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Order Num ber 9111607

A n exam ination o f form al and informal professional-grow th
activities o f teacher m em bers o f the M ichigan Science Teachers
A ssociation
Hyduke, Robert Allan, Ph.D.
Michigan State University, 1990

UMI

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Ann Arbor, MI 48106

NOTE TO USERS

THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT RECEIVED BY U.M.I. CONTAINED PAGES
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AN EX A M I N A T I O N O F FORMAL A N D INFORMAL
P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T I E S O F T E A C H E R MEMBERS OF
THE M I C H I G A N SCIE N C E TEACHERS A S S O C IATION

By

Robert A llan Hyduke

A DIS S E R T A T I O N

Submitted to
Mi c h i g a n State Univ e r s i t y
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

DO C T O R OF PHILO S O P H Y

Depa r t m e n t of Teac h e r E d ucation

1990

Abstract

AN E X A M I N A T I O N OF FORMAL AN D INFORMAL
P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T I E S O F T E A C H E R MEMBERS OF
THE M I C H I G A N SCIENCE T E A C H E R S A S S O C I A T I O N

By

Robert A l l a n Hyduke

The Prob l e m
At present there
conc e r n i n g

is a lack of information

formal and informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h

ac tivities of p r a c t i c i n g science teachers in grades
k i n d e r g a r t e n t h r o u g h high school.

It was the purp o s e of this study to identify and
examine the level of formal and informal profe s s i o n a l growth a c tivities of a selected g roup of science
teachers as these are con d u c t e d in practice and to
examine the nature of changes in the way knowledge
acquired during o n e ’s career.

Method
A survey instrument was sent to 2287 M i c h i g a n
Science T e a chers A s s o c i a t i o n members and a response
rate of 50.5 percent,

was attained.

is

F rom the total num b e r of responses only those
w h i c h were

from fulltime k i n d e r g a r t e n thro u g h twelfth

grade teaching staff were selected for analysis.
Initial analysis used an averaging method to examine
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity.

Furt h e r analyses used

the C h i - S q u a r e test or the A n a lysis of V a r i a n c e test.

Findings
An analysis of the dat a suggest that there is a
decrease

in formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t ivity of

science teachers as they mature.

In contrast,

the

level of informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t ivity of
science teachers appears to remain constant or to
increase relative to the beginning of a science
t e a c h e r s ’ career.

I

An e x a m i n a t i o n of the d e c rease

in formal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y suggests that it may be
m n t o fv>o

of

miit.uri.iiQ ccicncc

tccichcr

electing not to take graduate college credits rather
than a decline

in all types of formal professional-

growth activity.

A t t e n d a n c e at p r o f essional

c o n f e rences and p a r t i c i p a t i o n in after-school
inservices did not show a significant decline.

Edw a r d P. Hy d u k e Sr.

and M a r y

(Sofian) Hyduke

A C K N O WL ED GE ME NT S

I w i s h to a c k n o w l e d g e and t h a n k a n u m b e r of
i ndividuals who a s s i s t e d me
I am grateful

for the a s s i s t a n c e of my committee

memb e r s Char l e s Blackman,
John Suehr.
helpful

in c o m p l e t i n g this study.

Bruce Cheney,

A r d e n Moon,

and

While all the m e m b e r s of my com m i t t e e were

it was Char l e s B l a c k m a n who p r o v i d e d a blend of

editorial exp e r t i s e and frien d s h i p w h i c h helped focus
my efforts.

Special

thanks to the M i c h i g a n Science

T e a chers A s s o c i a t i o n Board who a l l o w e d me to contact
their m e m b e r s h i p and co n t r i b u t e d to the d e v e l o p m e n t of
the questionnaire,

C y n t h i a A d d i s o n who was my contact

w i t h the organization,

and those

individuals of the

o r g a n i z a t i o n who r e s ponded to the questionnaire.

Finally,
children,

I w i s h to t h a n k my wife Barbara,

Becky,

Daniel,

Sarah,

Abigail,

Emily,

K a t h l e e n for the love and u n d e r s t a n d i n g each
c o n t r i b u t e d while I wo r k e d on this study.

v

my
and

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TAB L E S

.......................................... xi

Chap t e r
1.

I N T R O D U C T I O N TO THE PROB L E M

...................... 1

The Cont e x t of the P r o b l e m
Statement of the P r o b l e m
I mportance of the P r o b l e m
Purpose of the Study

..................... 1

....................... 9
...................... 9

...........................14

Q u e s t i o n s to be A n s w e r e d by the Study
S u p p l e m e n t a r y Planned A n a l y s i s
S i g n i f i c a n c e of the Study
D e f i n i t i o n of Terms
Delimitations
a o c<

...... 14

............... 15

..................... 15
...................... 17

................................

t 'ons vine* Li m

19

cl one

Assumptions

.................................. 20

Limitations

.................................. 21

P o p u l a t i o n of Interest

........................ 21

S umm a r y of Proce d u r e s Used in the Study
Data C o l l e c t i o n
Data A n a l y s i s

....23

............................. 23

............................... 23

Supplementary Analysis

vi

..................... 25

O v e r v i e w of Chapters

2.

RE V I E W OF L I T E R A T U R E

II - V

25

.............................. 27

Teac h e r P r o f e ssional D e v e l opment A fter
Enter i n g the T e a ching P r ofession ............ 28
Teac h e r P a r t i c i p a t i o n and/or P erceptions
of P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h ........................ 44
O r g a n i z a t i o n s and P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
A c t i v i t i e s .......................................64
Summary

3.

.......................................... 76

METHODS AND P R O C E D U R E S

............................ 81

D e s c r i p t i o n of Popu l a t i o n

.....................81

De s c r i p t i o n of Surveyed P o p u l a t i o n

.......... 82

De s c r i p t i o n of Responding P o p u l a t i o n
S urvey P r ocedure

............................... 88

Data C o l l e c t i o n

............................. 89

Survey Instrument

...........................90

Treatment of the Data
S u p p l e m e n t a r y Analysis
Summary

4.

........83

...................... 95

........................ 98

.......................................... 98

DATA ANALYSIS

..................................... 100

Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h Activ i t y
Relative to the C a tegories of Age and
Degree .......................................

100

Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y
of Age Groups ............................. 101
Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t ivity
of Degree Groups ......................... 104
P a r t i c i p a t i o n in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
A ctiv i t i e s .................................... 109

vii

P a r t i c i p a t i o n of Age Groups in
Professional-Growth Activities

......... 109

P a r t i c i p a t i o n of De g r e e Groups in
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s ......... Ill
Use of Kno w l e d g e G e n e r a t e d by P a r t i c i p a t i o n
in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s .......... 117
Use of K n o w l e d g e G e n e r a t e d by
P a r t i c i p a t i o n in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
A c t i v i t i e s by Ag e Groups ................ 117
Use of K n o w l e d g e G e n e r a t e d by
P a r t i c i p a t i o n in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
A c t i v i t i e s by Degree Groups ............ 119
O b stacles to P a r t i c i p a t i o n in ProfessionalGr o w t h A c t i v i t i e s ............................ 122
Ob s t a c l e s to P a r t i c i p a t i o n Belated to
Age ......................................... 122
Ob s t a c l e s to P a r t i c i p a t i o n Related to
Degree ......................................125
Summary of A g e G r o u p and Degree Group
Data A n a l y s i s .................................. 125
Teacher C o m ments

.............................. 129

"Other" P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c tivities
of T e a c h e r s .................................129
T o o r * Idsnw i f x c d 0 Id 3^ m c I.c s to
C o n t i n u e d P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y . 130
Preferred P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h Activ i t i e s
of K-12 R e s p o n d e n t s ....................... 132
Supplementary Analysis

..............

Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s

134
..... 135

Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of
G e n d e r / A g e Groups ........................ 135
Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of
G e n d e r / D e g r e e G r o u p s ...................... 135
Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of
Level/Age Groups.
................ 137

viii

Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of
Leve l / D e g r e e G r o u p s ......

