kent Intermediate school district area; and seven dis-
tricts in Northwest Wayne County.

Because a large number of teachers participate in profes-
sional deve10pment center programs and activities, it was
necessary to limit the number who were to receive the survey
questionnaire. A proportionate sample of 300 K—12 teachers
and administrators in professional development center activi-
ties during 1979 was selected for the study. Of this group,
281 teachers and administrators ultimately were sent the ques-
tionnaire.

Table 4.1 lists the distribution of teachers by profes-
sional development center. As is shown in the table, 35 per-
cent (n=100) were selected from the Detroit Center, 20 percent
(n=56) were from the Region 12 Center, 27 percent (n=75) were

from the Kent Center, and 18 percent (n=50) were from the

105
Northwest Center.

Table 4.1

Distribution of Sample Population
by Professional Development Center

 

 

 

 

(N=281)

Location Number 'Percentage*
Detroit Center for
Professional Growth
and Development 100 35.58
Region 12 Professional
Development Center 56 19.92
Kent Professional
Development Center 75 26.69
Northwest Staff
Development Center 50 17.79

Total 281 99.98

 

*
Percentages are rounded and do not necessarily add to 100.

Location

In recent years, improving the professional development
services that are available to Michigan school personnel has
become a priority issue of the State Board of Education and
of many intermediate school districts and higher education
institutions in the state.

Staff knowledge, skills and awareness of attri-
butes of human growth and development all contri-
bute to bringing student outcomes up to stated

expectations. In order to maintain up-to-date
knowledge and skills, school staff should be

106

offered the Opportunity to receive and
encouraged to seek continuous growth
experiences.

As a result of the increased emphasis on the professional
development of school staff, the Michigan State Board of Edu-
cation and the Superintendent of Public Instruction have
supported many new actitives and programs. In particular,
the State Board of Education has supported the creation of
state-funded professional development centers. These centers
operate on a regional basis and provide services that have
been developed in response to needs identified by the target
population and the state educational agency. Because teacher
professional development has become an important educational
policy issue at the national as well as the state level,6
the federal government has also supported the creation of
professional development centers.

The three state-funded centers and the one federally-
funded center selected for the study are briefly described in
this section and in Chapter III. These descriptions are pro-
vided so that readers may more accurately interpret the ex-

tent to which the findings from the data analysis may be

applied to centers in other locations.

 

5Michigan Department of Education, Office of Professional
Development, "State Plan," p. 1.

6Cecilia Morris, "A Study of the Status of Michigan's
Current K-12 Teacher Professional Development System from the
Perspective of Evaluation Research Theory" (Ph.D. dissertation,
Michigan State University, 1979, hereafter cited as ”K-l2
Teacher Professional Development System).

107

The Detroit Center for Professional Growth and Deve10p-
ppp£_began operation in 1976 as Michigan's first state-funded
staff development center. The Detroit Center, which was
designed to serve Wayne County, currently focuses most of its
efforts on the 10,000 public school teachers in the city of
Detroit. Programs for school administrators and paraprofes-
sionals are also available. The Center's offices are located
in the College Of Education at Wayne State University, but
activities are held throughout the district.

The Region 12 Professional Development Center began opera—

 

tion in the fall of 1977 and is designed to serve more than
5,000 educators in five intermediate school district areas

in Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, and St. Joseph Counties
in southwest Michigan. The Region 12 Center is located at
the Kalamazoo Valley Intermediate School District Service
Center and utilizes the intermediate school district offices
in each county as satellite centers.

The Kent Professional Development Center began Operation
in October 1977 and is designed to serve staff from.twenty
school districts in the Kent Intermediate School District
area. Approximately 6,000 educators from twenty public
school districts and seventy non-public schools are the tar~
get population for the Center's programs. The Kent Center
Offices are housed in Kent Intermediate School District in
southeast Grand Rapids.

The Northwegt,Spaff_2gyglgpmgpp_§gppgg is a federally-

funded staff deve10pment center serving educators in seven

108

districts in northwest Wayne County. The Northwest Staff
Development Center is located at Wilcox Center in Livonia,

Michigan.

Survey Procedure

On November 5, 1979, two letters (one from the researcher
and one from the researcher's committee chairperson) were
sent to the directorsof each of the four centers. (See Appen-
dices A and B.) The purpose of these two letters was to
alert the directors to the arrival of the questionnaire and
to ask for their cooperation and help.

The survey questionnaire was mailed a few weeks later.
A cover letter, the questionnaire, and a stamped, pre-
addressed envelope were sent to all individuals in the sample.
(See Appendices C and D). Each envelope and questionnaire
were coded with a number that matched a list containing the
names of each individual to whom.the questionnaire was sent.
Sdfladhesive,color-coded labels (e.g. blue for the Detroit
Center, red for the Region 12 Center, black for the Kent Cen-
ter, and green for the Northwest Center) were placed on the
return envelopes to facilitate sorting and to indicate which
center the respondent attended.

The researcher also visited each of the four centers
during the fall of 1979 and the spring of 1980. The directors
of each center were interviewed and information was collected

with regard to:

109

1. Scheduling appropriate times for in-service
teacher education and training activities
and programs;

2. The center's affiliation with higher educa-
tion institutions and the extent of their
involvement in center activities.

3. The center's relationships with support
agencies other than higher education insti-
tutions (e.g., public schools and government
agencies);

4. Certification and degrees;
5. Plans for expanding on-going programs;

6. Who has responsibility for planning center

activities;
7. Available materials anu equipment; and,

8. Projected plans for future development.

Pilot Group

A pilot group of 21 teachers was selected at random from
a list of 35 names provided by the Region 12 Center which
is located in the Kalamazoo Valley Intermediate School Dist-
rict. This group was used to test a preliminary draft of the
survey questionnaire.

On November 8, 1979, the questionnaire was distributed
to the teachers in the pilot group. Each teacher was asked
to complete the questionnaire, to make recommendations for
improving the questions, and to comment on the proposed study.

Seventeen responses (approximately 81 percent) were

received. Of these, approximately 71 percent (n=12) Of the

110
respondents were female, and 29 percent (n=5) were male.
As a result of the pretest, some questions were re-
phrased or deleted, and a more efficient format was develOped.
The final version Of the questionnaire was approved by

the chairperson of the researcher's guidance committee.

Distribution

The population of the study, as indicated earlier,
consisted of K-12 teachers and administrators who partici-
pated in some of the programs and/or activities offered by

the four centers selected for the study. The researcher

*
personally telephoned the directors of each of the centers.

The purpose of these calls was to:

1. Explain the general purpose and overall impor-
tance of the study and to ask for the directors'

cooperation;

2. Obtain an up-to-date list of participants for
the 1978-1979 school year and to seek the
directors' assistance in assuring teacher
participation in the study; and,

3. Ask for descriptive materials such as annual
reports, booklets, speeches, and pamphlets
that might be useful in developing a compre-
hensive overview of the professional develop-
ment center movement in Michigan.

The questionnaire and the cover letter were sent to a
population of 281 participants. The survey instrument was

mailed to the teachers and administrators at the schools

 

*Approximately 12 calls were made.

111

and/or districts with one exception. The Detroit Center
director refused to release the names of any participants be-
cause the center follows a strict policy of confidentiality.
In this case, the questionnaires were sent to the director
who distributed them to the teachers.

On January 25, 1980, a follow-up letter and a second copy
of the questionnaire were sent to those who did not respond
to the first contact. (See Appendix E.) A thank-you letter
was mailed to each director on March 10, 1980. In this let-
ter, the researcher thanked the directors for their time and
effort and asked them to extend his appreciation to all
participants. (See Appendix F.) Saturday, March 1, 1980, was
set as the deadline date after which responses would not be

considered in the study.

Response Rate

 

A total of 180 questionnaires (64 percent) were returned.
Of the 180 responses, 48 responses (27 percent) were from the
Detroit Center; 41 responses (23 percent) were from the Re-
gion 12 Center; 53 reponses (29 percent) were from the Kent
Center; and 38 responses (21 percent) were from the Northwest
Center.

A total of 172 questionnaires (61 percent of those mailed
and 96 percent of those returned) were analyzed for the study.
Eight questionnaires (4 percent) were rejected. Three ques-
tionnaires (2 from.the Region 12 Center and 1 from the North-

west Center) were eliminated because they did not have

112

accurate addresses; 5 questionnaires (1 from the Detroit Cen-
ter and 4 from the Kent Center) were not used because the
respondents did not feel that their experiences were appro-
priate. One respondent wrote:

I don't feel that I can answer most of these ques-

tions honestly because I don't know enough about

the center...I could go through your questionnaire

and make check marks but then you wouldn't have

an accurate answer. I'm sorry I couldn't help

you. .
Another wrote:

The professional development center has invited

me to many workshops. During the school year I

find it impossible to attend because of other

classes. I have received information that to

attend the workshops is an enriching experience

but I would be very unfair if I gave you a false

reportII

Table 4.2 presents data concerning the percentage and sex

of the respondents. Of the 172 usable responses, 33 respon-
dents (1918 percent) were men and 139 respondents (80.81 per-
cent) were women; 47 respondents [6 men (12.76 percent) and
41 women (87.23 percentX] were from the Detroit Center; 39
respondents [10 men (25.64 percent) and 29 women (74.35 per-
cent)] were from the Region 12 Center; 49 respondents [4 men
(8.16 percent) and 45 women (91.83 percentX] were from the
Kent Center; and, 37 respondents [13 men (35.13 percent) and

24 women (64.86 percentZ] were from the Northwest Center.

Analysis of Data

 

Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the responses

to the questionnaire. The data were organized and recorded

113

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114

on computer data cards and programmed into the Michigan State
University computer. The Statistical Package for the Social
Sciences (SPSS) program was used to tabulate and analyze the
data by frequency, percentage, mean, median, and standard
deviation. A detailed description and analysis of the data

is included in Chapter V.

Background of Reapondents

 

The first part of the questionnaire sought specific in-
formation about the respondents' background in order to note
any generalizations which might be attributed to likenesses
or differences in background or environment.

Of the 180 questionnaires that were returned, 172 res-
ponses were used in the study. As is shown in Table 4.2,

33 respondents (19.18 percent) were male and 139 respondents
(80.81 percent) were female. A total of 58 respondents (33.72
- percent) were aged 31 to 40; 42 respondents (24.41 percent)
were aged 41 to 50; 35 respondents (20.34 percent) were aged
24 to 30. Only 30 respondents (17.44 percent) were aged 51

to 60; only 3 respondents (1.74 percent) were 23 years or
younger; and only 4 respondents (2.32 percent) were 61 years
or Older. (See Table 4.3.)

Table 4.4 shows the primary areas of responsibility of
respondents. Of those who responded to the questionnaire,
140 respondents (80.45 percent) were teachers; 4 respondents
((2.30 percent) were center directors; 11 respondents (6.32

percent) were administrators; 3 respondents (1.72 percent)

115

were educational media specialists; 4 respondents (2.30 per—
cent) were counselors; and 12 respondents (6.89 percent)

were employed in other occupations (e.g., teacher consultants,
mathematics consultants, paraprofessionals, and reading
specialists).

Table 4.5 indicates the number and percentage of respon-
dents who work as full- or part-time teachers. The vast
majority of the respondents (83.0 percent) worked as full—
time teachers. Only 25 respondents (15.0 percent) worked as
part-time teachers. Four respondents (2.0 percent)did not
answer the question.

Of a total of 47 respondents from the Detroit Center,
42 teachers (89.4 percent) worked full-time and only 3
teachers (6.4 percent) worked part-time. Of a total of 37
respondents from the Region 12 Center, 29 teachers (74.4
percent) worked full-time and only 8 teachers (20.5 percent)
worked part-time. Of 49 respondents from the Kent Center,
46 teachers (93.9 percent) worked full-time and only 3
teachers (6.1 percent) worked part-time. Concerning the
Northwest Center, of a total of 37 respondents, 26 teachers
(70.3 percent) worked full-time and 11 teachers (29.7 per-

cent) worked part-time.

116

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118

Table 4.5

Respondents by
Full-Time/Part-Time Teaching Responsibility

Total Response = 172

 

 

 

Professional
Full- Part- No
Development . . Total
Center T1me T1me Reply
Detroit Center
for Professional
Growth and Deve10pment 42 3 2 47
Percentage 89.4 6.4 4.2 100.0
Region 12 Professional
Development Center 29 8 2 39
Percentage 74.4 20.5 5.1 100 0
Kent Professional
Development Center 46 3 0 49
Percentage 93.9 6.1 0 100.0

Northwest Staff
Development Center 26 ll 0 37

Percentage 70.3 29.7 0 100.0

 

119

Summary

The purpose of this study was to investigate the per-
ceptions of participants in in-service education activities
offered by four professional development centers in the
state of Michigan with respect to: (l) scheduling appropriate
times for providing activities and programs; (2) centers'
affiliation with higher education institutions and the invol-
vement of those institutions in teacher in-service education
programs offered by professional development centers;

(3) certification and degrees; and (4) responsibility for
planning center programs and activities. The study also
sought to determine whether and to what extent professional
development centers and the findings from the study could
be used to help meet teacher in-service education needs in
Libya. Chapter IV described the research design, outlined
the methods used in collecting and analyzing the necessary
data, and provided background information about the respon-
dents.

A two-part questionnaire was developed for the study:
the first part asked for specific information about the res-
pondent, while the second part sought to collect the data
necessary to answer the questions posed by the study. Of a
total of 281 questionnaires, 180 questionnaires (64 percent)
were returned and 172 responses were usable in the study.

Of the 172 respondents, 33 respondents (19 percent) were

male and 139 respondents (81 percent) were female.

120

Responses to the questionnaires were recorded on com-
puter data cards and processed at the Michigan State Univer-
sity Computer Center using the SPSS program. When appro'
priate, frequencies, means, percentages, and medians were
calculated and this information was summarized in tables.

The researcher also visited each of the four centers
and interviewed the directors with respect to the major
research questions. A detailed presentation of the findings
from the questionnaires and the interviews is included in

Chapter V.

CHAPTER V

ANALYSIS OF THE DATA

Introduction

 

This chapter presents the findings from the data analysis.
The first section describes the characteristics of respondents
with respect to their teaching responsibilities, years of full-
time teaching experience, school level, educational level,
the amount of time they spend in planning and preparation, and
the amount of extra time they spend working with students.
The second section examines respondents' attitudes towards
professional development centers concerning the expansion of
center services, the extent to which they believe they would
benefit from such an expansion, their perceptions of who
uses center facilities, their responsibility fOr paying for
the costs of center services, their reactions to various
characteristics of center services and their attitudes towards
the relative importance of these characteristics, their
ability to apply center experiences in their teaching situa-
tions, and their knowledge about the evaluation of individual
centers. The last section summarizes the researcher's
findings concerning the four research questions that guided
the investigation effort. This section discusses appropriate
times for center activities, centers' affiliation with

121

122

higher education institutions, certification and degrees, and

responsibility for planning center activities and programs.

Characteristics of Respondents

 

This section presents background information about the
respondents with respect to various professional attributes.
The data are presented in Tables 5.1 through 5.6. It should
be noted that the number of respondents is not the same in
each table since the respondents did not always answer all

questions.

Teaching,Reaponsibilities

Table 5.1 presents the data concerning the respondents'
teaching responsibilities as indicated in response to Question
6 of the questionnaire:

Would you please indicate what your area of
teaching responsibility is?

.It was found that the largest groups of respondents were
teachers of mathematics (X477), reading (X459), language arts
(X436), social studies (X378), science (X349), social science
(X174), and special education (X140). Eighty—two respondents
(16.7 percent) taught mathematics, 79 respondents (15.58 per-
cent) taught reading, 75 respondents (14.79 percent) taught
language arts; 65 respondents (12.82 percent) taught social
studies; 60 respondents (11.83 percent) taught science; 30
respondents (5.91 percent) taught social science; and 24

respondents (4.73 percent) taught special education.

123

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124

The second largest groups of respondents were teachers
of art (X099), music (X081), physical education (3035),
foreign language (H023) and home economics (X017). Seven-
teen respondents (3.35 percent) taught art; 14 respondents
(2.76 percent) taught music, 6 respondents (1.18 percent)
taught physical education; 4 respondents (0.78 percent)
taught foreign languages; and 3 respondents (0.59 percent)
taught home economics. Interestingly, industrial arts, tech-
nical education, and business educatianeach had only 1 res-
pondent (0.19 percent).

A relatively high number of teachers (X262) were res-
ponsible for teaching subjects other than those listed in
the questionnaire. Forty-five respondents (8.87 percent)
had responsibilities such as supervising kindergartens, home-
rooms, self-contained elementary classrooms, and media cen-

ters; serving as peacemakers; or teaching library skills.

Years of Full-Time Teaching Experience
Table 5.2 presents the data concerning respondents'
answers to Question 7 of the questionnaire:

How many years of full-time teaching experience
have you completed?

The majority of respondents had 3 to 10 years or 11 to
20 years of experience. Of 168 full-time teachers, 79 res-
pondents (47.00 percent) had 3 to 10 years of experience;
58 respondents (34.50 percent) had 11 to 20 years of ex-
perience; and 21 respondents (12.50 percent) had 21 to 30

years of experience. Only 9 respondents (5.40 percent)

125

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126

had less than 2 years of experience. No respondent had more
than 40 years of experience, and only 1 respondent (0.60 per-

cent) had 31 to 40 years Of experience.

School Level

 

Table 5.3 presents the data concerning respondents'
replies to Question 11 of the questionnaire:

What is the level of school you are working in?

As is indicated in the table, the largest number of
respondents were elementary school teachers (X686), while
'high school teachers represented the next largest group (H110).
Of a total of 176 respondents, 118 respondents (67.00 percent)
taught at the elementary school level; 19 respondents (10.80
percent) taught at the high school level; 15 respondents
8.50 percent) taught at the junior high school level; 13
respondents (7.40 percent) taught at the middle school level;
and 11 respondents (6.30 percent) worked in other types of
educational programs (i.e. eflJ. levels, programs for autis-
tic people, preschools, special schools, and/or adultleduCa-

tion).

Educational Level
Table 5.4 presents the data concerning respondents'
replies to Question 13 of the questionnaire:

What is the highest level of education you
have completed as of this date?

Of 172 respondents, 5 respondents (2.90 percent) had

bachelor's degrees; 58 respondents (33.70 percent) had done

127

 

 

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128

 

 

 

 

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129

some additional coursework beyond the bachelor's degree;

34 respondents (19.80 percent) held master's degrees; and

62 respondents (36.00 percent) had completed some coursework
beyond the master's degree. Only 7 respondents (4.10 per-
cent) had earned the educational specialist degree, and 5
respondents (2.90 percent) had earned the doctoral degree.
None of the respondents had only completed a junior or com-
munity college degree,and only 1 respondent (0.60 percent)

had less than a bachelor's degree.
Time Spent in Planning and Preparation

Table 5.5 describes the responses of participants
regarding Question 9 on the questionnaire:

How many hours per week do you spend on planning
and preparation?

The general reaction to this question was very positive
as is evidenced by the overall rating of an average of 6 to
10 hours per week spent in planning and preparing for their
classes. Of the 155 respondents to this question, the largest
group (61 respondents or 39.30 percent) spent 6 to 10 hours
per week on preparation. The second largest group (42 res-
pondents or 27.00 percent) indicated that they spent an
average of 3 to 5 hours per week. Of the remaining respon-
dents, 28 teachers (18.00 percent) spent an average of 9 to
12 hours per week; 10 teachers (6.40 percent) spent an
average of 16 to 20 hours per week; and 5 teachers (3.20

percent) spent more than 21 hours per week on planning and

130

 

 

 

 

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131

preparation. Only 9 respondents (5.80 percent) spent less

than 2 hours per week.

Amount of Extra Time Spent with Students
Table 5.6 indicates the data concerning respondent's
replies to Question 10 of the questionnaire:

How many hours per week do you spend with
students beyond the regular school day?

The majority of respondents (115 respondents or 73.24
percent) spent an average Of less than 2 hours per week
meeting with students beyond regular school hours, 26 respon-
dents (16.56 percent) spent 3 to 4 hours, and 14 respondents
(8.91 percent) spent 5 to 8 hours per week. Only 1 respon-
dent (0.63 percent) spent 9 to 12 hours per week and only

1 respondent spent more than 16 hours per week.

Summary

The major characteristics of the respondents' profes—
sional attributes have been reported in this section. It
was found that teachers of mathematics, reading, language
arts, social studies, science, social science, and special
education formed the largest groups of respondents. The
majority of respondents had 3 to 20 years of full-time
teaching experience, and most taught at the elementary school
level. Approximately 90 percent of the participants had com-
pleted bachelor's degrees plus some coursework or had
master's degrees or higher. Between 3 to 10 hours per week

were spent on planning and preparation, while less than 4

 

 

 

 

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133

hours per week were spent with students beyond regular school

hours.

Attitudes towards Professional Deve10pment Centers

This section describes and analyzes respondents' atti-
tudes towards professional development centers with respect
to expanding professional development center services, per-
ceived benefits from such expansion, perceptions about who
uses center facilities, the extent of participants' responsi-
bility for paying for center services, reactions to various
characteristics Of center services and attitudes towards the
relative importance Of each characteristic, respondents'
ability to apply center experiences in their teaching situa-
tions, and respondents'knowledge about the evaluation of
individual centers. The data are presented in Tables 5.7
through 5.14. Since the respondents did not always answer
all questions, the number of respondents is not the same on

each table.

Expansion of Center Services

Table 5.7 summarizes the data concerning respondents'
replies to Question 15 on the questionnaire:

Some people feel that professional development
centers and their services tO teachers should
be expanded; others Oppose the idea for a
variety of reasons. When you think about the
need for such services, would you:

a. strongly support the expansion?
b. weakly support the expansion?
c. weakly oppose the expansion?

134
d. strongly oppose the expansion?
e. no opinion, do not know
There was overall support for the idea of expansion.

Of 167 respondents to this question, 145 respondents (86.80)
percent agreed in gneral to support the expansion of profes-
sional deve10pment centers and their services. Of these,
111 respondents (66.50 percent) strongly supported the idea
of expansion and 34 respondents (20.40 percent) weakly sup-
ported the idea Of expansion. Only 3 respondents had nega-
tive attitudes towards the need to expand professional devel-
opment centers and their services: 2 respondents (1.20 per-
cent) weakly opposed the expansion and l respondent (0.60
percent) strongly opposed the idea. Nineteen respondents
(11.40 percent) neither supported or opposed the expansion;

they stated no opinion.
Extent of Perceived Benefit: from Expanded Services

Table 5.8 indicates the extent to which respondents
believed they would benefit if professional development cen-
ter services were expanded. Question 15 asked participants

in the study:

Do you feel you would benefit if the professional
development services available now were expanded?

a. yes, to a great extent.
b. yes, to a small extent.
e. no benefit

d. no Opinion, do not know.

The vast majority of respondents indicated that they

135

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136

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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137

would benefit from such an expansion. Of a total of 169
responses, 152 respondents (89.90 percent) felt they would
benefit in some way from the expansion. Of these,

78 respondents (46.20 percent) felt that they would benefit
to a great extent while 74 respondents (43.80 percent) felt
that they would benefit to a small extent. Only 3 respon~
dents (1.80 percent) indicated that they perceived no benefit
from an expansion of center services. Fourteen respondents

(8.30 percent) had no opinion.
Perceptions of Who Uses Center Facilities

Table 5.9 indicates respondents' perceptions concerning
which groups use the facilities of professional development
centers. Question 20 asked:

To what extent do the following groups of public

school personnel make use of the facilities of
your center?

a. classroom teachers d. other administrators
b. curriculum consultants e. paraprofessionals
c. principals f. others (please specify)

The means for these groups ranged from 2.812 for class-
room teachers to 1.902 for paraprofessionals. Of those who
responded to this question, 19 respondents (18.80 percent)
indicated that classroom teachers have sometimes used center
facilities, while 82 respondents (81.20 percent) indicated
that this group always used center facilities. The second
most frequently cited group was curriculum consultants (22.043).

Sixty-four respondents (92.80 percent) indicated that

138

Table 5 . 9

Respondents' Perceptions of Who Uses Center Facilities

 

 

Frequency of Usage

 

 

 

 

Users of

Center

Services Never Sometimes Always Mean

N Z. N Z N Z

Classroom

teachers 0 0.0 19 18.8 82 81.2 2.812

Curriculum

consultants 1 1.4 64 92.8 4 5.8 2.043

Principals l 1.6 59 93.7 3 4.8 2.032

Other

administrators l 1. 6 58 93 . 5 3 4. 8 2 . 032

Paraprofessionals 10 16.4 47 77.0 4 6.6 1.902

Others 0 0.0 2 1.2 0 0.0 2.000
Total 13 3.6 249 69.5 96 26.8

 

139

curriculum consultants sometimes used center facilities, 4
respondents (5.80 percent) indicated that this group always
used the facilities, and only 1 respondent (1.40 percent)
indicated that this group never used center facilities. The
third most frequently cited group consisted of principals

and other administrators (22.032). Sixty-two respondents
(98.50 percent) indicated that principals sometimes or

always used the facilities and 68 respondents indicated that
administrators sometimes or always used the facilities. Only
one respondent (1.60 percent) indicated that principals and

administrators never used the facilities.
Cost of Using Center Services

Table 5.10 indicates the extent to which respondents
were responsible for paying the costs of center services.
Question 33 asked:

In the majority of instances where you received

services from any one of these professional
development centers, did you:

a. receive those services free?

b. pay less than 50 percent of the cost?
c. pay more than 50 percent of the cost?
d. do not know.

Slightly more than half of the respondents (80 respon-
dents or 50.31 percent) received most center services without
cost, and about one-fifth of the respondents (32 respondents
or 20.12 percent) had to pay less than 50 percent of the cost

of services. Approximately one-fifth of the respondents

140

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141
(27 respondents or 16.98 percent) paid more than 50 percent
of the cost of services.
Over two-thirds of the respondents who participated

in activities provided by the Detroit Center and the North-
west Center received free services: 33 respondents (76.70
percent) received free services from the Detroit Center, and
28 respondents (82.40 percent) received free services from
the Northwest Center. No respondent paid unre than 50 per-
cent of the cost of services provided by the Detroit Center,
while approximately 40 percent of the respondents from the

Kent Center paid more than 50 percent of the cost of services.