138

P a r t i c i p a t i o n in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
A c t i v i t i e s .................................... 139
P a r t i c i p a t i o n of G e n d e r / A g e Gro u p s in
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s .......... 139
P a r t i c i p a t i o n of G e n d e r / D e g r e e Groups in
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s .......... 140
P a r t i c i p a t i o n of Level/Age Groups in
Prof e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s .......... 141
P a r t i c i p a t i o n of L e v e l /Degree Gr o u p s in
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s ........ .142
Use of K n o w l e d g e G e n e r a t e d by Parti c i p a t i o n
in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s .......... 143
Use of K n o w l e d g e G e n e r a t e d by P a r t i c i p a t i o n
in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s by
G e n d e r / A g e Gro u p s ..............
143
Use of K n o w l e d g e Gen e r a t e d by P a r t i c i p a t i o n
in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s by
G e n d e r / D e g r e e Groups ..................... 143
Use of K n o w l e d g e G e n e r a t e d by P a r t i c i p a t i o n
in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s by
L ev e l / A g e Groups ......................... 144
Use of Kno w l e d g e Gen e r a t e d by P a r t i c i p a t i o n
in
PrnfpflSinn«1Kv
- -----~ ---— Cr nw fK Ap
-w fivifioQ
— — .——-^
L e v e l / D e g r e e Groups
..................... 144
O b s t a c l e s to P a r t i c i p a t i o n in ProfessionalGr o w t h A c t i v i t i e s ............................ 145
O b s t a c l e s to P a r t i c i p a t i o n Rela t e d to
G e n d e r / A g e G r o u p s ......................... 145
O b s t a c l e s to P a r t i c i p a t i o n Related to
G e n d e r / D e g r e e G r o u p s ...................... 145
Obs t a c l e s to P a r t i c i p a t i o n Related to
Level/Age G r o u p s ...........................146
Obs t a c l e s to P a r t i c i p a t i o n Related to
L e v e l /Degree G r o u p s ....................... 147

ix

Summary of G e n d e r and A s s i g n m e n t Level Dat a
A n a l y s i s ........................................ 147
Fi n dings of D ata A n a l y s i s R e l a t e d to the
Q u e s t i o n s of the Study .........
,...150

5. SUMMARY,

C O N C L U S I O N S A N D R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S ........157

S u m m a r y and D i s c u s s i o n of F i n dings
I m p l i cations

....................................... 166

Reflections Upon Methodology
Recommendations

....................168

for Further R e s e a r c h

A P P E N D I X A.

Survey I nstrument

A P P E N D I X B.

Respo n d e n t D e m o g r a p h i c s

.......... 171

....................... 175

A P P E N D I X C. Data A n a l y s i s Tables
BIBLIOGRAPHY

............ 158

................ 180

....................191

........................................... 258

x

LIST OF TABLES

Table
3.1

M.S.T.A.

3.2

C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of S u r v e y e d P o p u l a t i o n

3.3

Survey C a t e g o r i e s and Q u e s t i o n s

4.1

A v e r a g e C a r e e r E x p e r i e n c e and Total Formal
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of Selected
Age Groups ....................................... 102

4.2

Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of
S e l ected Ag e Groups ............................ 103

4.3

C o m p a r i s o n of Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
A c t i v i t i e s of Selec t e d A g e Groups ........... 105

4.4

A v e r a g e C a r e e r E x p e r i e n c e and Total Formal
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of Selected
Degree G r o u p s ................................... 106

4.5

Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of
Selected Deg r e e Groups ........................ 107

A .fi

r » ^ N T T o - p±.
w

M e m b e r s h i p As of April

XMS/11

x. V1.1UC4X

1 i

1 9 8 9 ........... 82
........83

................ 91

C O O XV iiaX

C
4A
. W

A c t i v i t i e s of S e l e c t e d Degree Groups

Oi l

........108

4.7

P a r t i c i p a t i o n in Selected P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
A c t i v i t i e s R e l a t i v e to the B e ginning of an
110
A ge G r o u p ’s T e a c h i n g C a r e e r .......

4.8

C o m p a r i s o n of P - o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s
of Age G r o u p s ................................... 112

4.9

P a r t i c i p a t i o n in Selected P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
A c t i v i t i e s R e l ative to the Degree Hel d by
K -12 R e s p o n d e n t s and the Beginning of their
T e a c h i n g C a r e e r ................................. 114

4.10

C o m p a r i s o n of P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s
116
of Degree G r o u p s ...............

xi

4.11

Use of Kno w l e d g e Gained in ProfessionalG r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s R e l ative to S e l ected Age
Groups ..........................

118

4.12

Use of Kno w l e d g e Gained in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
A c t i v i t i e s Relative to the Degree H e l d by
K - 12 Re s p o n d e n t s ............................. 120

4.13

P e r c e i v e d Ob s t a c l e s to Con t i n u e d Profe s s i o n a l Gro w t h A c t i v i t y Relative to Selected Age
G roups ........................................... 123

4.14

Per c e i v e d Obs t a c l e s to Con t i n u e d P r o f e s s i o n a l Gr o w t h A c t i v i t y Relative to the Degree H e l d
by K - 12 Re s p o n d e n t s ......................... 126

4.15

Pr o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s Identified by
K-12 Re s p o n d e n t s in O r d e r of P r eference ....133

B.l

Age of MST A Respon d e n t s

B.2

Gender of M S T A R e s p o n d e n t s

B. 3

Respon d e n t s M e m b e r s h i p Years

B .4

MST A Co n f e r e n c e s A t t e n d e d by R espondents

B.5

R espon d e n t s M e m b e r s h i p in Science
O r g a n i z a t i o n s ................................... 182

B.6

O t h e r Science O r g a n i z a t i o n M e m b e rships as
Identified by at Least Ten K - 1 2
Respon d e n t s ..................................... 183

B .7

........................ 180

Q-P

..................... 180
in MSTA

......... 181
....181

~ ................. 1S4

B. 8

Present C e r t i f i c a t i o n of Respondents

B .9

Science Cer t i f i e d A reas of R espondents

B. 10

Present P o s i t i o n

of R e s p o ndents

B. 11

Prim a r y Level of

Assignment

B. 12

Science Subject Area Pre s e n t l y Teaching

B. 13

Location of R e s p o n d e n t s ’ S c h o o l s ............... 189

B. 14

Distance from the R e s p o n d e n t s ’ Residence to
Nearest College or U n i v e r s i t y ................. 189

B. 15

Initial Teach i n g

......... 185
...... 185

.............. 186

................... 187
..... 188

Choice of K -12 Teachers

xii

..190

B.16

R e c e r t i f i c a t i o n of K - 12 Teach e r s

............ 190

C.l

Average Career E x p e r i e n c e and P r o f essionalGrowth A c t i v i t y Relative to Selected Age
Groups ........................................... 191

C.2

Average C a r e e r Exper i e n c e and P r o f essionalGrowth A c t i v i t y Relative to the Degree Held
by K - 12 R e s p o n d e n t s ..........................192

C.3

Average C a r e e r Exper i e n c e and P r o f essionalGrowth A c t i v i t y Relative to the Gend e r / A g e
Groups ........................................... 193

C.4

C o m p a r i s o n of Total Formal ProfessionalGrowth A c t i v i t y of G e n d e r / A g e G roup
...... 195

C.5

Average C a r e e r Expe r i e n c e and P r o f essionalGrowth A c t i v i t y Relative to the G e n d e r and
......... 196
Degree H eld by K - 12 Re s p o n d e n t s

C.6

C o m p a r i s o n of Total Formal P r o f essionalGrowth A c t i v i t y of G e n d e r / D e g r e e Groups

....199

C.l

Average C a r e e r Exper i e n c e and P r o f essionalGrowth A c t i v i t y R e l ative to Assi g n m e n t
Level/Age Groups ............................... 200

C.8

Average C a r e e r Exper i e n c e and ProfessionalGrowth A c t i v i t y Relative to Assi g n m e n t Level
and Degree Held by K - 12 R e s p o n d e n t s ........202

C.9

C o m p a r i s o n of Total Formal P r o f essionalr»rowf K

Apt ivi f v

Groups

.......

r>f

A

c q i

rfnmont

T

otto

1. . . . T. . . . . .

1

. . ! ...... 206

C.10

P a r t i c i p a t i o n in Selected P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
Acti v i t i e s Relative to G e n d e r / A g e Groups ...207

C.ll

C o m p a r i s o n of P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c tivities
of G e n d e r / A g e Gr o u p s ...........................210

C.12

P a r t i c i p a t i o n in Selected P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
A ctivities Relative to the Gender and Degree
Held by K - 12 R espondents ....................212

C.13

C o m p a r i s o n of P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h Activ i t i e s
of G e n d e r / D e g r e e G r o u p s ........................ 215

xiii

C.14

P a r t i c i p a t i o n in Selected P r o f essionalGrowth A c t i v i t i e s Relative to the Beginning
of an A s s i g n m e n t Level/Age Groups Teaching
Career ........................................... 217

C.15

C o m p a r i s o n of P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h Activ i t i e s
of A s s i g n m e n t Level/Age Groups ............... 221

C.16

P a r t i c i p a t i o n in Selected P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
A c t i v i t i e s R e l ative to the A s s i g n m e n t Level
and Degree H eld by K - 12 R e s p o n d e n t s ...... 224

C.17

C o m p a r i s o n of P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h Activ i t i e s
of A s s i g n m e n t L e v e l /Degree Groups ........... 228

C.18

Use of the K n o wledge Gained in the P r o f essionalGrowth A c t i v i t i e s Relative to Gender/Age
Groups ........................................... 231

C.19

Use of the Kno w l e d g e Ga i n e d in ProfessionalGrowth A c t i v i t i e s R e l ative to the Gender and
Degree Held by K - 12 R e s p o ndents ........... 234

C.20

Use of the K n owledge Gained in P r o f essionalGrowth A c t i v i t i e s Relative to the Assig n m e n t
Level/Age Groups ............................... 237

C.21

Use of the K n owledge Gained in Selected
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s Relative
to the A s s i g n m e n t Level and the Degree Held
by K - 12 Re s p o n d e n t s ...................... ...241

C.22

P e rceived Ob s t a c l e s to Con t i n u e d ProfessionalGrowth A c t i v i t y Relative to Gender/Age
Groups
...... .245

C.23

Per c e i v e d Obs t a c l e s to C o ntinued P r o f essionalG rowth A c t i v i t y Relative to the Gender and
Degree Held by K -12 Respondents ............ 248

C.24

Per c e i v e d Obs t a c l e s to Continued
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y Relative to
A s s i g n m e n t Level/Age Groups .................. 251

C.25

P e rceived Obs t a c l e s to Continued
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y Relative to
the A s s i g n m e n t Level and Degree Hel d by
K -12 R e s p o n d e n t s ............................... 254

xiv

C H AP TE R I

I N T R O DUCTION TO THE PROBLEM

The Cont e x t of the P r o b l e m
In April of 1983 the United States Gove r n m e n t
released a report c o n c e r n e d w i t h the state of the
N a t i o n ’s public educat i o n a l system.
A Na t i o n at Risk:

That report,

The Imperative for Educational R e f o r m

(National C o m m i s s i o n on Excellence,

1983),

suggested

that the economic and d emocratic state of the nation is
closely tied to the educational he a l t h of the nation.
It also suggested that our present educational

system

had lost sight of its p u r p o s e s and high e x p e c t a t i o n s
and that as a result both the econ o m y and the high
ideals of our nation were at risk.

As a basis of their e v a l u a t i o n A Na t i o n at Risk
used:

1) c u r r i c u l u m content,

and achievement,

2) student exp e c t a t i o n s

3) student time on task,

4) teacher characteristics.

and

In e very area ev a l u a t e d the

c omm i s s i o n found j u s t i f i c a t i o n for concern and
p r e sented reco m m e n d a t i o n s to rectify those conditions.

1

2

Beca u s e of the w i d e s p r e a d d i s s e m i n a t i o n of the
findings and r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s of A N a t i o n at Risk
e d u c a t i o n once a g a i n became a n e w s w o r t h y topic of
discussion.

The i n t e n s i t y of the p u b l i c ’s c o n c e r n and

that of those

involved in e d u c a t i o n itself w a s echoed

in the v ast amount of lite r a t u r e w h i c h followed

(Cross,

1984).

In A Place Cal l e d S c h o o l . G o o d l a d

(1983),

e x p l o r e d the concept of the "Common School"

and

suggests that there are indeed concerns w i t h what is
expec t e d of schools today,

how schools function,

how the schools t h e m s e l v e s are evaluated.
that m u c h of what
to basics",

He c o n cludes

the pu b l i c appears to desire,

exists w i t h i n the schools,

and

"back

but that what

the pu b l i c expects of its schools cannot o ccur unless
there is m a j o r r e s t r u c t u r i n g of schools in light of
ed u c a t i o n a l r e s e a r c h and c o m m u n i t y in t e r a c t i o n and
cooperation.

Some of the changes sug g e s t e d by G o o d l a d ’s
e v a l u a t i o n are:

e a r l i e r enrol l m e n t and g r a d u a t i o n to

match an i n d i v i d u a l ’s stage of learning;

a clearly

d e f i n e d set of goals and e v a l u a t i v e m e a sures which
includes ac a d e m i c s

for all students;

improving the

c o n d i t i o n s of teach i n g and the t e a c h e r ’s knowledge and
skills;

and the a c c e p t a n c e of an ecological p e r s p e c t i v e

3

of e d u c a t i o n w h i c h c o o p e r a t i v e l y moves e d u c a t i o n back
into the c o m m u n i t y at approp r i a t e stages.

In H i g h S c h o o l . B oyer

(1983),

suggests that from

a h i s t o r i c a l p e r s p e c t i v e h igh schools have been
successful;

however,

t o d a y ’s h igh schools appear to

have lost their d i r e c t i o n in light of changes

in

society and the dema n d s pl a c e d u p o n them.

To bring the high school back on course B oyer
suggests a d i r e c t i o n w h i c h w ould refociffi the goals of
the high school

in r e l a t i o n to its place and purpose

the local and global

society.

in

He w ould add more

substance and global p e r s p e c t i v e to the core of
schooling;

improve the instructional d e l i v e r y system

t hro u g h flexible scheduling;

prov i d e for better initial

teacher e d u c a t i o n and renewal and reunite the schools
to colleges,

b u s i n e s s e s and their communities.

Of p a r t i c u l a r

interest to this r e s e a r c h project

are those findings w h i c h relate to the cla s s r o o m
t e a c h e r ’s initial p r e p a r a t i o n and c o ntinuing edu c a t i o n
w h i c h have been use d to justify and legislate new
s tandards for future

teachers.

A N a t i o n at R i s k recommends that each future
teacher should d e m o n s t r a t e an aptitude for teaching and
compe t e n c e

in an a c a demic discipline.

Good l a d

4

r ecommends a p r o g r a m w h i c h w o u l d provide for extensive
clinical expe r i e n c e u n d e r guidance.
selective recruitment,

B o y e r p r o poses

strong p r e p a r a t i o n in a core

c u r r i c u l u m and academic discipline,

and a fifth year of

apprenticeship.

In a p p arent response to the calls for improved
t eacher preparation,

a N a t ional Board for Prof e s s i o n a l

T e a ching Standards has b een formed

(Linn,

1987).

The

National Science T e a c h e r s A s s o c i a t i o n has d e v e l o p e d a
vol u n t a r y c e r t i f i c a t i o n p r o g r a m w h i c h identifies
minimal s u b j e c t - m a t t e r ba c k g r o u n d s for its membership.
And the M i c h i g a n D e p a r t m e n t of Education,

State Board

of E d u c a t i o n has adopted Rule 35 w h i c h p e r t a i n s to
c ontinuing e d u cation for teachers

in section R 390.1135

of the M i c h i g a n T e a c h e r C e r t i f i c a t i o n Code.
,.T A r.

4

^

S e ptember 1, 1989
Association,

~ 1

i s t a i v c

0 4

-O X »

4 .

C l I CO b

Ul i

sjl

The rule
---

a i LCi

(Michigan Science Teachers

1988).

However,

its impleme n t a t i o n has

been p o stponed until after June 30,

1992

Teacher C e r t i f i c a t i o n Code,

The intent of Rule

1989).

35 is to require each teacher who
c ertificate to teach

(Michigan

is granted a

in M i c h i g a n by the State Board of

E d ucation to c o m p l e t e suc c e s s f u l l y a m i n i m u m of six
semester hours of a p p r o v e d academic or appro v e d

5

equi v a l e n t conti n u i n g e d u c a t i o n u n i t s w i t h i n five years
of the granting of the p r o f e ssional certificate.

A p r o b l e m of timely im p l e m e n t a t i o n arises,
however,

w h e n one considers that any changes in

standards for t e a chers will have little ef f e c t u p o n the
present educational system until all of the present
t eachers have been replaced,

have p a r t i c i p a t e d in

inservice activ i t i e s e q uivalent to those standards,

or

have i n d e p e n d e n t l y accepted the need for and
p a r t i c i p a t e d in p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activities
e quivalent to the n e w standards.

A survey c o n d u c t e d by the Michigair^State Board of
E d u c a t i o n "1987 Report on Survey of M i c higan School
Staff E l i gible to Retire,"
Education,

1987)

(Michigan State Board of

states that the average retirement

rate per year for teachers in that survey is 6.7
percent.

That

is,

6.7 perc e n t of the teaching force

will retire each year.

The 1987 survey found that the average
expe r i e n c e

for male teachers and female teachers in the

p o p u l a t i o n from w h i c h the sample was drawn was 16 years
and 14 years respectively.

The average age of male

teachers was 44 and that of female teachers was 43.

6

The report c a u t i o n s that the num b e r of
r etirements will not n e c e s s a r i l y indicate a teacher
shortage because of e n r o l l m e n t s in teacher p r e p a r a t i o n
programs,

a pool of ce r t i f i e d pe o p l e who w ere not able

to get jobs,
teaching,

the r e - e n t r y of c e r tified pe o p l e

outstate teac h e r applicants,

into

and other

p r o f e s s i o n a l s who have exp r e s s e d a desire for a
m i d -life career change to teaching.