Reactions to Various Descriptions of Center Services

 

Table 5.11 indicates respondents' reactions to a number
of descriptions of center services. Question 31 asked how
much respondents agreed or disagreed with various descrip-
tions of services:

Listed below are some descriptions of professional
development services which you have received.
Please indicate the extent to which you "strongly
agree," "agree," "disagree," "strongly disagree,"
or have "no opinion" about each item on the list.
(See Table 5.11 for a list of the descriptions.)

Respondents most frequently cited the following charac-
teristics in the "strongly agree" category: "resource
people" (52.8 percent); "well organized" (43.1 percent);
"practical and useful" (39.0 percent); "relevant to teaching
situation" (37.3 percent); "conveniently located" (35.6 per-

cent), "individualized help" (34.9 percent), and "relevant

to district needs" (29.5 percent).

142

 

 

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143

Only 12.5 percent of the respondents "strongly agreed"
that "earned college credit" describes center services and
only 17.6 percent "strongly agreed" that "help in planning"

describes center services.

Relative Importance of Various Characteristics of
Professional Development Activities

 

 

Participants in the study were also asked to indicate
the relative importance that they assigned to various charac-
teristics of professional development activities. Table 5.12
summarizes the data concerning their responses to Question
39:

Listed below are some characteristics of profes-
sional deve10pment activities that mdght be im-
portant. Would you please respond to each item
below by indicating whether it is "essential,"
"of great importance," "of some importance," or
"not relevant" in regard to your own expectations
for professional development activities? (See
Table 5.12 for the list of characteristics.)

For the sake of analysis, the responses were recatego-
rized into three main categories: "essential," "less impor-
tant," and "not relevant." Ninety-seven percent of the res-
pondents indicated that "well-organized" activities were
"essential" or "Of great importance" to them, less than 2
percent indicated that this characteristic was "less impor-
tant," and 1 percent indicated that it was "not relevant."
Other characteristics that respondents indicated were "essen-
tial" or "of great importance" include: "relevant to teaching

situation" (95.0 percent); "practical and useful" (93.0 per-

cent); "convenient time" (92.5 percent); "conveniently

144

 

 

 

 

 

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145
located" (84.7 percent), "sharing ideas" (78.0 percent),
"relevant to district needs" (77.6 percent), "individualized
help” (75.0 percent), and "no financial cost" (50.6 percent).
On the other hand, characteristics that were perceived
to be "less important" or "not relevant" were "earning
college credit" (64.0 percent) and "participating in planning"

(58.5 percent).

Ability to Apply Learning Gained from Professional Develop:
ment Activities to Teaching Situations

 

Table 5.13 indicates respondents' replies to Question
32:

On the average, were you able to apply what you
learned at these locally conducted professional
development activities to your teaching situation?

Of a total of 159 respondents who answered this question,
136 respondents (85.5 percent) were able to apply what they
had learned from professional deve10pment activities, 17
respondents (10.7 percent) were not able to do so or could
only apply their learning to a very limited extent, and 6
respondents (3.8 percent) marked "do not know."

An analysis of the replies from each center indicates
that 73.8 percent of the respondents from the Detroit Center,
91.9 percent of those from the Region 12 Center, 93.7 percent
of those from the Kent Center, and 81.8 percent of those from
the Northwest Center were able to apply what they had learned
"to a great extent" or "to some extent"; 21.4 percent of the

respondents from.the Detroit Center, 5.5 percent of those

from the Region 12 Center, 4.2 percent of those from the Kent

146

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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147

Center, and 12.1 percent of those from the Northwest Center
were not able to apply their learning or could do so only
to a limited extent; and 4.8 percent of the respondents
from the Detroit Center, 2.8 percent of those from the
Region 12 Center, 2.1 percent of those from the Kent Center,
and 6.1 percent of those from the Northwest Center did not
know if they were able to apply what they had learned from

professional development activities.

Knowledge about the Evaluation of Individual Centers‘

Table 5.14 indicates respondents' perceptions concerning
whether or not activities at their center were evaluated.
Questions 34 and 35 asked:

Are professional development center activities
evaluated at your center? (34) If yes, by what
means? (35)

Of the 158 respondents to this question, 104 respondents
(65.82 percent) indicated that professional development
activities were evaluated at their centers, 15 respondents
(65.82 percent) indicated that activities were not evaluated,
and 31 respondents (24.68 percent) marked "do not know."

With respect to the individual centers, 48.8 percent
of the respondents from the Detroit Center, 85.7 percent of
those from the Region 12 Center, 66.0 percent of those from
the Kent Center, and 65.8 percent of those from the North-
west Center indicated that their center's activities were
evaluated; 12.2 percent of the respondents from the Detroit

Center, 5.7 percent of those from the Region 12 Center, 4.3

percent of those from the Kent Center, and 17.1 percent

148

 

 

 

 

 

 

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149

of those from the Northwest Center indicated that activities
were not evaluated; and 39.0 percent of the respondents from
the Detroit Center, 8.6 percent of those from the Region 12
Center, 29.7 percent of those from the Kent Center, and

17.1 percent of those from the Northwest Center indicated
that they did not know whether or not activities were
evaluated.

The four centers useda number of different methods to
evaluate their services including (1) paper and pencil sur-
veys, (2) follow-up surveys, (3) informal evaluations, and
(4) policy board evaluations. During an interview with
the researcher, one director described his center's approach
to evaluation:

When we do any activity we evaluate it. We ask
participants to tell us whether they found it
valuable and interesting and useful...(This is
the) paper and pencilmethod...We hand a survey
or an evaluation form. So anything that
teachers participate in we ask them to tell us
what it was like to them.and whether they think
they will use what they learn with their kids in
classrooms.

Last year we also did a follow-up survey. We
randomly picked a number of people who'd received
services from.us and asked them.whether that had
been helpful to them (and if so to identify) any
more ways specifically.

We get a great deal of informal feedback from
pe0p1e who come up and say, you know I like this
part of it but I wish it was different in this
way. They were very Open to that....

We have a policy board that meets monthly and
they are also a kind of evaluation group in a
sense because they hear what we are doing and
can give us feedback.

Another director emphasized the importance of evaluation.

150

We have a full-time evaluator who has developed a
format for evaluating our activities, following
two major paths: first, we attempt to assess

the extent to which specified goals and objectives
had been met and second, we assess the value of
in-service activities to the participants. In
order to do that, we have evaluation forms which
we administered to people after any major activity.
Then we have arrangements for a follow-up question-
naire to determine from them whether or not what
we have done has actually been usable, useful,

and used in the classroom.

In addition to that we are in a process of a
three-year study (of) a pOpulation of teachers in
eight schools to see whether their continuing

use and involvement with the center has in fact
changed their attitude about education and whether
or not this will have any measurable impact on
pupils' achievement.

Summary

Respondents' attitudes were described with respect to
a number of aspects of professional development centers
including the need to expand center services and respondent's
perceptions of the extent to which they would benefit from
an expansion of services, respondents' perceptions of who
uses center facilities, the extent to which respondents were
responsible for paying the costs of center services, respon-
dents' reactions to various descriptions of center services
and the relative importance that they assigned to those
characteristics, respondents' ability to apply what they had
learned in professional deve10pment activities, and respon~
dents' knowledge about the evaluation of individual centers.

Respondents' overall perception of center services was
positive, and the majority of respondents found those ser-

vices to be at least somewhat usable, useful, and applicable

151
to their teaching. Respondents generally supported the idea
of expanding center services. Approximately 87 percent of
those who responded to this question were in favor of
expanding services, and a vast majority (89.9 percent) indi-
cated that they would benefit if services were expanded.
Slightly more than half of the respondents (50.31 percent)
indicated that most center services were free and about
one-fifth of the respondents (20.12 percent) had to pay
less than 50 percent of the cost of services. A majority
of the respondents (85.5 percent) were able to apply what
they had learned at professional development activities
"to a great extent" or "to some extent" to their teaching
situations. More than two-thirds of the respondents (65.8
percent) indicated that professional development activities
were evaluated at their centers. Paper and pencil surveys,
follow-up surveys, informal evaluations, and policy board
evaluations were the major methods used to evaluate programs

and services.

Specific Data Regarding the Major Research Questions

This section presents an analysis of the data related
to the four main research questions. The section describes
respondents' reactions to various times for scheduling
professional deve10pment center activities (Tables 5.15 to
5.20); centers'affiliation with higher education institutions
(Tables 5.21 to 5.24); certification and degrees (Tables 5.25

and 5.26); and respondents' perceptions of who has

152
responsibility for planning activities and developing opera-

tional policies (Tables 5.27 to 5.30).

Appropriate Times for Activities

The first major research question, ”When are in-service
education activities offered to teachers in the various
professional development centers?" was asked to identify
appropriate times for centers to offer in-service education
activities.

Participants in the study were asked to indicate the
extent to which various time periods for activities were a
problem. As is indicated in Table '5.15, a majority of
the respondents indicated that most of the time periods
listed in the questionnaire were "sometimes" or "always"

a problem. Approximately half of the respondents indicated
that 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. weekdays, Sundays, and weekends
(both Saturdays and Sundays) were "always" problem time
periods: 70 respondents (45.5 percent) indicated that

8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.mn weekdays was "always" a problem,

68 respondents (46.3 percent) indicated that Sundays were
"always" a problem, and 61 respondents (41.8 percent) indi-
cated that weekends (both Saturdays and Sundays) were a
"always" a problem.

On the other hand, almost 30 percent of the respondents
indicated that summers, weekday evenings between 5:00 p.m.
and 11:00 p.m. were relatively appropriate times for pro-
fessional growth activities. Of a total of 150 respondents,

50 respondents (33.3 percent) indicated that summers

1.53

Table 5 . 15

Respondents' Perceptions of the Extent to Which
Various Time Periods Are a Problem

 

 

Time Period Frequency as a Problem

for Activity

 

Never Sometines Always Mean

 

 

NI

N 7.. N 70 N 70

 

Weekdays:
8:00 a.m. - 3:00p.m. 21 13.6 63 40.9 70 45.5 2.318
8:00 a.m. - 5:00p.m. 19 12.4 87 56.9 47 30.7 2.183
5:00p.m. - 11:00p.m. 43 29.3 85 57.8 19 12.9 1.837

Weekends:
Saturdays only ' 26 17.3 97 64.7 27 18.0 2.007
Sundays only 26 17.7 53 36.1 68 46.3 2.286
Both Saturdays and
Sundays 21 14.4 64 43.8 61 41.8 2.274
Summers 50 33.3 91 60.7 9 6.0 1.727

Vacation periods
other than summers 32 21.3 85 56.7 33 22.0 2.007

 

Note: The lower the mean, the more positive the respondents'
perceptions of the factor.

154

were an appropriate time for professional development center
activities, 43 respondents (29.3 percent) considered weekday
evenings between 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. to be a good time
period for such activities,anu132 respondents (21.3 percent)
felt that professional development activities should be
offered during vacation periods other than summer.

Respondents' perceptions of appropriate times for each
center's activities are indicated in Table 5.16. The data
indicate that respondents from the Detroit Center felt that
summers (K1.730), weekday evenings between 5:00 p.m. and
11:00 p.m. (31.892), Saturdays (Kl.9l7), and vacation
periods other than summers ($1.943) were appropriate time
periods.* Respondents from the Region 12 Center also felt
that weekday evenings (Kl.169), summers (Kl.676), Saturdays
(Kl.861), and vacation periods other than summers (Kl.946)
were appropriate time periods. Respondents from.the Kent
Center indicated that summers (21.614), weekday evenings
(Kl.795), vacation periods other than summers (K2.087) and
Saturdays (K2.109) were appropriate. In contrast to those
from the other centers, respondents from the Northwest Cen-
ter indicated that 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays was an
appropriate time period for center activities. Summers

(Kl.938), 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays (21.971), vacation

 

*
Because the respondents were asked to indicate which
time periods were a problem, the highest mean (average)
represents the greatest problem area. Therefore, the lower
the mean, the more positive were the respondents' perceptions
about the time period.

155

 

 

 

 

 

 

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156

periods other than summers (22.031), and weekday evenings

(i2.062) were other appropriate time periods.

In an interview with the researcher, one of the center

directors stated that most professicnal growth activities

are held after regular school hours and on Saturdays. He

noted:

Most of the in-service activities are held after
school and on Saturdays. This has been necessary
because the substitute shortage in the school sys-
tem meant that the central board established a
policy that there would not be any release time
for in-service activitiy nor for almost any other
kind of activity. Therefore, the center has to

go to after school and on Saturdays for activities.
The center still has many participants who do come
after school and on Saturdays evenixlvery bad
weather...participation in the center activities
is entirely voluntary. So, if the participants
wish to take summers off, that is their choice.
But the center has found that there are many
teachers who do come to activities during the
summer.