The net effect of changes

in initial teacher

p r e p a r a t i o n and c e r t i f i c a t i o n requirements,
respect to teacher replacement,

with

becomes e ven more

q u e s t i o n a b l e if one adds the d e clining e n rollment
figures to those of the S t a t e ’s retirement survey.
Declines

in student p o p u l a t i o n s are often followed by

the elimin a t i o n of teachers with the least seniority.

If teacher r e p l a cement rates suggest that the
impleme n t a t i o n of desi r e d changes will be slow in
arriving then any hope for timely change mus t come from
either inservice or other teacher p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activities.

In Michigan,
inservice programs

the amount of time d e v o t e d to
in public

schools

is often defined

under a c ollective barg a i n i n g agreement m o d e l e d upon
past p r a ctices w h i c h have been influenced by teachers

7

organi z a t i o n s

(Michigan E d u c a t i o n Association,

F e deration of Teachers),

Michigan

school b oard o r g a n i z a t i o n s

(Michigan A s s o c i a t i o n of School Boards),
adminis t r a t i v e organizations.

and

W hile the a g r eement

t y pically defi n e s the nu m b e r of days each year that a
district will require a teacher to p a r t i c i p a t e / a t t e n d
that d i s t r i c t ’s inservice acti v i t i e s

it does not

n o r mally define the topics of those inservices.

A n e x a m i n a t i o n of the present collective
bargaining a g reement of one large school d i s trict in
the State of M i c h i g a n v e r i f i e d the limits such
documents place upo n inservice p r o grams
District,

1987 - 89).

(Saginaw School

In the c o l l e c t i v e barg a i n i n g

a greement e x a mined there w ere 186 actual w o r k days
w hich i n c luded only one
two vpftrc of

11

inservice day for e ach of the

q sxistsncs

the largest school d i s t r i c t s

I’Uaf incjins

ir* one cf

in the State of M i c h i g a n

the school district has only six hours a y ear to
conduct an inservice p r o g r a m for its teachers.
a greement does,
additional

however,

The

allow the district to conduct

inservice programs,

if they occur during the

regularly scheduled w o r k day or the teacher/s involved
v o l unteer to receive

such training after school.

A s s u m i n g that the c o llective bargaining
agreement e x a m i n e d is typical of those found in o ther

8

school d i s tricts

in the State of Michigan,

p r o b a b i l i t y of successful
Holly

(1977)

then the

inservice activ i t i e s w h i c h

sug g e s t e d should be of s u fficient scope

and d u r a t i o n will be limited by each d i s t r i c t ’s abil i t y
to pay for its p r o g r a m s or the teacher/s w i l l i n g n e s s to
v o l u n t e e r e xtra time.

As w ith the c o n d i t i o n s of teacher r eplacement
the State of Michigan,

in

those relating to inservice

a cti v i t i e s suggest that the impleme n t a t i o n of desired
c han g e s wil l be slow in arriving

if only teacher

r e p l a c e m e n t and inservice a c tivities are relied upon.
In effect,

the p r e s e n t c o nditions of teacher

r eplac e m e n t and c o l l e c t i v e b a rgaining suggest that the
p r o b l e m of timely and on-going
desi r e d changes

im p l e m e n t a t i o n of

in e d u c a t i o n through teacher edu c a t i o n

nuist* relv upon ths ^illirionsss of* the tcechcr/c to
p a r t i c i p a t e / v o l u n t e e r in such activities.

In summary,

once a gain there has been a call

from national boards,

educational professionals,

state leg i s l a t u r e s for an improvement
e ducational

system.

and

in the

From that call new standards

in

teacher p r e p a r a t i o n and c o ntinuing edu c a t i o n rules have
evolved in the a p p arent belief that educational
improvement will

follow.

However,

an e x a m i n a t i o n of

teac h e r replac e m e n t rates and the a b i l i t y of local

9

d i s t r i c t s to spon s o r inservice activ i t i e s paints a
q u e s t i o n a b l e p i c t u r e as to w h e n initial t e a c h e r
p r e p a r a t i o n changes and state conti n u i n g e d u c a t i o n
rules might become effective.

Perhaps the s o l u t i o n to

the i m p l e m e n t a t i o n of ch a n g e through changes in teacher
education,

u n d e r the pres e n t and p o s s i b l y the future

educat i o n a l system/s,

rests wit h a k n o wledge of what

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activ i t i e s teachers are involved
w i t h as they mature

(to the extent that i mprovement

is

r ooted in c o n t i n u i n g p r o f e ssional development).

St a tement of the Prob l e m
At pres e n t there

is a lack of information

c o n c e r n i n g formal and informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
acti v i t i e s of p r e c o l l e g e teachers.

This study was

d e s i g n e d to identify and examine the level of formal
and informal p r o f e s s i o n a l growth a c t i v i t i e s of
p r e c o l l e g e teachers as they mature professionally.
S p e c i f i c a l l y the focus was on a select g r o u p of science
teachers.

I mportance of the P r o b l e m
The importance of initial teacher p r e p a r a t i o n and
c o n t i n u i n g e d u c a t i o n to improve the past and present
educational

system has b een ackn o w l e d g e d by many.

y ear Dialog ERIC search u sing the d e s c r i p t o r s of

A 10

10

p r o f e s s i o n a l development,

teac h e r i mprovement and

pro f e s s i o n a l a s s o c i a t i o n s g e n e r a t e d a list of 87
articles.

And the use of the same de s c r i p t o r s yielded a

list of 112 d i s s e r t a t i o n s

from D i s s e r t a t i o n s Abstracts.

In the recent past,

initial

teacher p r e p a r a t i o n

in M i c h i g a n included a college de g r e e w i t h approp r i a t e
course w o r k and 18 s e m ester hours in approved
p o s t - g r a d u a t e c o u r s e s to become a fully c e r tified
teacher.

A fter June 30,

1992,

a fully c e r tified

teacher will have to c o m plete an additional
semester hours or an equiv a l e n t

six

in cont i n u i n g edu c a t i o n

units every five y ears from a state approved agency to
m a i n t a i n that certificate.

All

those who have been

fully c e r t i f i e d on or before June 30,
"Grandfathered"
preparation

1992 will be

and not required to take any additional

(Michigan T e a c h e r C e r t i f i c a t i o n Code

W i t h regard to c o ntinuing e d u c a t i o n H o l l y

1280).

(1977)

c o nducted a study to determine wha t personalp r o f e s s i o n a l g r o w t h of e d ucators was and those factors
w hich c o n t r i b u t e to it, wit h the intent of p r oviding
some insight into wha t might

improve

inservice

education.

W hat H o l l y found in her s t u d y was that there
were no c lear d i s t i n c t i o n s

in r e s ponse to her questions

11

by grade level,

t e a ching experience,

of graduate level education.
that the responses

However,

gender or amount
she did suggest

indicated a common desire of the

r e s p o ndents to be in " n on-threatening environments"
w h i c h w o u l d provide mean i n g f u l experiences for
teachers.

In 1980 DeKarske,
the Sagi n a w Co u n t y

working

in co o p e r a t i o n wit h

(Michigan) Professional Develo p m e n t

Policy Board,

surveyed all of the teachers and

ad m i n i s t r a t o r s

in Sagi n a w county wit h respect to their

per c e i v e d needs.

The project was u n d e r t a k e n in light of

r e s earch w h i c h s u ggested the importance of initial
ed u c a t o r involvement

in the planning stages of

inservice activities to the success of any inservice
a c t i v i t y offered.

Wha t Dekarske

found was that there were many

co m m o n areas of interest held by the educators wi t h i n
the sample surveyed.

However,

he did caution that the

de s i g n of the su r v e y and the breadth of the sample
w ould require future e x a m i nation of educators by grade
and subject to d e t ermine the true needs of those
groups.

In 1978 H e i t z e g looked at the formal
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a ctivities of staff in a M i c h i g a n

12

s u b urban school d i s trict

. He d e f i n e d formal

p r o f e s s i o n a l gr o w t h in terms of college courses,
distr i c t inservices and p r o f e ssional conferences.

What

he found was that there was a r e l a t i o n s h i p of age and
degree to p a r t i c i p a t i o n in formal,
activities.

p r o f e s s i o n a l - growth

As the age of the staff increased or a

higher degree was a t t a i n e d

(MA or BA + 40) the

p a r t i c i p a t i o n in formal professional activities
decreased.

In light of his findings Heit z e g suggested that
the effect of dec l i n i n g e n rollment and the aging of the
staff,

in a system w h i c h use s sen i o r i t y as a basis of

teacher retention,
e ducational

w ould affect the v i t a l i t y of the

institution.

In 1987 Y o v a n o v i c h examined c o ntinuing
p r o f e ssional de v e l o p m e n t of special e d u c a t i o n staff,
per c e i v e d by teachers and administrators.

as

What she

found was that teachers and adm i n i s t r a t o r s share a
number of pe r c e p t i o n s relative to p r o f e ssional
development.

However,

there are d i f f e r e n c e s in the

greater v a r i e t y of a c tivities
teachers vs.

(informal)

used by

ad m i n i s t r a t o r s and the pe r c e p t i o n s those

same ad m i n i s t r a t o r s have regarding the level of
pr o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity of teachers.
of her study also a c k n o w l e d g e d a change

The teachers

in their

13

de f i n i ti on of co n t in u ed pr ofe ssi ona l developm ent
related to their time in the career.

The change

Y ov an o v i c h noted was that p r o fe ss io na l de v el op me nt was
no longer viewed solely as p a rt ic ipa tin g

in graduate

college courses or obta ini ng a m a s t e r ’s degree.

The

responde nts of her study identified professional
d ev el opm ent as the need to keep up with the changes and
trends in their p a r t i c u l a r area of teaching through
pa rt ic i p a t i o n in a v a r i e t y of activi ti es

In summary,

there

.

is a sign ifi can t amount of

information avail abl e concern in g the value of and
importance of initial and continuing te ach er education.
Unfortunately,

none of those studies ex am in ed has of

yet been integrated with the other to provid e a clear
picture of the pr of es s i o na l grow th activi tie s of
oq f o n o
product of time,

cond uc ts d in prc*ct.icc cm a

pr ofe s s io na l maturity,

and pa rti cul ar

group.

Purpose of the Study

It is the p u rp os e of this study to identify and
examine the level of formal and

informal pr ofe ssi ona l-

gro wt h activi tie s of a pa rt ic ul ar group of science
teachers

(members of the Mi ch i g an Science Teachers

As so c i a t i o n - M.S.T.A.)

as these are cond uc te d in

14

pr actice and to examine the nature of re la tiv e chang es
of the ac qu is i ti on of kn owledge as those gr ou p m e mb er s
mature professionally.

Q ue sti ons to be A n s w er e d by the Study

1. Are there d if fe ren ces

in formal pr o f e s s i o n a l -

growth ac ti vi t y of science teachers who
belong to a profe ss ion al organization,

g r oup ed

by teacher age or deg re e level?

2. Are there d if fe ren ces

in informal

pr o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac tivity of science
teachers w h o belong to a profes sio nal
organization,

groupe d by teacher age or deg re e

level?

3. V/hat is the r e l at io ns hi p b e twe en formal
pr o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t y and informal
pr o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t y of teachers,
grouped by teacher age or degree level?

4. Are there d i f f er en ces

in teacher p e rc ept ion s

of the re la t i o n s h i p betwe en kn owledge gained
in formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a ct ivi ti es and
the use of such knowledge wit hi n the c l a s s ­
room,
level?

relative to teacher age or degree

15

5. Are there dif fe re nc es

in teacher percepti ons

of the re la ti o n s h i p b e tw ee n knowledge gained
in informal p r o f e s s io n a l - g r o w t h ac tivities
and the use of such kno wl ed ge w i th i n the
classroom,

relative to teache r age or degree

level?

Su ppl em ent ar y P la nn ed Ana lysis
Data will also be analyze d to deter min e if there
are differences

in pr of es s io na l grow th act ivity in

terms of age or degre e ass oc ia te d w i t h gen de r or level
of assignment

(Elementary,

Middle School,

Junio r High,

High S c h o o l ).

Signi fi ca nc e of the Study

The importance of teacher p r e p a r a t io n to the
goals of the n a t i o n ’s educational system has been
ac k no wl ed ge d by many.

And changes

in initial teacher

pr e p ar at io n and c e r t i f ic at io n have evoived wi t h respect
to those needs.

Unfortunately,

change does not always

seem to occur at the rate at w hi ch it is often desired.

If a clear pictu re of both the formal and
informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o wt h activit ies of science
teachers can be ob ta in ed

it may suggest that teacher

16

p a r t i c i pa ti o n is constant,

albeit varied,

and therefore

a vehicl e a lr ead y exists to introduce new standards to
those individuals who have been ot herwise

"Grand­

fathered." Or that same picture m a y suggest that there
is a need to de ve lo p ac tivities to draw "Grandfathered"
educa to rs

into c on ti nu in g p r ofe ss ion al de ve lop me nt to

bridge the period of changes

in teache r pre pa ra ti on and

standards.

In addition,

the d o cu me nt at io n of the level of

informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g ro wt h activities of a select
group of teachers might suggest that there

is a need

for a serious eva lu at io n of how and why those
ac tiv iti es contrib ute to the pro fessional growth of the
individual teacher.

D ef in it io n of Terms

Formal.

P r o f e s s i o na l- G r ow th Act iv it y

Col leg e- cr ed it classes,
inservice education,

di st ri ct - s po ns or ed

and par ti ci pa ti on in pro fessional

con fe re nc es and w o r k s h o p s

(Heitzeg,

1978).

17

Measure of Formal Pr of es si on al -G ro wt h Act iv it y

The c om pu ta ti on of Formal,

P r o f es si on al -G ro wt h

A c ti v it y hours will be de ter min ed in a m a nn er similar
to a study co mpleted by He itz eg
ex c ep ti on of inservice hours.

(1978) w i t h the

The c o m p ut at io n used in

his study for inservice hours was d e v el op ed with regard
to

his ability to access teacher records directly.

Because the po pu l a ti on of this study does not have a
similar data source available teachers surveyed will be
asked to "estimate"

to the best of their ab ili ty the

time spent in inservice activities.

1 Semester Graduate Credit = 15 Hours
1 Term Graduate Credit

= 10 Hours

1 Conference Day

= 6 Hours

1 Inservice E du cat io n Day

= Teacher E s t im at ed Hours

Informal Pr of es si on al- Gro wt h Ac ti v i ty

Activ iti es such as those identified by Holly
(1977) and Yo van o vi ch

(1987) which have been identified

as providing information of use to teachers and not
identified as Formal Professional- Growth Activities.

18

Measure of Informal P r o f e s s io na l- Gr ow th Ac t i v i t y

The i de nt if ic ati on of levels of Informal
Pro fe s si on a l- Gr o wt h A c t i v i t y will be based upon teacher
per ce pt io ns of their p a r ti ci pa ti on in identified
Informal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h Activities.

Eac h teacher

will select a sur ve y respon se to indicate the relative
amount of time dur in g the past twelve mont hs they have
devoted to identified Informal Pro fes si on al -G ro wt h
Activ it ies as c om pa re d to the time devot ed to such
activities at the be ginning of their career.

Age Groups

There will
22-34;

35-47;

be three age groups for this study:
48-65;

and over 65. The age

groupings are simil ar to those used by He itz eg

(1978)

so that a co mp a r i s o n of data can be accomplished.

Teacher Degree Groups

T ea ch er groups by college degree are:

Bac helor

of Ar ts/ Sc ien ce s only;

Ba chelor of Art s/S cie nce s with

at least

semester hours;

18 additional

Master of

Ar ts /S cie nce s or Ba ch e l o r of Ar ts /S cie nce s wit h at
least 30

semester hours;

at least

15 additional

Master of Ar ts /S cie nce s with

semester hours;

Mas te r of

19

Ar ts /S ci enc es with at least 30 additio nal
hours;

Ed uc at i on Specialist;

semester

and Doctorate.

De li mi ta tio ns

A.

It is not the purpose of this study to
deter min e the re la tio nsh ip be twe en knowledge
obt ained by the teacher and that tr an sfe rre d
to and in te rna liz ed by the student.

B.

It is not the purpose of this study to
determine the value of any par ti cu la r
pr ofe ssi ona l d e ve lop men t act ivity req uired by
a school district,
governm ent

C.

college,

university,

agency.

It is not the purpose of this study to
de termine the value of any pro fessional
de ve lop men t
individual

act iv it y un de r t a k e n by the
teacher.

or

20

As su m p t i o n s and L i mi ta tio ns

A ss um pt io ns

A. A survey of the M.S.T.A.
yield ac cur ate

m e m b e r s h i p will

inf or mat io n pe rta ini ng

to the

formal and informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
act iv it ie s of its membership.

B. The res ponses of the tea chers to the
ques tio ns

relating to the survey will be

accurate.

C. The de sc ri pt io ns of informal pro fe ss io na lgrowth act iv it ie s beyond those

included in

the survey are c a t e g o r i z a b l e .

D. The He it ze g m e t ho do lo gy de ve lo pe d to examine
t.

infpnai f v

a

f f OriSSll

activi tie s of teachers

fsSS

I'CVth

in a su burban school

dis trict can also be used to des cr ib e the
intensity of formal pr of es s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activi tie s of the M.S.T.A.

membership.