Another director commented, "When we were state-funded, most

activities that we offered were after 4 o'clock at night,

on Saturdays, and during summer vacation." Another director

stated that the nature of the program usually determines

the time when it is offered:

Some of the center programs are of the "make it,
take it" variety which tends to be an evening
kind of one-shot activity. Another type is an
"awareness" activity which is not an evening kind
of activity. It is considered an in-depth pro-
gram.which usually starts on a Thursday evening
and goes all day Friday and Saturday. Those
in-depth programs run sometimes during the school-
day time because there is not enought time in

the evening to accommodate this kind of effort. . . .

If you look at our numbers of human beings in
attendance, our participants would probably

be highest'during our evening programs, however,
if you looked at participant hours of attendance,

157

it is not necessarily that true. But again,
more in-depth programs take more time, there-
fore, they have to take place during the day.

Table 5.17 shows the length of time that respondents
wish to spend on each professional growth activity. It
appears that, for all of the participants in this study,
appreciation of activities decreased as the length of time
increased. For example, approximately 84 percent of the
respondents indicated that activities lasting more than
6 weeks were "sometimes" or "always" a problem. In general,
respondents preferred that in-service education activities
last for short periods of time: 56 respondents (38.9 percent)
indicated that 1 to 2 weeks was a reasonable length of time
for an activity, while only 22 respondents (16.1 percent)
cited 6 to 19 weeks as a reasonable length of time.

Table 5.18 ranks the means for each center. Respondents
from all four centers indicated that appropriate lengths of
time for each activity were 1 to 2 weeks, 2 to 4 weeks,

4 to 6 weeks and 6 to 19 weeks in that order. The means

for activities lasting from 1 to 2 weeks are 1.811 for the
Detroit Center, 1.706 for the Region 12 Center, 1.429 for
the Kent Center, and 1.742 for the Northwest Center.* The
means for activities lasting from.2 to 4 weeks are 1.882 for
the Detroit Center, 1.879 for the Region 12 Center, 1.905

for the Kent Center, and 1.935 for the Northwest Center. For

activities lasting from 4 to 6 weeks, the means are 2.029

 

*
The lower the mean, the more positive were the respon-
dents' perceptions about the length of time for each activity.

158.
Table 5.17

Respondents' Perceptions of Problem Lengths
of Duration fiJr Center Activities

 

 

Frequency as a Problem

 

 

 

 

 

Length

gfiration Never. Sometimes Always Mean Ranking
N Z N % N %. X No.

1 - 2 weeks 56 38.9 81 56.3 7 4.9 1.660 4

2 - 4 weeks 32 22.9 90 64.3 18 12.9 1.900 3

4 - 6 weeks 27 19.3 82 58.6 31 22.1 2.029 2

6 - 19 weeks 22 16.1 55 40.1 60 43.8 2.277 1

 

Note: The lower the mean, the more positive the respondents'
perceptions of the factor.

Table 5.18

Mean and Ranking by Center of Problem
Lengths of Duration fOr Center Activities

 

 

 

 

 

Detroit Region 12 Kent Northwest
Mean Center Center Center Center
Rank
N°' x No. of x No. of x No. of x No. of

Neda; Wafls Rbda; Wfi$s

1 2.242 6-19 2.281 6-19 2.390 6-19 2.161 6-19
2 2.029 4-6 2.061 4-6 2.024 4-6 2.000 4-6
3 1.882 2-4 1.879 2-4 1.905 2-4 1.935 2-4
4 1.811 1-2, 1.706 1-2 1.429 1—2 1.742 1-2

 

Note: The lower the mean, the more positive the respondents'
perceptions of the factor.

159

for the Detroit Center, 2.061 for the Region 12 Center,

2.024 for the Kent Center, and 2.000 for the Northwest Center.

The means for activities lasting 6 to 19 weeks are 2.242 for

the Detroit Center, 2.281 for the Region 12 Center, 2.390

for the Kent Center, and 2.161 for the Northwest Center.
Table 5.19 lists a number of reasons for not partici-

pating in center activities and indicates the extent to which

H H

each reason was "never, s‘ometimes ," or "always" a problem for
respondents. "Lack of released time from job" (22.230),
"time demands of job too heavy to become involved in growth
experience" (K1.899), "inability to break away from family
obligations” (21.884), and "not aware of programs relevant

to my needs" (21.832) were most frequently cited as being

a problem for respondents. A "lack of released time" was
cited as a problem by 136 respondents (91.9 percent), while
12 respondents (8.1 percent) indicated that this factor was
"never" a problem. The "time demands" of their jobs were
cited as a problem by 123 respondents (83.2 percent), while
25 respondents (16.9 percent) indicated that this item was
"never" a problem. "Family obligations" were considered

to be a problem by 119 respondents (81.5 percent), while

only 27 respondents (18.5 percent) indicated that this factor
was "never" a problem. "Not aware of programs relevant to
my needs" was cited as a problem by 110 respondents (76.9

percent),while 33 respondents (23.1 percent) indicated that

this factor was "never" a problem.

160

Table 5.19

Problems Associated with Participation
in Center Activities

 

 

Reason for Frequency 0f Problem

 

Not Participating ,
Ikwer Eknetfimm Ahmnm Mbm1Raddng

 

 

N Z 11 Z N Z X No.

 

Inability to break
away from family

obligations 27 18.5 109 74.7 10 6.8 1.884 3

Lack of
transportation 103 72.0 34 23.8 6 4.2 1.322 7

Lack of released
time from job 12 8.1 90 60.8 46 31.1 2.230 1

Lack of graduate
credit 85 58.6 43 29.7 17 11.7 1.531 6

Lack of economic
incentive for

professional
growth 70 48.6 61 42.4 13 9.0 1.604 5

Time demands of

job too heavy to

become involved

in growth

experiences 25 16.9 113 76.4 10 6.8 1.899 2

Not aware of

programs relevant
to needs 33 23.1 101 70.6 9 6.3 1.832 4

 

161
Table 5.20 indicates the mean and ranking by center of
reasons why respondents do not participate in professional
development activities. An analysis of the data shows that
a "lack of released time from fronljob" is the main reason
respondents do not participate in center activities. This
factor was cited most frequently by respondents from the
Detroit Center, the Region 12 Center, and the Kent Center
and was the second most frequently cited factor by respon-
dents from the Northwest Center. ("Family obligations"
were the most frequently cited factor by respondents from
this group.)
The center directors indicated in their interviews that

a shortage of "money for release time" and a "substitute
shortage" were the main factors that them.froulintroducing
growth activities during regular school hours. One
director commented:

We would like very much to have in-service occur

within the teacher's work day. We think that

in-service is a critically important factor in

keeping teacher feeling abreast of the latest

research, so the students can learn. But we

are controlled first of all by the substitute

shortage and secondly by not enough money to pay

some even if there were no substitute shortage.

So, I would wish that a time would come when

there would be enough money and enough substi-

tutes so that in-service could become a part

of a regular day and integrated into the normal

life of the teacher.
Another center director observed, "the more funding thatwould
be available for any center, the higher the likelihood

would be for running more programs during the day because

one could provide teachers with release time."

162

Table 5.20

Mean and Ranking by Center of Problems
Associated with Participation in Center Activities

 

 

Detroit Region 12 Kent Northwest

Reason for . Center Center Center Center

 

Not Participating No v No 3(— No 3(- No .X.

18

 

Inability to break
away from family

obligations 1.892 4 1.714 3 1.881

H

1L063

U.)

Lack of
transportation 7 1n353 7 1n343

\l

1n349

\l

1n226

Lack of released
time from job

H
H

2.472 1 2.206 2.200 2 2.030

Lack of graduate
credit 6 1.611 5 1.588 6 1.558 6 1.344

Lack of economic
incentive for

professional
growth 5 1.806 6 1.486 5 1.595 5 1.516

Time demands of

job too heavy to

become involved

in growth

experiences 2 1.947 3 1.765 2 1.955

(.10

lu906

Not aware of

programs relevant
to needs 4 1.889 2 1.848 4 1.780 4 1.818

 

163

Findings. The findings concerning the first major
research question can be summarized as follows:

1. The appropriate times for professional
deve10pment and in-service education acti-
vities in the state of Michigan are summers,
weekday evenings (5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.),
vacation periods other than summer, and
Saturdays.

2. The most reasonable length of time for a
professional deve10pment activity is from
1 to 2 weeks. A suitable length of time
encourages individuals to participate in
such growth activities.

3. The most important factors that prevent
involvement in professional deve10pment
center activities are a lack of release
time, heavy time demands of jobs, family
obligations, and a lack of awareness of
relevant programs.
center Affiliation with Higher Education Institutions
The research question, "Is there any affiliation
with and/or participation between professional development
centers and higher education institutions?" was designed to
measure the relationship between professional development
centers and higher education from the perspective of teacher
in-service education and professional development services.
In order to determine the extent of this relationship, four
questions were asked in the survey instrument: participants

were asked to indicate the organizations that provide the

best services, the kinds of higher education institutions

164

with which their centers were affiliated, the types of ser-
vices that these institutions provided, and whether centers
should become affiliated with higher education institutions,
increase their affiliation or discontinue their affiliation
with higher education institutions.

Question 16 asked respondents to rate the organizations
which could best provide the services they wanted for their
own professional development. Responses are tabulated by
means and ranks in Table 5.21. Professional development
centers (23.523) were most frequently cited as the organi-
zations that could best provide the services that respondents
wanted, intermediate districts (Y2.854) ranked second, and

higher education institutions (22.719) ranked third.

Table 5.21

Mean and Ranking of Respondents' Perceptions
Concerning Organizations That Best ProVide
Professional Development Services

 

 

 

Organization Mean (Y) Ranking
Local School Districts 2.434 4
Intermediate School Districts 2.854 2
Higher Education Institutions 2.719 3
Professional Development Centers 3.523 1

 

Question 18 asked participants to identify the kinds of

higher education institutions with which their center is

165

affiliated. Their responses are shown in Table 5.22.

Table 5.22

Mean and Ranking of Respondents' Perceptions
Concerning Their Center's Affiliation
with Higher Education Institutions

 

 

 

Higher Education Institution Mean (X) Ranking
Community College .000 5
Four-Year College .006 4
University .209 2
All of the above .221 1
None of the Above .154 3

 

Question 19 asked for information regarding the extent
to which higher education institutions provided services to
the respondent's professional deve10pment center. All of
the respondents indicated that higher education institutions
provided consultant services. Approximately 92 percent of
the respondents indicated that higher education institutions
provided equipment and library services, and that they
offered workships and seminars. Responses to Question 19
are tabulated by means and ranks in Table 5.23.

As to centers' affiliation with higher education
institutions, the data show that none of the respondents
wanted professional development centers to discontinue their

affiliation with higher education institutions. On the

166

Table 5.23

Respondents' Perceptions Concerning the Services
That Higher Education Institutions Provide to Centers

 

 

Frequency of Service

 

 

 

 

Service Never Sanetines I Always Mean Ranking

N ‘Z N Z N Z. X No.
Offers classes 34 34.7 37 37.8 27 27.6 1.854 3
Supervises

student teachers 34 38.2 34 38.2 21 23.6 1.854 3

Offers workshops
and/or seminars 3 3.1 91 93.8 3 3.1 2.000 2

Provides
library services 2 7.1 24 85.7 2 7.1 2.000 2

Provides
equipment 2 6.7 26 86.7 2 6.7 2.000 2

Provides

consultant
services _ 0 0.0 63 94.0 4 6.0 2.060 1

 

167
contrary, respondents generally supported increasing their
center's affiliation with higher education institutions.

Responses are tabulated by means and ranks in Table 5.24.

Table 5.24

Mean and Ranking of Respondents' Perceptions
Concerning Their Center's Future Affiliation
with Higher Education Institutions

 

 

Response Mean (K) Ranking

 

Become affiliated with
higher education institutions .029 2

Increase affiliation with
higher education institutions .395 l

Discontinue affiliation with
higher education institutions .000 3

 

Most of the center directors indicated that they have
close working relationships with higher education institu-
tions and that these relationships are strong. Institutions
of higher education provide a variety of services to
centers, including facilities, credits, and resource person-
nel. One of the directors commented:

Our center has very close working relationships
with all of the collegiate institutions in
southeastern Michigan. We have as a part of the
overall government structure five advisory com-
ufittees...We have ongoing relationships with
faculty members from different institutions.
They help plan and address issues. In addition,
professdrs from those institutions may be a
part of our research bank of consulting.

168

Our workshops and programs may be offered in a
college of education and their students use
the center building without charge.

Another center director noted:
We have two primary relationships established
with institutions of higher education. One
relationship is that we work together in terms
of offering credit courses from time to time.
The other relationship is probably more with
individuals within institutions of higher educa-
tion than with the institution itself....
We seek out those human resources.

Findings. All of the centers surveyed in this study
were affiliated with higher education institutions, parti-
cularly universities. Approximately 72 percent of the
respondents indicated that institutions of higher education
provided various services to their centers. Ninety-four
percent of the respondents indicated that higher education
institutions provided consultant services and offered work-
sh0ps and seminars, while 86 percent of the respondents
indicated that higher education institutions provided.equip-
ment and library services. The majority of the respondents
indicated that center affiliation with institutions of
higher education should be continued and/or increased.

The findings from the data analysis and the interviews

can be summarized as follows:

1. Professional development centers are affiliated
with higher education institutions.

2. Higher education institutions provide a signi-
ficant number of services and personnel to
participants at professional deve10pment centers.

169

3. There is a tendency among all participants and
directors of professional development centers
to prefer increased affiliation with higher
education institutions.

Certification and Degrees

The research question, "Does teacher participation in
professional development center activities count towards
or lead to certification and/or degrees?" was designed to
investigate whether center programs counted as credit towards
a given degree. In order to determine whether teacher in-
volvement in center activities counted as higher educa-
tion credit, participants were asked to indicate the way or
ways in which they were compensated for attending center
activities. They were also asked to indicated the extent
to which the services offered by the centers counted towards
or led to higher education credit.

Table 5.25 describes the data obtained from responses
to Question 21. When asked to indicate in what way or ways
they were compensated for their participation in center
activities, the majority of the respondents (87.4 percent)
indicated that such activities "never" counted as in-service
credit, and approximately one-third of the respondents
(37.8 percent) indicated that such activities "never"
counted as higher education credit. Approximately 12 percent
of the respondents "sometimes" received in-service credit,
and only 1 respondent (1.1 percent) indicated that they

"always" received in-service credit. Compensation for

170
participating in activities was primarily limited to pay-
ments for specific projects: 97 percent of the respondents
indicated that they were "sometimes" paid for participating

in specific projects.

Table 5.25

Ways in Which Respondents Are Compensated
for Participating in Center Activities

 

 

Frequency of Compensation

 

 

 

 

Form

of . .

Compensation Never Sometimes Always Mean Ranking
N Z N' Z N’ Z .X No.

In-Service

Credit 83 87.4 11 11.6 1 1.1 1.137 4

Higher Education

Course Credit 37 37.8 61 62.2 0 0.0 1.622 2

Salary Increments 10 52.6 8 42.1 1 5.3 1.526 3

Payments for a
Specific Project 2 3.0 64 97.0 0 0.0 1.970 1

 

Table 5.26 presents respondents' perceptions of services
offered by professional development centers. Question 23
asked respondents to indicate the extent to which centers
provide activities that count towards or lead to higher
education credit. Over one-third of the respondents (37.0
percent) indicated that higher education credit courses were
not offered at their centers. All of the respondents indi-

cated that no credit was given for in-service training

171
activities. Approximately 88 percent of the respondents
indicated that courses, workshops, and seminars provided by
professional development centers “never" had a salary incre-
ment .

The majority of the respondents indicated that their
centers "sometimes" offered the following services: "in-
formal work sessions for teachers for planning programs,
preparing and/or obtaining materials" (98.4 percent),
"demonstration teaching" (95.2 percent) and "informal
discussion among groups of teachers" (96.7 percent).

The majority of center directors indicated that centers
cannot offer college credit, but they can serve as a
catalyst for linking together the special needs of the
teacher population with the resources of higher educaton
institutions. Centers can, however, serve as instruments
for developing college programs. By working with teachers,
higher education institutions can find out what they need.
One of the center directors commented:

We work closely with the schools of education.
We were able to develop a format for offering

a credit course on an institutional basis. In
other words, representatives from higher educa-
tion institutions agreed that they would help
the center plan a course for credit based on an
immediate need of a given teacher population
and they would agree on the teaching faculty
and all the number of credit hours that would
be given.

Center directors luui various points of view concerning

participants' interest in receiving college credits,

especially when the majority of teachers do not need them.

172

Table 5.26

Respondents' Perceptions of Services Offered by Centers

Frequency of Service
Type

 

 

 

of

Service Never Scmetines Always man Ranking

 

 

NZ NZ N7. R'No.

 

Higier education
credit courses,
workshops , and/ or
seminars 37 37.0 62 62.0 1 1.0 1.640 7

Courses , workshops ,
and/or seminars for
in-service training
without credit 0 0.0 7 6.9 94 93.1 2.931 1

Courses , workshops

seminars for in-

service with

salary increment . 70 87.5 9 11.2 1 1.2 1.137 8

erses, workshOps,

seminars for in-

service without

salary increment 1 1.4 10 13.7 62 84.9 2.836 2

Informal discussion

annnggroups of
teachers 1 1.6 59 96.7 1 1.6 2.000 6

Informal work

sessions for teachers

for plarming program,

preparing, and/or

obtaining materials 0 0.0 61 98.4 1 1.6 2.016 5

Dm1stration
teaching 0 0.0 40 95.2 2 4.8 2.048 3

loaning or renting
uaterials 17 32.7 17 32.7 18 34.6 2.019 4

Loaningorrenting
equiptrent 18 34.6 16 30.8 18 34.6 2.000 6

 

One director stated:

The attraction of credit particularly in the
summertime is something that I think is easy
for the teacher to justify in his or her own
mind. Otherwise, the teacher is spending
his time to participate in professional
growth activity that he is getting something
for in his record.

Another center director had a different point of view:
Teachers never ask for credits. They do not
need them. The have whatever they want. They
will have to pay for more credites which they
are just not interested in and do not need.

I only heard one participant out of 4,000
people ask for something that the center
might offer for credit.

Findings. With regard to the issue of college certifica-
tion and degrees, it was found that most professional
development center activities do not lead to or count
towards a certificate or degree. Many teachers participate
in such activities for their own professional growth. This
is mainly because the great majority of participants
have already met all requirements for permanent certifica-
tion. Approximately 75 percentof teachers in the state of
Michigan have all the college credits they need in order to
remain in the classroom. However,some professional develop-

ment centers do offer some courses for education credit.

Curriculum.Content Determinants

The research questions,"How is the content of the cur-
riculum.of professional development centers determined? Who
plans the program activities for teacher in-service educa-

tion?" were designed to examine the way or ways decisions

174
about center programs and activities are made and to iden-
tify who participates in decision-making. Participants
in the study were asked if they had ever participated in
administering any of the professional development centers,
the extent to which they were responsible for planning
programs, the extent to which they aided in developing
operational policies, and whether or not they had ever
participated in growth activities conducted by a profes-
sional development center.

Table 5.27 summarizes the data concerning the respon-
dents' roles in adminstering professional development
centers. Only 6 respondents (3.6 percent) have served as
directors, assistant directors, and/or administrators;
while 161 respondents (96.4 percent) have never served in

any of these positions.

Table 5.27

Respondents' Roles in Center Administration

 

 

Position Number Percentage
Director 4 2.4
Assistant Director 1 .6
Administrator 1 .6

No participation 161 96.4

 

175

Question 22 asked respondents to indicate who had
responsibility for planning center programs. This question
was designed to describe teachers' involvement and partici-
pation in planning various professional growth activities.
The data listed in Table 5.28 show that "center adminis-
trators" (22.952), "center coordinators" (22.923), and
"education media specialists" (22.500) were perceived to
be the main forces behind professional development center
planning. "Classroom teachers" (£1.909) were perceived as
having less responsibility for such planning. All of the
respondents indicated that center administrators and coordi-
nators were "sometimes" or "always" responsible for planning
such activities.

With respect to their involvement in developing opera-
tional policies, only one-third of the respondents (33.3
percent) indicated that classroom teachers were'hlways'
involved in such development. Approximately 98 percent of
the respondents indicated that their center's board of
directors were "always" responsible for developing policies.
and approximately 37 percent of the respondents indicated
that school administrators were "always" responsible. The
number and percentage of respondents are listed in Table
5.29.

Questions 29 and 30 asked about respondents' partici—
pation in professional development activities. Of the 169
respondents who answered this question, 145 respondents

(85.8 percent) indicated that they have participated in

Respondents' Perceptions of Who Has Responsibility

176

Table 5.28

for Planning Center Programs and Activities

 

 

 

 

 

lkwer Sannfines Ahwms Phanlemkflm;

Position _

N Z N Z Ii Z X No.
Center coordinator 0 0.0 6 7.7 72 92.3 2.923 2
Center administrators 0 0.0 5 7.5 62 92.5 2.925 1
Secretarial staff 2 9.1 9 40.9 11 50.0 2.409 4
Classroom teachers 3 27 . 3 6 54. 5 2 18 . 2 1 . 909 5
Education media .
specialists 0 0.0 1 50.0 1 50.0 2.500 3

Table 5.29

Respondents' Perceptions of Who Has Helped
to Develop Operational Policies for Centers

 

 

 

 

Newm: tknetfimm Ahflws Maanmfldng
Position _

N Z N Z 11 Z X No.
Board of directors 0 0.0 2 2.2 89 97.8 2.978 1
dexfl
adnn’nistrators 1 9 . l 6 54. 4 4 36 . 4 2 . 273 2
C1assroom.teachers 1 8.3 7 58.3 4 33.3 2.250 3
Higmnredwanfion
personnel 1 2.2 40 87.0 5 10.9 2.087 5
SUMxea
persorrng‘lm:y 15 27.3 20 36.4 20 36.4 2.091 4
Lay citizens 6 46.2 4 30.8 3 23.1 1.769 6

 

177

professional development activities conducted by a center,
while 24 respondents (14.2 percent) indicated that they had
not participated in such activities. Table 5.30 indicates
the total number of respondents who have participated in

center activities.

Table 5.30

Number and Percentage of Respondents
Who Have Participated in Center Activities

 

 

 

 

Participation Number Percentage
Yes 145 85.8
No 24 14.2
Total 169 100.0

 

A total of 150 respondents indicated the centers at
which they have participated. Of these, 37 respondents
(24.6 percent) have participated in activities conducted by
the Detroit Center, 35 respondents (23.3 percent) have
participated in activities conducted by the Region 12 Cen-
ter, 44 respondents (29.3 percent) have participated in
activities conducted by the Kent Center, and 34 respondents
(22.6 percent) have participated in activities conducted
by the Northwest Center. Table 5.31 indicates the number

and percentage of respondents who have participated in

178

activities at each center.

Table 5.31

Number and Percentage of Respondents
Who Have Participated in Activities at Each Center

 

 

 

Professional Participants
Development

%*
Center Number Percentage

 

Detroit Center
for Professional

Growth and Deve10pment 37 24.6

Region 12 Professional

Development Center 35 23.3

Kent Professional

Development Center 44 29.3

Northwest Professional

Development Center 34 22.6
Total 150 99.8

 

J.

“Percentages are rounded and do not necessarily add to 100.

Findings. Respondents indicated that center admin-
istrators and coordinators had most of the responsibility
for planning professional development center programs.
Ninety-two percent of the respondents indicated that center
administrators and coordinators were responsible for pro-
gram planning. Approximately 98 percent of the respondents
indicated that the board of directors was in charge of

developing center operational policies. In an interview,

179

one director stated:

The policy board takes a look at the needs that
have been serviced as a result of doing a major
need assessment. It then says what the top
needs are that the program focuses on during

a given school year. The policy board usually
delegates the responsibility of planning pro-
grams to the center staff.... Our center policy

board consisted of eleven members, the majority
were teachers.

CHAPTER VI

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

This chapter summarizes the main features of the study
and includes observations, recommendations, and conclusions
based on the findings of the study. The chapter is divided
into three main sections: the first section includes a
brief review of the purpose of the study, the related prece-
dents, and the design of the study; the second section pre-
sents the conclusions of the study, interprets the findings
using information and insights largely acquired during
visits to the centers and interviews with the directors, and
presents suggestions made by respondents when they returned
the questionnaire; the third section includes recommendations
for professional development centers in general as well as
recommendations for professional development centers in
Libya and other developing countries. This section also

includes recommendations for future research.

Summary

The basic purpose of the study was to investigate pro-
fessional development centers in the state of Michigan with
regard to teacher in-service education from the perspective
of: (l) scheduling appropriate times for activities and

180

181

programs; (2) centers' affiliation with higher education
institutions and the involvement of higher education insti-
tutions in teacher in-service education programs offered by
professional development centers; (3) certification and
degrees; and (4) determinants of in-service education acti-
vities and programs.. The study also examined whether and
to what extent the experience of professional development
centers in Michigan could help in answering teacher in-
service education needs in Libya.

For the forseeable future, meeting education‘s new
demands and challenges will be dependent upon generally
improving teacher in-service education and, specifically,
on improving the education of teachers in the classroom.
Professional continuing education is important for teachers
to improve their personal growth, professional competencies,
and teaching effectiveness, especially at a time when the
demands on the teaching profession are increasing. As
Miller notes:

In today's climate, everyone must improve

his/her skills. Today's declining enroll-
ments and shrinking resources call for the
ultimate in effectiveness and efficiency.

Renewal and re-education are necessary so

that staff members can meet new challenges
and keep up With new developments.

A great deal of literature, much of which directly

relates to the area of professional development activities

 

1William C. Miller, "What's Wrong with In-Service Edu-
cation? It's Topless!" Educational Leadership 35 (October
l977):31.