E. Te ach er per ce pt io ns of changes
and Formal

in Informal

P r o f e ss io na l- Gr ow th Ac ti v i t i e s can

be used to des cri be ac cur ate ly the
of teacher p a rt ic ip at io n
Grow th Activities.

intensity

in Pro fes sio nal -

21

F. The pa r t i c i p a t i o n of teachers
gr ow th act iv i t ie s

in p r of es si on al

is a ne ce ss ar y component of

school improvement.

G. The amount of ex posure to p r o f e s s i o n al -g ro wt h
ac tiv iti es bears a r e lat io nsh ip to the impact
of such kn ow le dge upon the individual.

Lim itations

A.

The surveyed M.S.T.A.

m e mb e r s h i p is

not n e c e ss a ri ly repr ese nta tiv e of
M i ch ig a n pr ec ol le ge science teachers
as me mb er s h i p m a y indicate a g r ea te r degree
of pr o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti vi ty of those
who choose to belong.

B. The total numbe r of surveys ret urned will
affect the gen er al iz ab il it y of findings.

C. All

informatio-n from the survey is limited

to the time pe r io d

in wh ic h it is generated.

Pop ul at io n of Interest

The p op ul at io n of interest

for this study is the

Mic hi ga n Science Tea chers As so c i a t i o n
define d by the April

1989,

(M.S.T.A.).

mem be rs hi p list.

as

22

The M.S.T.A.

is a pro fe ss io na l org ani za ti on

es ta bl is he d in 1953

to bring tog ether all those

interested in str eng the ni ng and pr o m o ti ng science
ed uc ati on in Michigan.
pre co l le ge teachers,
students,

Its m e mb er s h i p includes

un iv er si ty professors,

college

staff member s of the State Board of

Education,

m e d ia / ma te r ia ls suppliers and other

inter ested individuals.

As of April
the M.S.T.A..
me mb er sh ips

1989,

there were 2659 mem be rs hi ps

in

While there is some cl as si fi ca ti on of

such as regular,

college,

institutional,

there is at present no i d e nt if ic at ion of the m em be rs hi p
wit h regard to actual level of instruction.

The services w hi ch the M.S.T.A.
iucinbcrship can be c a t e g o r i z e d into
1)

pro vid es to its

three bread a r e a s ;

An annual c o nf ere nc e focused upon science e d u ca ti on

issues and science teaching st rategies w h ic h allows
membe rs to obtain Na ti ona l Co nti nui ng E d uc at ion Credit s
for conference attendance,

2) Informational Ma ilings

and 3) R e p r e s e n t at io n at the State and National levels.
On ly those who are Act iv e Members will co ntinue to
receive the services of the or ga ni z at io n while those
individuals who become
literature

inactive will cease receiving

from the organization.

For a mem be r to

become active once again and receive the services of

23

the o r ga ni zat io n a me mb er need only to pay his/he r
dues.

Summary of Proced ur es Used in this Study

Data Colle ct io n
A survey in strument wh ic h was des ign ed through
collabo ra ti on with the M.S.T.A.

was mai le d to 2287

members whose me m b er s hi ps suggested that they are
science teachers.

Each me m b e r was en co u r a g e d to answer

all questions as co mp l e t e l y as po ss ibl e and return the
survey instrument in an at ta ch ed envelop.

The re spondent was re quested to an sw e r questions
in three areas;
activities,

demographic,

formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h

and informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r ow th

activities.

Q ue st ion s pe rta ini ng

to the r e s p o n d e n t ’s

pe rc ep ti on of the use of knowledge gained from
identified ac tivities wi t h i n their c l as sr oo ms was also
included.

Data Analysis
The responses

to the returned surveys was

transferred to co mp ut er disk for ca t e g o r i z a t i o n and
analysis under the he ad in gs of age,
pr of essional assignment.

degree,

gender and

24

The initial analysis of results was ac co mpl ish ed
through a c o mp ar is on of the responses of specific
groups to the same question.

Tab le s were generated

w h i c h compar ed the mean responses to each survey
q ue s t i o n pe rta ini ng to p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity
wi t h regard to age and then degree.
tables generated,

The intent of the

using mean values of responses,

was

to de vel op a general picture of ac ti v i ty w h i c h might
suggest trends or changes

in pr o f e ss io na l- gr ow th

act ivi ty as the profe ssi on al

matures.

A statistical ana lysis of pr eco lle ge teacher
pa rt ic ip at io n in formal and informal profes si on al growt h activi tie s by age and degree was condu cte d using
the Statistical Package

for the Social Sciences.

The

analysis was intended to clarify the relat io nsh ip of
formal and informal pr of es si on al -g ro wt h activit ies of
the prof es sio na l

science teacher as they matu re whi ch

was su ggested throug h the g e n e ra ti on of tables whi ch
com pared only the me a n values of responses.

An

An al y s is of Va riance was cond uc te d to deter min e if
there are significant dif fer en ces wit hi n the age or
degree groups wit h respect to the amount and nature of
formal p r o f e s s i o n a l -g ro wt h activities
engage.

in w h i c h they

And the Ch i- S q u ar e test was used to determine

w he the r there is any di fference w i t h i n the age or

25
t

degree groups relati ve to informal and formal
p r o f es si o na l- g ro wt h ac tiv it y as the profe ssi ona l
matures.

Supp l em en t ar y Pl a n ne d Ana lysis
D at a were also analyzed to deter min e
were differences

if there

in prof es si on al growth activit y in

terms of age or degree a s soc ia ted wi t h gend er or level
of as signment

(Elementary,

Middle School,

Junior High,

Hi g h S c h o o l ).

Ov er v i e w of Ch ap ter s II-V

Chapt er II includes a review of literature
pertai ni ng
f hp nort

to the p u rp os e of the study.
ir»«t ion o t ^ s c h s r s

and the role of pr of es s i o n a l

In particular,

in c o nt in ui ng sducsiticn
organi za ti on s

in

sponsoring such activi ti es will be examined.
III

C h ap te r

includes a d e s c ri pt io n of the po pu l a t i o n and

instrument development,

followed by a p r e s e n t a t i o n of

the study proced ur es used to collect and evaluate the
data.

The results of the data c o l l e c t i o n and its

e v al ua ti on are pres en te d in Chapt er IV,
pa r t ic ip an t comments are summarized.

and selected

A d i s c us si on of

the p ro bl em in light of the findings of the study

is

26

pr es ent ed

in Ch ap te r V along wi t h re co m m e n d a ti on s for

future exp lo ra ti o n in the areas of informal
p r o f e s s i o na l - d e v e l o p m e n t and the roles of profe ss io na l
org an iz at io ns

in co n t in u e d profe ss ion al development.

C H A P T E R II

RE VI EW OF SE LE CTE D LITERA TU RE

This study was con ce rne d wi th the d e v e lo pm ent of a
clear picture of the formal and informal p ro fe ss io na lgrowth activ iti es of a p a r t ic ul ar group of educators
(members of the M i c h i ga n Science Teache rs A s so c i a t i o n M.S.T.A.)

as these are cond uc ted

in practice.

As an initial step to the literature review a
Dialog

search of ERIC and D i s s e r ta ti on s Ab s t r ac ts using

the de sc riptors of pr of e s s i o n a l development,
improvement,
conducted.

teacher

and p r o f e s s i o n a l a s so ci ati on s was
A ten year review of litera tu re yielded 87

ar ticles from ERIC and 112 d is se rt at io ns

from

Di ss e r t a t i o n s A b s t r a c t s w h i c h app ear ed to pe r t a i n to
the subject of this

research.

A f t e r a review of the

abst ra ct s of the articl es and select ed d i s s e rt at io ns
further e x a m in at io n was limited to three areas:
1)

literature

focused on teacher pr of essional

d e v e lo pm en t after enteri ng the profession,
2)

literature w hi ch pe r t a i n e d to teacher p a r t i c ip at io n

27

28

and/or p er ce pt ion s of pr ofe ssi ona l growth in general,
and 3) literature of or ga ni zat ion s wh ich identified
me mb e r s h i p prof es si on al
following

growth activities.

The

is a pr es e n t a t i o n of the literature

identified and reviewe d un der the forgoing limitations.

Te ac he r Pro fessional De ve lop men t Aft er Entering
the Tea chi ng P ro fes si on

Wi th the intent of es tab lis hin g a link between
p e r s o n a l - p ro fe s si on al grow th and inservice education,
H ol ly

(1977) condu cte d a study whi ch drew upon

literature

in the area of inservice education,

educational

theory,

behavior,

and subject

interview

responses.

What Ho ll y found in her literature review was that
past pr ofe s si on a l d e v e l o pm en t was ty pi cal ly mandated,
remedial,

and co ntr ol l e d by those

condi ti on w hic h her subjects
common.
change

in authority,

a

indicated was still

She also found literature which indicated that
in professional development,

practices,

with regard to past

and an un de rs tan din g of the teacher as a

learner had alread y begun.