182

for teachers, has been written on the general t0pic of
in-service education. As Marsha Ream has observed, the
topic of in-service education has always been of great
interest to professional educators.2 Well-organized and
systematic in-service education is essential for the members
of any profession, but it is much more important for
educational workers because education occupies a unique and
strategic position in the task of human deve10pment.
Professional development centers are one response to
the need for continuing education. These centers, which
represent one of the most popular educational concepts since
the 19603, can be found on every continent, with the greatest
number located in North America, Europe, and Australia.
According to Waskin, the professional development center
movement in the United States began in the mid-19608. The
movement grew slowly until about 1970 and increased signi-
ficantly by 1973. "The statistics show that of the teacher
centers surveyed, 9 percent were established before 1970,
and 91 percent were established since 1970, which is a
powerful indicator of their rapidly ascending popularity."3
DeVault points out that curriculum improvement and profes—

sional development are two of the main reasons for the

 

2Marsha A. Ream, In-Service Education of Teachers:
Research Summary 1966-SI (Washington, D.C.: National
Education Association, Research Division, 1966).

3Yvonne Fisher Waskin, "The Teacher Center Movement in
the United States and Its Implications for Teacher Education'
(Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan, 1976), p. 109.

183

professional development center movement, "Curriculum
deve10pment and in-service education are two needs which
have fostered the creation of teachers' centers in ueny
countries."4

In Michigan, it appears that efforts to develop a state-
wide system of professional development centers for teachers
have been largely influenced by the growing demand for new
knowledge, mandated educational programs, and rising expec-
tations concerning the role of the schools. In response to
this demand, the 1975-77 Appropriation Act for the Depart-
ment of Education made funds available for planning pro-
fessional development centers. As a result of this act and
others, several professional development centers were created
to provide school personnel with additional skills, compe-
tencies, and knowledge. Three of these state—funded
centers (the Detroit Center for Professional Growth and
Development, the Region 12 Professional Development Center,
and the Kent Professional Development Center) and one
federally-funded center (the Northwest Staff Development
Center) were the focus of the study.

The purpose of the study was to describe and analyze
the perceptions of participants at the four centers with
respect to their involvement in the total program activities

offered by their centers. The study also sought to address

 

4M. Vere DeVault, "Teacher Centers: An International
Concept," Journal of Teacher Education 25 (spring 1974):37.

184

the primary research questions discussed in Chapter IV.

To accomplish these objectives, a questionnaire was designed
and pilot-tested in the Region 12 Professional Development
Center at Kalamazoo on November 8, 1979.

After the questionnaire had been revised, letters were
sent to the directors of each of the four centers selected
for the study. These letters notified the directors about
the study and asked for their help. A few weeks later, a
cover letter, the questionnaire, and a stamped, pre-
addressed envelope were mailed to a randomly selected sample
of teachers and administrators who had participated in
activities offered by the centers. On January 25, 1980, a
follow-up letter and a second copy of the questionnaire
were sent to those who did not respond to the first contact.
By March 1, 1980 (the deadline for including questionnaires
in the study), 180 responses (64 percent) had been received.
Of this total, 172 questionnaires (61 percent of the ori-
ginal sample of 281) were usable after the data had been
processed by the Michigan State University computer. On
March 10, 1980, a thank you letter was mailed to each
director. In this letter, the author thanked the directors
for their time and effort and asked them.to extend his
appreciation to the participants.

The author also visited the four centers and inter-
viewed the directors of each center. Information was col-

lected with regard to: (l) scheduling appropriate times

185

for in-service education and teacher training; (2) centers'
affiliation with higher education institutions and the
involvement of higher education institutions in center pro-
grams; (3) centers' relationships with other support
agencies (e.g., public schools and government agencies);
(4) certification and degrees; (5) determinants of in-
service education activiites; (6) available materials and
equipment; and (7) projected plans for future development.
The data from the questionnaires and the results of the

interviews are presented in Chapter V.

Conclusions

 

This section summarizes the findings from the data
analysis and presents the researcher's conclusions with

respect to the major research questions.

Characteristics of Respondents

 

Age and Experience. The majority of respondents (78.4

 

percent) were between 24.and 50 years old. Almost one-half
(47 percent) were teachers who had 3 to 10 years of
experience and over one-third (34.5 percent) had 11 to

20 years of experience.

Teaching responsibilities. Most respondents (80.4
percent) were teachers. The vast majority (83 percent)
worked as full-time teachers and were responsible for
teaching mathematics (16.1 percent), reading (15.5 percent),

language arts (14.7 percent), social studies (12.8 percent),

186
and science (11.8 percent). The largest number of the res-
pondents (67 percent) were elementary school teachers.

Educational Level. A majority of respondents (89.5 per-

 

cent) had completed the bachelor's degree plus some course
work. This finding is in accordance with the findings of
previous studies which indicate that approximately 75 per-
cent of teachers in the state of Michigan have all the
college credits they need in order to remain in the class-
room.

Preparation Time and Time Spent Working with Students.

 

Over one-third of the respondents (39.3 percent) indicated
that they spent an average of 6-10 hours per week in

planning anxipreparation. On the other hand, the majority
of respondents (73.2 percent) indicated that they spent an
average of less than 2 hours per week working with students

beyond regular school hours.

Attitudes towards Professional Development Centers

Expansion of Center Services. A majority of the res-

 

pondents (86.8 percent) supported the expansion of center
services. Approximately 90 percent Of the respondents
felt that they would benefit if center services were
expanded.

Cost of Services. Over one-half of the respondents

 

(50.3 percent) received center services without cost, and
about one-fifth of the respondents (20.1 percent) paid less

than 50 percent of the cost of services.

187

Ability to Apply Center Experiences. The majority of

 

respondents (85 percent) were able to apply knowledge gained
at center activities to their teaching situations.

Characteristics of Centers. The majority of respondents

 

indicated that professonal development activities should be
"well organized" (86.6 percent), "practical and useful"

(65 percent), "relevant to teaching situation" (62.9 percent),
held at a "convenient time" (52,3 percent) and "conveniently
located" (50.3 percent). Characteristics that seemed to

be less important or not relevant were "earning college
credit" (11.8 percent) and "participating in planning" (17
percent).

Evaluation. Centers in Michigan use different methods

 

to evaluate their services, including paper and pencil sur-
veys, follow-up surveys, informal evaluations, and evalua-

tions by policy boards.

Research Questions

 

Scheduling Center Activities. The data gathered with
regard to the first research question, "When are in-service
education activities offered to teachers in the various
professional development centers and what are appropriate
times for scheduling such activities?" indicates that:

1. The preferred times for in-service education
activities were summers (33.3 percent), weekday
evenings between 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. .
(29.3 percent), vacation periods other than

188

summers (21.3 percent), and Saturdays
(17.3 percent).

. The preferred length of duration for a pro-

fessional development activity is 1 to 2
weeks (38.9 percent). A suitable length
of time encourages individuals to parti-
cipate in growth activities.

. The factors that constituted the greatest

obstacles to teacher participation in pro-
fessional development center activities
were "lack of released time" (91.9 percent),
"time demands of job too heavy" (83.2 per-
cent), "family obligations" (81.5 percent),
and "lack of awareness of programs relevant
to needs" (76.9 percent).

Affiliation with Higher Education Institutions. With

regard to

the question, "Is there any affiliation with

and/or participation between professional development

centers and higher education institutions?" the data indi-

cate that:

1.

Professional development centers are closely
affiliated with higher education institu-
tions.

. Higher education institutions provide signit

ficant services, equipment, and personnel to
professional development center participants.
Approximately 94 percent of the respondents
indicated that higher education institutions
provide consultant services and offer work-
shops and seminars. Also, 86 percent of the
respondents indicated that higher education
institutions provided equipment and library

189

services.

All respondents and directors of the four
centers desired to continue and/or
increase their center's affiliation with
higher education institutions.

Certification and Degrees. With regard to the research

question, "Does teacher participation in professsional

development center activities count towards or lead to

certification and/or degree attainment?" the data indicate

that :

Professional develOpment center activities

do not count towards or lead to a teaching
certificate. Most of the participants in

the study seemed to be involved in activities
for their own professional growth.

The majority of participants have already met
all requirements for permanent certification.
Approximately 89 percent of the respondents
indicated that they had all the college credits
they needed to remain in the classroom.

The centers serve as catalysts for linking
together the special needs of the teacher
population with the resources of higher
education institutions. Centers are instru-
ments for developing college programs because
they work with teachers to find out what they
need. Some professional development centers
offer courses for higher education credits.

The majority of respondents indicated that
courses, workshops, and/or seminars provided
by professional development centers did not
have a salary increment.

190.

Participation in Program Planning and Operational
Poligy Development. With regard to the research question,
"How is the content of the curriculum of professional
development centers determined? Who plans the program
activities for teacher in-service education?" the data indi-
cate that:

1. Center administrators and center coordinators
have primary responsibility for determining
professional growth programs. Approximately
93 percent of the respondents indicated that
center administrators and coordinators "always"
have responsibility for planning center pro-
grams and activities, while approximately
92 percent indicated that coordinators
"always" have such responsibilities. Only
18 percent of the respondents indicated
that classroom teachers are "always" respon-
sible for planning activities.

Boards of directors are primarily responsible

5)

for developing the operational policies of
centers. Only one-third of the respondents
indicated that classroom teachers "always"
aid in developing such policies, while 97.8
percent indicated that the board of
directors is "always" responsible for policy
development.

Observations

 

The effectiveness of a professional development center
depends very largely upon the quality of its services and

the professional outlook of those who offer them.

191

Opportunities for serious consulting work and well organized,
relevant programs are essential components of good profes-
sional development services. The findings of the study have
led the author to develOp a number of specific observations
that need to be considered if professional development
programs are to operate effectively.

1. The professional development center movement
should be nurtured. Centers are social
learning places where teachers can identify
their training needs, explore new directions,
talk together, and have an Opportunity to
grow professionally. Every teacher should
have easy access to a professional develop-
ment center.

2. The professional development center concept
should continue to challenge institutions of
higher education so that they will be respon-
sive to teachers' needs and do things dif-
ferently. In the past, many educators felt
that even though they did not get what they
needed from a university, they had no other
alternative. Today, professional development
centers provide that alternative.

3. Education is a political process. There is
a political struggle between higher educa-
tion institutions (especially colleges of
education) and professional development
centers concerning the power to control in-
service education and professional develop-
ment programs. That teachers and other
school personnel prefer to receive

192

professional develOpment services from
centers and/or institutions of higher
education suggests that a collaborative
effort between the two agencies should

be encouraged. There should also be

a serious attempt to join higher education
institutions and professional development
centers. Centers should avoid political
confrontation by working very closely with
colleges, including them in all planning
efforts, and consulting with them about
center activities. On the other hand,
colleges should provide resources and
expertise and assist centers in meeting
participants' needs.

4. Higher education institutions must create
suitable programs that recognize and address
the needs of teachers. Findings from this
study suggest and/or support King's recom-
mendation that:

...there are large numbers of teachers

who do not choose to pursue formal

graduate study. Colleges and universities
must begin to look at the feasibility of
designing programs for this unique group.
Those programs must include experiences
based on teacher identified needs, oriented
towards specific student learning problems.

5. The findings and conclusions of the study also
support Morris who states:

 

5Charles Thomas King, "Professional Development Needs
as Perceived by Full-Time Teachers Not Pursuing Advanced
Study and Factors Affecting Their Acceptance of Programs
Designed to Meet These NeedsV(Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan
State University, 1978).

193

...although much of the recent writings
on professional development stress the
importance of teachers having the Oppor-
tunity to plan their own professional
development activities, this research

did not find evidence to support the
concept. Teachers would rather, for
example, have their professional develop-
ment well organized than have the oppor-
tunity to plan it. This is of importance
to planners if confronted with a choice
of involving a large number of teachers
in the planning or making sure that the
activities are well organized. W611 or-
ganized would be a better choice.

Recommendations

 

Though the study has been limited to four professional
development centers in the state of Michigan, the findings
have significant meaning for in-service education in Michi-
gan and perhaps for teacher professional growth in other
states and in Libya and other developing countries. This
section includes recommendations for professional develop-
ment centers in the state of Michigan, professional develop-
ment centers in Libya and other developing countries, and

further research.

Recommendations for Professional Development Centers
in Michigan

 

Based on the findings for the study, the following
recommendations for professional development centers in

Nfichigan are made:

 

6Cecilia Morris, "A Study of the Status of Michigan's
Current K-12 Teacher Professional Development System from
the Perspective of Evaluation Research Theory" (Ph.D. disser-
tation, Michigan State University, 1979). .

194

Teachers should be given release time from
their jobs in order that they may partici-
pate in professional development programe.
Funding needs to be allocated by federal
and state governments so that districts may
pay for substitute teachers.

Professional development centers should
provide more programs in individual schools
and districts. It is important for centers
to initiate programs in the schools and
then continue them at the centers. In this
way,teachers can have an opportunity to
make contact with the centers. Center
representatives should also visit local
districts and meet with teachers.

An ideal professional development would be
centrally located, staffed by professionals,
and equipped with up-to-date materials.
Activities would be stimulating and teacher-
centered. Students would be the ultimate
beneficiaries of center activities. Facilities
would be readily available and conveniently
located.

Recommendations fortProfessional Development Centers
in Libya and Other Developinngountries

Based on the study's findings, the following recommen-

dations are made concerning professional development centers

in Libya and other developing countries:

1.

Centers in developing countries can provide an
opportunity for teachers to have dialogues
among themselves and try innovations in a
non-threatening atmosphere. The professional
development center concept is especially

195

valuable in countries where resources for

teacher training are limited.

Planners must take into account varying
societal and cultural structures from

country to country. The professional deve10p-
ment center concept may be very compatible

in countries that Operate according to demo-
cratic ethics and that believe that the

best decisions are made when neny people are
involved. Professional deve10pment centers
may also respond to needs in countries where
the educational program is dictatorial and
teachers have few opportunities to share
ideas. In all countries, the perceptions

of the teachers about the purposes and functions
of centers are critical.

The results of this study indicate that there

is positive support for the professional
development center conept. One cannot, however,
assume that policy-makers and teaching staff
personnel in Libya understand the possible bene-
fits and implications of professional deve10p-
ment centers. Therefore, an awareness program
must be established to provide Libyan decision-
makers and teachers with an adequate knowledge
of professional development centers.

The Secretariat (Ministry) of Education, through
its administrative structure and substantial
input from various agencies, needs to analyze
available data, identify areas where profes-
sional growth is needed, develop plans for
providing in-service education, establish
centers, and allocate funds for professional
development programs. The Secretariat should

196

establish an office for teachers' affairs.
Such an office should have a comprehensive
and workable records system in order to

help provide data about the needs of indi-
vidual teachers. Plans should be developed
for meeting these objectives, for allocating
financial resources, and for evaluating
programs.

The committees in each educational zone
should work with teacher's unions and
community members to identify local needs
and objectives, local resources, and areas
where professional development is needed to
conform with the national philosophy and to

meet national educational goals.

The various institutions of higher education
(mainly colleges and universities) should be
responsive to local and national teacher needs
and requests. These institutions should
engage in further investigation and research
and make available professors, advisory

units, expert researchers and evaluators,

and advanced facilities as needed. Higher
education institutions should also provide
expertise in specialized areas of needs assess—
ment, diagnosis, prescription, evaluation,

and follow-up techniques.

The teacher's union should help the Secretariat
and zone administrators plan and organize pro-
fessional development programs. Representatives
from the union could monitor and encourage
teacher participation in various programs.

They could also deterufine the particular

needs of individual teachers and work to

197

achieve the broad goals of the nation.

Recommendations for Further Research

 

Based on the study's findings, the following recommen-

dations are made concerning future research:

1.

Further research needs to be done with regard to
the relationship between professional develop-
ment centers and higher education institutions.
Can professional development centers be provided
on university campuses and will they be as effec-
tive as when they are located off campus? Do
colleges of education absorb or assimilate the
professional development center movement when
they provide teacher centers on university cam-
puses?

Further research on teaching effectiveness is
also needed. For example, more information

is needed about the relationship between parti-
cipation in professional development center in-
service activities and student performance.

There should be an in-depth evaluation of

the effectiveness of Michigan professional
development centers in terms of meeting their
objectives.

.‘It would be valuable to study teachers and

administrators that never participate in pro-
fessional development center activities.

These teachers and administrators could be com-
pared with teachers and administrators who

'do participate in professional development

center activities to determine whether there
are any significant differences with respect
to competency, teaching effectiveness,

198

perceptions of professional development,

and needs.

This study was limited to four professional
development centers in the state of Michigan,
but the study should be replicated to include
all professional deve10pment centers in

Michigan.

An evaluation of current professional develop-
ment programs (teacher in-service education)
in Libya should be conducted to determine
whether or not these programs provide teachers
and administrators with the appropriate com-
petencies, skills and professional growth.
Also, it should be determined whether or not
teacher in-service education in Libya is
designed according to teacher needs assessments.

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Miller, William C. "What's Wrong with In-Service Education?
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Morris, Cecilia. "A Study of the Status of Michigan's Current
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APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

Letter to Professional Development
Center Directors from.the Author

207

Mohamed H. Falougi
1401 F Spartan Village
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Tel. (517) 355-0741

November 5 , 1979

Dear Director:

In recent years ccntinuing in-service educaticn for professional
development has received a good deal of attention. Fran the increased
emphasis m in-service education one specific phenomena has evolved
which is the emergence of the professional development center (PDC) as
one of the most powerful vehicles for the delivery of in-service educa-
tion on the scene today.

This is to let you know that a study is being ccnducted to determine
whether and to what extent professional development centers in the state
of Michigan help in answering teacher in-service education problems, and
if professional development centers would be feasible for the improve-
ment of teacher in-service educatim in my country of Libya. 1 earnestly
seek your assistance with my significant study.

I have developed a questionnaire which was pretested and revised
to make it possible to obtain needed information with a minimum amount of
time. The survey instrument will be sent to you and a number of teachers
to complete. Please return it to me as soon as possible. Your help
and input is extremely valuable .

The information gathered and findings will be made available to you
cn your request at a later date. I would like to assure you that your
name and response will be kept completely confidential. Your cooperation
will be sincerely appreciated by me and all members of my’ doctoral

guidance committee .
Sincerely ,
a
Mohamed H. Falougi

Doctoral Student
Curriculum and Instruction
College of Education
Michigan State University

Thank you for your help and time.

Doctoral Guidance Camfittee Rhubers:
Dr. Pegg' M. Riethmiller, Chairman
Dr. Ben A. Bohnhorst
Dr. Howard W. Hickey
Dr. Walter W. Scott

APPENDIX B

Letter to Professional Development Center
Directors from Michigan State University

208
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

 

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION EAST LANSING ° MICHIGAN ' 48824
DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY EDUCATION AND CL‘RRICL‘LUM
ERICKSON HALL

November 5 , 1979

As the Chairman of Mr. Mohamed Falougi's doctoral guidance committee I
have worked with him for a nimber of months in his effort to develop a
dissertation study of significance. Mr. Falougi's other committee mem-
bers have also spent time with him in deliberation about research which
will be beneficial to Michigan and/or American educators, as well as
those of Libya.

By this time, Mr. Falougi has contacted you abom: participating in his
approved research project entitled, "A Study of Selected Aspects of Pro-
fessional Development Centers with Recommendations for the In-Service
Education of Libyan Teachers . " The other members of Mr. Falougi ' s com-
mittee and I wish to thank you in advance for yom: part in this valuable
effort and your assistance with the teacher participants of the study.

Because of Mr. Falougi's conscientiousness, thoroughness, and profes-
sionalism on other academic endeavors, I am assured that this effort will
be one of excellence. We are grateful for your support of it.

SEW 7W

Peggy ethmiller
Professor

APPENDIX C

Cover Letter for the Questionnaire

209

Mohamed H. Falougi
1401 F Spartan Village
Michigan State University
East lensing, Michigan 48823
Tel. (517) 355-0741

November 15 , 1979

Dear Participant:

A few weeks ago your professional development center director re-

ceived a letter indicating that a survey of professianal development cen-
ter participants would be sent to you shortly. Here is that survey.
This questionrnaire is an instrument being used to gather needed informa-
tion for a doctoral dissertation which is entitled, "A Study of Selected
Aspects of Professional Development Centers with Recommendations for the
In-Service Education of Libyan Teachers."

The questicnnaire is brief and has been pretested with teachers and
revised to make it possible to obtain needed information with a minimum
ambunt of your time. I would like to ask you kindly to complete this
questionnaire and return it to me as soon as possible. I would greatly
appreciate having your reponse by next week. The success of this study
depends upon information which only you can provide. A stamped return
envelope is enclosed for yom‘ convenience.

Although I do not ask for your name, you will notice a number on the
first page of the questiormnaire. This nmrber can identify you, if neces-
sary, but will be used only to determine who has not returned the ques-
tiormnaire.

Confidentiality will be strictly maintained throughout the study.
No personal identification (such as name, address, etc.) will appear on
any of the materials . If you wish, a summary of the findings of this
studywill be sent to you when the study is complete.

Thank you for your help and time.

 

Doctoral Student
Curriculum and Instruction
College of Education
Michigan State University

Doctoral Guidance Committee Members:
Dr. Peggy M. Riethmiller, Chairmen
Dr. Ben A. Bohnhorst
Dr. Howard H. Hickey
Dr. Walter W’. Scott

APPENDIX D

The Questionnaire

210

 

e61 (1-3) 1 J

 

 

 

 

 

 

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS: Either a pen or pencil may be used to
complete this questiormnaire. Most of the questions may be
answered by simply placing an (X) in the appropriate box; other
questions ask for written-in answers. However, you may write
in additional comments whenever you wish to do so.

I . Background Data

Please provide the following information about yourself by
placing an (X) mark in the appropriate box.

1. What is your sex?

 

 

 

 

1. Male ............... ( ) 2. Female ............... ( ) (5)
2. What is your age group?
1. 23 or younger ...... ( ) 4. 41 - 50 .............. ( )
2. 24-30 ............ ( ) 5. 51-60 .............. ( )
3. 31 - 40 ............ ( ) 6. 61 or more ........... ( ) (6)
3. Are you working as a full-time teacher?
1. Yes. .( ) (Please skip Question 4. Go directly to Ques—
tion 5.)
2. No.. .( ) (Please answer Questim 4.) (7)
4. What is the reason(s) for not being a full-time teacher?
(Please explam' briefly.)
5. What is your primary' responsibility?
1. Director (PDC) ..... ( ) 5. Counselor ............ ( )
2 . Administrator ...... ( ) 6 . Other ................ ( )
3. Teacher ............ ( ) (please specify)
4. Education media
specialist ......... ( )
(8-13)
6. I am most responsible for teaching:
1. Math ............... ( ) 7. Foreign Language ..... ( )
2. Science ............ ( ) 8. Industrial Arts ...... ( )
3. Social Science ..... ( ) 9. Special Education. . . .( )
4. Social Studies ..... ( ) 10. Technical Education. .( )
5. Reading ............ ( ) 11. Business Education. . .( )
6. language Arts ...... ( ) 12. Physical Education. . .( )

10.

ll.

13.

211

 

 

13. Here Economics....( ) 15. Art ................. ( )
14. Music ............. ( ) 16. Other ............... ( )
(Please specify)

How nanny years of full-time teaching' experience have you
carpleted? (Please include this year)
1. 2yearsor1ess....( ) 4. 21- 30 ............. ( )
2. 3 - 10 ............. ( ) 5. 31 - 40 ............. ( )
3. ll - 20 ............ ( ) 6. 41 or mare .......... ( )
Is your primary' teaching responsibility in the area of
your major or minor certification?
1. Major .............................................. ( )
2. Minor .............................................. ( )
3. Not now certified to teach in the area of

primary teaching responsibilities .................. ( )
How many hours per week do you spend on planning and
preparation?
1. 2 or less .......... ( ) 4. 9 - 12 .............. ( )
2. 3 - 5 .............. ( ) 5. l6 - 20 ............. ( )
3. 6-10 ............. ( ) 6. 21 ormore .......... ( )
How many hours per week do you spend with students beyond
the regular school day?
l. 2 or less .......... ( ) 4. 9 - 12 .............. ( )
2. 3 - 4 .............. ( ) 5. 13 - 15 ............. ( )
3.5-8 .............. ( ) 6.16ormore .......... ( )
What is the level of school you are working in?
1. Elementary school. .( ) 4. High school ......... ( )
2. Juniorhighschool..( ) 5. Other ............... ( )
3. Middle school ...... ( ) (Please specify)
At what level do you teach most of the time?
1. Early elementary. . .( ) 5. Junior high ......... ( )
2. Late elementary. . . .( ) 6. Senior high ......... ( )
3. All elementary ..... ( ) 7. All secondary ....... ( )
4. Middle school ...... ( ) 8. All grades .......... ( )
What is the highest level of educationn you have completed
as of this date?
1. Less than B.A. or B.S .............................. ( )
2. Junior/community college degree .................... ( )
3. Bachelor's degree .................................. ( )
4. Bachelor's degree plus sane course work ............ ( )
5. Master's degree .................................... ( )

(14-29)

(30)

(31-32)

(33)

(34)

(35-39)

(40-41)

14.

15.

16.

17.

212

. Master's degree plus sane course work .............. (

 

6 )
7. Education specialist ............................... ( )
8. Ed.D. or Ph.D ...................................... ( )
9. Other (Please specify) ............................. ( )
II. Attitudes towards Professional Development Activities
Sane people feel that professional deve10pment centers
(PDCs) and their services should be expanded; others oppose
the idea for a variety of reasans. When you think about
the need for such services, would you:
1. Strongly support the expansion of PDCs and their
services .......................................... ( )
2. Weakly support the expansion of PDCs and their
services .......................................... ( )
3. Weakly oppose the expansicn of PDCs and their
services .......................................... ( )
4. Strongly Oppose the expansion of PDCs and their
services .......................................... (
5. NO Opinion, do not know ........................... ( )
Do you feel you would benefit if the professional develop-
ment center services available now were expanded?
1. Yes, a great deal ................................. ( )
2. Yes, to a small extent ....... . .................... ( )
3. No, no benefit .................................... ( )
4. No opinion, do not know ........................... ( )

There are a variety of organizations which currently con-
duct professicnal development activities . Which of the
organizations listed below could best provide the services
you would want for your own professional development?