However,

she argued that

there was a need to det er mi ne just how teachers,
individuals,

as

pe rs on al ly - p r o f e s s i o n a l l y grow before

29

inservice educ ati on could be improved in light of that
knowl edge

.

To det erm in e what p e rs on al -p rof ess ion al
teachers was,

growth of

H oll y used an interview questionnaire

upon a v ol unt ee r sample of p ra ct ic in g teachers who were
at tending summer school at Mic hi ga n State Un iv er si ty in
1976.

The

dem ographic

initial questions of her instrument gathered
information pe rtaining to each participant

while the research qu estions were devel ope d to
deter min e activi ti es of practic ing
meaning to them,
meaningful

teachers which have

iden tif ica tio n of sources of those

activities,

and de sc riptions or definitions

of circums tan ces un der w h i c h meaningful professional
growth exp eriences and ac tivities occur.

What H o l ly found in her ex am ina ti on of the
responses to her interview was that the ma jo ri ty of the
pa rt ici pan ts were

individuals with one to six years of

experie nce who pos se ss e d at least a BA + 15 semester
hours of graduate ed uc a t i o n and were teaching with a
provisional certificate.

She found that based upon

subject responses and frequency of responses twenty-two
categories of activit ie s of pa rt ic ipa tio n could be
identified.

The act ivi ty most often menti one d by her

subjects was teacher con versations wh ich occurred
informally,

while enr oll ed

in un ive rsi ty classes,

or as

30

the result of the t e a c h e r ’s interaction wh il e

involved

in other activities.

To bett er de fi n e and identify the desire d
beneficial a ct iv iti es of individuals,

H ol ly asked each

respondent to identify p r of es sio nal growth activities
they w ou ld pa rti ci pat e
available

in if they had ten hours

for their own p r ofe ss ion al

growth.

ei ghteen categ or ie s of a ct iv it ie s identified,

Of the
the top

five were:

Reading
PI a n / p r e p a r e /o rg an iz e
V i s i t /O bs er ve
C u r r i c u l um d e s i g n / e v al ua ti on
Work w i t h other teachers.
while the bottom five were:

C o n f e r e n c e s / p r o f es si on al m em be rs hi p mee tin gs
Wo r k w i t h ad mi ni s t r at or s
C l'C C l w l V C

uC u1 v X u i C o

Inservice ed u c a ti on
Politics
From the c at eg ori es of pref er red activities and
the co mments in w h i c h they were refere nc ed she
suggested that teachers were c o n ce rn ed w i t h the qualit y
of life wit hi n their classr oo ms and the pr ospect of
improving conditions

through planning and p r e p ar at ion

greatly appealed to them.

With regard to the

i d e nt if ic at io n of sources of

be neficial ac tivities an ex a mi na ti on of the responses

31

of H o l l y ’s data indicated that teachers turn to other
teachers sixty-th ree pe rce nt of the time and to
supervisors,

p ro fe ss o r s / u n i v e r s i t i e s or outside people

less then ten pe rc en t of the time.

The top five

identified sources of beneficial a ct ivi ti es were:

Oth er teacher s
Reading
U ni ve rs it y Classes
Se lf/ Exp eri enc e
Teachers in Classe s
Ag ai n it was tea chers or reading to w h i c h teachers
turned to for advice or help with cl a s s ro om problems
arising from their tea ching situations.

Wit h regard to

un iv e r s i t y classes H o l l y sugg es ted that the com ments of
the respondents in dicated that even their value was
greatl y enhanced by pe r c e iv ed inte rac tio n wi t h other
teachers.

For the most part H o l l y su ggested that teachers
were di sc rim ina tin g

in the types of work sh ops or

seminars that they w o u l d attend.
reasons

She re ported that the

for t e a c h e r ’s choices were often d e sc ri bed

in

terms of teacher pe rc ept ion s of an i n d i v i d u a l ’s
knowledge and experience,
to share informat ion

availability,

and wil li ng ne ss

in a no n- th re ate nin g manner.

Ho lly reported that no respondent

re ferenced formally

st ructured activit ies as beneficial

unless

an informal and no n- th re ate nin g atmosphere.

they were

in

Un ive rsi ty

32

courses w h i c h were v a l u e d a l lo we d teach er interaction,
were c on duc te d by a knowle dg eab le
en ric he d the course,
bridges

individual who

did not lecture them,

from theory to practicality,

"forced"

built

and were not

upon them u nd er c e r t i f ic at io n requirements.

She suggested that teachers p r ef er red to and felt good
wh e n they could pi c k and choose classes to suit their
needs from a v ar ie t y of offerings.

Wi t h regard to beneficial activit ies w i t h
colleagues,

the five most freque nt ly cited response

categories were all

informal,

teachers own time.

More often than not they were

social

in nature,

voluntary,

lacking any formal

and on the

structure and

allowing the individuals to freely express themselves
and exchange informa tio n and knowledge.

' In general,
meaning

H o l l y su ggested that te achers found

first with other teachers,

reflection,

or while creating,

outdoors or while

reading.

in pe rsonal

engag ed ac ti ve ly

Tea che rs value

informal

experiences where they can learn from others
no n- pr es cr ipt iv e ways.
personal
would

implications

occur.

in

Wh en e v e r a teacher di sco ver ed
" P er so nal -p rof es sio na l Grow th

"

33

In sum mar izi ng her study H o l l y su ggested that
inservice e d u c a ti on will be of the greatest benefit to
p a r t i ci pa nt s if it is des ig ned to fit the needs of the
p ar t i ci p a nt s and p r e s e n t e d in an open,

n on -t hr ea te ni ng

e nv i ro nme nt w hic h allows for individual
choice of participation.

refle ct io n and

If inservice edu ca tio n is to

be an effec tiv e c on t r i b u t o r to pe rs ona l- pr of es si on al
growth,

teachers mu s t be allow ed to and truste d to make

decis ion s wi th reg ard to that growth.

In 1976 the National

Science Found at io n

c om m i ss i o ne d Re s e a r c h Tr iangle
conduct a national
and social

Social

asses sm ent of science,

studies education.

the 1977 National

literature;

The report

Surve y of Science.

Studies Ed u c at io n

three studies;

Institute

(Weiss,

a com pr eh en si ve

(N.S.F.)

(R.T.I.)

mat hem ati cs
, Report of

Mathematics,

1987),

to

and

c o n si st ed of

review of per tinent

case studies of typical

school districts;

and ba ckg rou nd inf orm ati on pertain ing

to educational

personnel.

In 1983 R.T.I.
second

applied to the N.S.F.

to conduct a

survey noting that maj or reports pertai ni ng

science educa tio n were still
study as late as 1983.
from the N.S.F.

to

relying upon the 1977

In 1984 R.T.I.

rec eived a grant

to complete a similar national

34

assess men t of educ at io n w h ic h wo uld focus more on
science and m at he ma ti cs teachers,

and their principals,

and to compare the 1977 study and the new study to
identify trends.

In 1987,

pu bl is he d the Report of the

the R.T.I.

comp le te d and

1985-86 National Survey of

Science and M at he ma ti cs Education.

The R.T.I.

study involved a national pr o b a b i l it y

sample of schools,

principals,

and teachers

kin de r ga rt e n throug h twelfth grade.

in

Teachers were

selected from lists pr ov id ed by partici pat ing
princi pa ls

in pa rt i ci pa ti ng

school districts.

R.T.I.

spec if ic al ly noted that the use of pr incipals to select
teacher p a r t i c ip an t s at random would be avoid ed due to
concerns of sampling bias.
changes

Addit io na l co ncerns and

in sampling p ro ce du re s required that sampling

rates be adjusted

for c h e mi st ry and physics teachers

to

insure a sufficient number of each due to the larger
number of biolo gy teachers.

A total of 6,156

science

and m a t h e ma ti cs teachers were selected for
p a r t i c i p a t i o n in the

The R.T.I.

study found that the typical

teacher had aged,
1977 study,

1985-86 study.

science

had more experience than found in the

and that there was no supportive evidence

for concern with regard to science teacher retirement
in the next decade.

Similar to the 1977 survey the

35

1985-86 survey found that as grade level

increases so

does the percent of teachers with higher degrees.
particular,

In

the pe rce nt of tenth through twelfth grade

science teachers w i t h degre es beyond the bachelors had
si gn ificantly increased to sixty-three p e rc en t with
eighty-f ou r percent of tenth through twelfth grade
science teachers having one or more degrees in science
or science education.

With regard to individual state certification,

the

survey found that roughl y five percent were only
p ro vi sio nal ly certified.

Most seventh throu gh twelfth

grade science teachers are certified to teach one or
more science subjects.

The profes sio nal dev el opm en t of science teachers
was examined by R.T.I.
of their qualification,

in terms of teacher perceptions
o pp ort un it ies

for professional

development and teache r p a r t i c ip at io n in pro fessional
develop men t activities.