NOTICE: Rate each an a scale ranging from zero to five
(l,2,3,4,5). A score of "0" indicates that the organiza-
tion fails to meet your expectations while a score of "5"
implies that it does so fully.

1. Local school districts ............................ ( )
2 . Intermediate districts ............................ ( )
3. Higher education institutions ..................... ( )
4 . Professional development centers .................. ( )
5 . Other (please specify) ............................ ( )

 

Have you ever participated in administering any of the
professional development centers in the state of Michigan?

(The Detroit Center for Professional Growth and Development ,

(42)

(43)

(44)

(45-49)

18.

19.

20.

21.

213

the Kent Professional Development Center, the Regionn 12
Professional Deve10pment Center, or the Northwest Staff

Development Center)?

1. Yes, as a director ................................ ( )
2. Yes, as an assistant director ..................... ( )
3. Yes , as an administrator .......................... ( )
4. No ................................................ ( )
With which higher education institution(s) is your center
affiliated?

1. Community college ................................. ( )
2. Four-year college ................................. ( )
3. University ........................................ ( )
4. All of the above .................................. ( )
5. None of the above ................................. ( )
6. Other (please specify) ............................ ( )

 

Please indicate the extent to which higher education insti-

tution (3) provide the following services to your center.

Never Sometimes Always

( 1 )

1. Offers classes ............... ( )

2. Supervises student teachers . . ( )
3. Offers workshops and/or

seminars ..................... ( )

4. Provides library service ..... ( )

5. Provides equipment ........... ( )

6. Other (please specify). . . . . . .- ( )

(2)

AAAA AA
VVVV VV

(3)

AAAA AA
VVVV VV

 

To what extent do the following groups of public school per-
sonnel make use of the facilities of your center?

Never Sanetimes Always

( 1 )
1 . Classroom teachers ........... ( )
2 . Curriculum consultants ....... ( )
3 . Principals ................... ( )
4 . Paraprofessionals ............ ( )
5 . Others (please specify) ...... ( )

(2)
C)
()
()
C)
()

(3)

AAAAA
VVVVV

 

In what way or ways are you compensated for your partici-

pation?

Never Saretimes Always

('1')
l. In-service credit ............. ( )
2 . Higher eduCation course credit ( )

(‘2)
( )
( )

(3)
()
C)

(51-56)

(57-63)

(64-69)

22.

23.

3. Salary increments ............
4. Payment for specific project.
5 . Other (please specify) .......

214

( 1 )
( )
( >
( )

( 2 )
( )
( )
( )

Never Seretimes Always

 

To what extent are the following staff members responsible
for planning the program offerings and other activities in
you center?

U'l-L‘wNH

Center coordinator ...........
Center administrators ........
Secretarial staff ............
Classroom teachers ...........
Educatianal media specialists

Never Sometimes Always

( 1 )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )

( 2 )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )

 

 

 

 

col 4 2
( 3 )
( )
( )
( )
(70-74)
( 3 )
( )
( >
( )
( )
( )
(5-9)

 

To what extent does your center offer the following services?

Higher education credit
courses, workshops, and/or

semninars .....................

Couses , workshops, and/or
seminars for in-service

training without credits . . . .

Couses, workshops, and/or
seminars for in-service
training with salary

increment ....................

Courses, workshops, and/or
seminars for in-service
training without salary

increment ...................

Informal discussion ammg

goups of teachers ..........

Informal work sessions for
teachers for planning
programs , preparing , and/ or

obtaining materials .........

Never Sometimes Always

( 1 )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )

( 2 )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )

( 3 )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )

24.

25.

26.

215

Never Sometimes Always
( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 )
7 . Demonstration teaching ....... ( ) ( ) ( )
8 . Loaning or renting materials . ( ) ( ) ( )
9. Loaning or renting equipment. ( ) ( ) ( )
O. Other (please specify) ....... ( ) ( ) ( )

 

To what extent did the following groups aid in developing
operational policies or guidelines for your center?

Never Saretimes Always
(l) (2) (3)

1. Board of directors ........... ( ) ( ) ( )
2 . School administrators ........ ( ) ( ) ( )
3. Classroom teachers ........... ( ) ( ) ( )
4. Higher education personnel. . . ( ) ( ) ( )
5 . State agency persomnel ....... ( ) ( ) ( )
6. Lay citizens ................. ) ( ) ( )
7 . Others (please specify) ...... ( ) ( ) ( )

 

Please place an (X) mark in the appropriate box beside each
item or items below which you like to see as projected plans
for the futue of you center.

There is a plan to expand ou services and programs in these
ways:

1. Expand program offerings .......................... ( )
2. Involve greater nunbers of public school personnel.( )
3. Involve greater numbers of private school personnel( )
4. Affiliate with higher education institutions ...... ( )
5. Increase affiliationn with higher educatian
institutions ...................................... ( )
6. Discontinue affiliation with higher education
institutians ...................................... ( )
7 . Increase professional materials supply ............ ( )
8. Other (please specify) ............................ ( )

 

To what extent does you center provide opportunities for
undergraduate student teachers to participate in activities
with practicing teachers?

 

 

 

(10-19)

(20-26)

(27-34)

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

216

Does yom: state government , through the Department of
Education or any other state agency, exercise control or
supervis ien over your profess imal development center?

1. Yes. .( ) (Please answer Question 28.)
2. No. . .( ) (Please skip Question 28. Go directly to
Question 29.) (35)

If yes, please describe briefly how this is accomplished.

 

 

 

Have you ever participated in professional development
activities conducted by a professional development center?

1. Yes..( )
2. No...( ) (36)

If yes, in which of the centers listed below have you
participated in professional development activities?

1. The Detroit Center for Professional Growth and

Development ....................................... ( )
2 . The Kent Professional Development Center .......... ( )
3. The Region 12 Professional Development Center or ( )
4. The Northwest Staff Development Center ............ ( ) (37-40)

Listed below are some descriptions of professianal develop-
ment center services which you have received. Please indi-
cate the actent to which you agree or disagree with each
it§m an the list. Use (SA) to indicate "stron l a ee,')'
(A to indicate "agree," (D) to indicate "HE ee," (SD
to indicate "strengly disagree," and (NO) to infiicate "n_o
gpinim."

 

SA A D SD NO
( 1 ) ( 2 ) C 3 ) ( 4 ) ( 5 )
1 . Well organized ...... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
2 . Convenient 1y located ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
3. A convenient time. . . ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
4. Pertinent and rele-
vant to my teaching
situation ........... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
5 . Relevant to district
needs ............... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
6. Practical and useful ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
7. Earned college credit( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
8 . Opportunity to share

ideas with other

teachers ............ ()()()()()
9 . Knowledgeable and

experienced resouce

people .............. ()()()()()

32.

33.

35.

36.

37.

217

a A 2 SD m
(1) (2) (3) (T) (5)

10 . Good personal ,

individualized help. . ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
ll. Opportunity to help

in planning .......... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
12- Other (Please Specify( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )

 

(1n the average, were yen able to apply what you learned at
these locally conducted professional development activities

in you teaching?

1. Yes, a great deal ..... ( ) 4. No .............. ( )
2. Yes, some ............ ( ) 5. DO not knee ..... ( )
3. Yes, a little ......... ( )

In the majority of instances where you received services
fromn any me of these professional development centers did
you:

1. Receive those services free? ...................... ( )
2. Pay less than 50 percent of the cost? ............. ( )
3. Pay mere than 50 percent of the cost? ............. ( )
4. Do not knew ....................................... ( )

Are professienal development center activities evaluated
at you center?

1. Yes..( ) (Please answer Questions 36 and 37.)
2. No...( ) (Please skip Questiens 36 and 37. Go to

Question 38.)
If yes, by what means? (Explain briefly.)

 

 

 

If yes, are you involved in the evaluation? (Enqnlain
briefly.)

 

 

 

Would you like to be mere involved in the total program
(design, Operatien, and evaluation) of professional develop-
ment programs than yen are HOW?

I. Yes..( )
2. No...( )

(41-52)

(53)

(54)

(55)

(56)

38.

39.

218

If yes, what do you consider the obstacles which keep you
frem being mere involved?

 

 

 

Listed below are sane characteristics of professional
development activities that mignt be important. Would you
please respend to each item below by indicating whether

it is "essential" (E), "of great importance" (GI) , "of some
importance" (SI), or "not relevant" (NR) in regard to you
em expectations for professional development activities .

E GI SI NR

 

 

 

( 1 ) (T) (T) (T)
1. Well organized .............. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
2. Conveniently located ........ ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
3. A convenient time ........... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
4. Relevant to my teaching
situation ................... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
5. Relevant to district needs. .( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
6 . Practical and useful ........ ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
7. Earning college credit ...... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
8. Sharing ideas with other
teachers .................... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
9. Receiving persenal,
individualized help ......... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
10. Participating in planning
activities .................. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
11. No financial cost ........... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )

Below is a list of reasens why teachers senetimes do not
take advantage of professienal growth activities in profes-
sional development centers . Some may apply to you, some
may not.

Please place an (X) mark in the appropriate box to indicate
the extent to which each factor is a problem.

Never Sometimes Always

( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 )
1. Travel distance to the PDC. . ( ) ( ) ( )
2. Time of day activities
provided (8:00 - 3:00) ...... ( ) ( ) ( )
3. Time Of day activities
provided (8:00 - 3:00) ...... ( ) ( ) ( )
4. Time of day activities
provided (5:00 - 11:00) ..... ( ) ( ) < )
5 . Weekend programs (Satuday) . ( ) ( ) ( )
6 . Weekend programs (Sunday) . . . ( ) ( ) ( )

(57-67)

col 4

 

 

 

219

Never Sometimes Always

( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 )
7. Weekend prog'ans .(both

Saturday and Sunday) ........ ( ) ( ) ( )
8. Sumner programns ............. ( ) ( ) ( )
9. Duing vacation periods

other than 81111112]? ........... ( ) ( ) ( )
10. Duatien of activity

(1 - 2 weeks) ............... ( ) ( ) ( )
ll. Duatien of activity

(2 - 4 weeks) ............... ( ) ( ) ( )
12. Duration of activity

(4 - 6 weeks) ............... ( ) ( ) ( )
13. Duation of activity

(6 - 19 weeks) .............. ( ) ( ) ( )
l4. Inability to break away frem

family Obligations .......... ( ) ( ) ( )
15 . Lack of transportation ...... ( ) ( ) ( )
l6. lack of released time from

job ......................... ( ) ( ) ( )
17. Lack of graduate credit ..... ( ) ( ) ( )
18. Lack of ecenemic incentive

for professional growth ..... ( ) ( ) ( )
19. Time demands of job too heavy

to become involved in grevth

aqneriences ................. ( ) ( ) ( )
20 . Not aware of programs

relevant to my needs ........ ( ) ( ) ( ) (14—21)

How mignt professional development centers gain greater teacher par-
ticipatien in programs and services?

 

 

 

What recenmendations do you have regarding the provisien of compen-
sation for teacher participationn in PDC activities?

 

 

 

What recommendations do you have for more involvement by teachers in
professienal deve10pment center design, operation, and management?

 

 

 

45 .

47.

220

What do you recommend regarding the best suitable time (s) for the
Operation of professional development centers ?

 

 

 

What recommendations do you suggest for professional development
centers regarding their affiliation with higher educatien insti-
tutiens?

 

 

 

What incentives would you reconmnend to attract teachers to such
activities offered by professional development centers?

 

 

 

An ideal profess ienal development center can be described as:

 

 

 

APPENDIX E

Follow-Up Letter to Participants
from the Author

221

lbhaned H. Falougi
1401 F Spartan Village
Michigan State university
East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Tel. (517) 355-0741

January 25, 1980
mum-UP LETTER

Dear Participant:

About me menth ago, I sent you a letter and a questionnaire con-
cerning "Professienal Development Centers," which is the topic of my
doctoral dissertatien at Michigan State University. To date I have not
received you questiomaire. I realize with you busy schedule the su-
vey may have been overlooked .

Ennclosed is another copy of the questionnaire for you cenp letion
and a stanped, self-addressed envelope for you submnissien.

In order to assure the accuacy of this study, I would like to ask
you kindly to take a little of you time to fill out the questionnaire.
I am working under a deadline and would appreciate having you response
by next week.

You immediate attention and cooperatien will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely yous ,

  

' iculum and Instruction
College of Education
Michigan State University

APPENDIX F

Thank You Letter to Professional Development
Center Directors from the Author

222

Mohamed H. Falougi
1401 F Spartan Village
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Tel. (517) 355-0741

March 10 , 1980

Dear Director ,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for
taking the time to complete the questionnaire and helping the
cempletien of the questionnaire by some participants of you
center programs.

Although the data has yet to be analyzed, the high respense
rate frem all of the fou professional development centers was
satisfying. I sincerely hope that the informatien gathered in
this study will be meaningful and will significantly centribute
to the professional growth and development of all.

Once again, thank you for you cooperation and partici-
pation and please pass aleng my extended appreciation to all the
participants in this study.

 

 

"TIMIIIIIIIIIIII