Elemen tar y school teachers,
sixth grade,

kinder gar ten through

indicated that they felt well qualified

most areas of instruction.
qualifica tio ns

in

Their responses to

in the area of science,

however,

suggested that the m aj or it y feel only adequately
qualified to teach science.

In contrast,

the majority

36

of secon da ry teachers,

seventh throug h tw elf th grade,

in their responses to ques ti on s co ncerning
q ua li fic ati on s

indicate that only six percent of those

responding felt in ad equ at el y qualified;
from thirteen perce nt

a reduction

in the 1977 study.

Posing the

same que sti on of qu al if ica ti ons of seventh through
twelfth grade science teachers to s e co nd ary school
princ ipa ls yielded similar overall ratings

for science

teachers.

In examining p r of es si ona l dev elopment

through

college courses taken by teachers the study reported
that many have not taken a college course in their
subject area

(science)

in a number of years.

decrease was found to occur at all grades,
through twelfth,
f K o f

f Kft

While

the

ki nd erg art en

the table of data reported suggested
i r>

o u k

-i -P-» r>

r»/s 1 1

c o ur se wo rk is greatest at the k i nd er ga rt en through
sixth grade levels.

Responses pertai ni ng to attendance at professional
meetings,

con fe re nce s and work sh op s

or mathematics teaching

indicated that the amount of

time was us u a l l y less than six hours
year.

for the previous

With regard to su bj ect -s pec if ic

ac tivities
grade,

relating to science

in-service

fifty percent of kind er gar te n through sixth

thi rty percent of seventh through ninth grade,

37

and tw ent y-s eve n p er cen t of tenth throug h twelfth grade
teachers reported no in-service time in science during
the last 12 months.

In co ntrast thi rte en percent of

k in der gar ten throu gh sixth grade,
seventh through n int h grade,

twent y- tw o percent of

and tw en ty- fi ve percent of

tenth through t we lf th grade teachers spent more than
six but less than fifteen hours on subject specific
in-service a cti vi tie s

in the pre vious year.

An analysis of t e ac he r responses to preferred
times of atten dan ce at p r of es si on al developm ent
activities

indicated

that at least fif ty- sev en percent

of all three teache r groups would ve r y likely attend
ac tivities

if they were offered on a teacher workday.

Other time p r e fe re nc es

for in-service pr ograms for all

three teacher groups was summer with at least
" t H i v'“ tho p ? r c 9 n t } s.ftsr' school ct. iccst tv,Tcr*ty“Ci.^h"t.
percent,

evenings at least fifteen percent,

and

Saturdays at least twelve percent.

To dete rmi ne teache r p r ef ere nce s with regard to
other re cognized means to stay current or learn of new
develo pm ent s teachers were asked to choose from a list
of thirteen sources.
sources,

the top three for k i nde rg art en throu gh sixth

grade teachers were
percent),

Of the th ir tee n available

in-service pr ograms

n e w s p a pe rs /m ag az in es

(fifty-three

(forty-five percent),

38

and oth er tea chers

(forty-four percent).

The top three

choices for seventh th rou gh ninth grade teacher s were
journals

(fifty-two percent),

(forty-six percent),
percent).

and

colleg e courses

in-service pro gra ms

The top three choices for tenth through

twelf th grade teachers were journals
percent),

(forty-one

other teachers

college courses

(fifty-four

(forty-three percent)

(forty-one percent).

selected sources were publishers,

and

The least often

sales re pr e s e n t at iv es

and state dep ar tm en t personnel.

Sanfo rd

(1988)

rev iew ed literature pe rta ini ng

to

the co ndi tio ns of pro fe s s io na l de ve lop men t of beg inning
science teachers
countries.

in the Unit ed States and other

Among her findings was

that there

is a

sc arcity of research on science teach er p r ep a r a t i o n and
de ve lop me nt on the job as co mpared to other topics

in

the area of science education.

A n d of that research

pe rta in ing to scien ce teachers,

a significant amount

was conce rne d wi th p r e s er vi ce tea chers or pro grams and
not begin nin g teachers.

An oth er finding was that whi le

there has been an increase
pr ogr am efforts

in the body of research and

focused on teacher

induction,

almost

all of the res earch has ignored d i f f er en ce s among
content areas or di ff er e n ce s betwee n ele me nt ar y and
seco nd ar y programs.

39

To d em on st rat e a d if fer en ce b e twe en teacher
content areas Sanford used a com pa ri so n betwee n the
areas of ma t h e m a t i c s and science w h ic h are
t r a d i t i o n a ll y lumped together.
o b se rv at io ns of m a t he m a t i c s
p r i m a r i l y taught

She suggests that

in st ruction show that

it is

from well defin ed and sequenced

textbooks while science

is not.

Science

instruction

has to con sid er a lar ge r amount of concepts and
therefore does not ap pe a r to have a co nsensus about
goals or a core c u r r i c u l u m wh ic h wo ul d allow
ins tr uction similar to what one w ou ld observe

in a

m at he mat ics classroom.

To further de ve l o p the dif fe ren ces b e twe en the
needs of be ginning science te achers and the needs of
beg inning teachers of oth er content areas Sanford cites
the research of Em mer

(1987) who exa min ed the

experie nce s of two reading teachers and two science
teachers.

A lt ho ug h only one of the two reading

teachers had had pre vio us
reading there were
instructional

exp er ien ce s

few identified di ff ere nce s

in the

ac tiv iti es used by the two teachers.

the other hand,

the science teachers

d em on st ra te d a greate r di ve rsi ty
activities.

in teaching

An e x pl an at io n

On

in the study

in their instructional

for the di ff ere nce s found

in the com pa ri so n of be gi nni ng te ach er instructional

40

acti vi ti es was that the reading p r og ra m had identified
norms and close te ach er

in te raction while the science

pr og ra m had neither.

Sanford also re fer en ce d research wh ich reported
concer n pertai nin g to the areas of content pr ep ar at io n
of beginning teachers,

assign men t mismatch,

and a

growing awareness that u n i v e r s i t y study of an academic
di sci pl ine may not p r ov id e the kind of knowledge that a
teacher needs to t r a n s f o r m that knowledge into
cl as sro om activities.

She suggested that in light of

that research the be gi n n i n g science teacher must
grapple with their knowledge,
wea lth of content,

their assignments,

and a

before they begin to teach.

As for the ide nti f ic at io n of sources of assistance
for the beginning te ach er Sanford cites one of her
earlie r studies w h i c h co mp a r e d the planning activities
of beginning and e x p e ri e n ce d teachers.

She reports

that none of the be gi nn ing teachers de scribed science
colleagues or cu rr ic ul u m guides as major sources of
information.

Student teaching experiences were

ment io ned only when there was a match in those
experiences.

She also reports that there may be

doc uments which de sc ri be what should be taught.
Support

for beginning science teachers to translate

41

their knowledge and ex pe riences
activities does not,

however,

into instructional

app ea r to exist.

Sanford further reported that an ex am in ati on of
the literature p er ta in ing

to the en cu l t u r a t i on of

beginning teachers v i a the se condary department
interaction or under departmental ch ai r m an leadership
suggested a rather b le ak situation.

As an example of

the situation Sanford refers to a study by Little
(1985) which reports that there appears to be limited
time available

for teach er exchanges of information and

the apparent norms of teaching suggest that each
teacher must learn by

independent trial and error.

in a study by Hord and Diaz-O rt iz

(1986)

And

they reported

that while some do observe c l a ss ro om teaching and offer
assistance,

the m a jo ri t y of department heads have

received no training on hew tc help teachers with
instructional pro bl em s or p r of es sio na l growth.

As a r e c omm en dat io n to change the conditions of
beginning science teache r profe ssi ona l dev el opm en t
described

in the literature Sanford suggests that

action be taken in the

four following areas:

1.

Ack no wl ed g em en t of the beginning t e a c h e r ’s
expertise and student teaching experience.

2.

Initial inservices on instructional planning
and c l a ss roo m manage me nt for beginning
teachers.

42

3.

R e c o gn it ion of the special needs of first year
science teachers with regard to pl an ni ng and
preparation.

4.

Cr eative solutions to enhance science teacher
interactions w i t h i n the secondary school.

In 1983 Youa tt c on duc ted a study "Informal
A c t i v i t ie s

Identified as C o ntr ib uti ng to the

Pr of essional D e v el op men t of Selected Mic hi ga n Home
Ec onomics Teachers."

While the intent of the study was

to identify informal activities wh ic h teachers
p e r ce iv ed to be co nt ri b u t o r s
d ev e lo pme nt

to their professional

it also a t t em pt ed to determine the

re lat ion shi p of activit ie s u nd ert ak en to teacher
c ha rac ter ist ics and motives.

What Youatt

found in her literature review was

that profe ssi on al de ve lo pme nt has often been identified
nq

incprvi pp ^ducat ior , hov,T0 v 0

, it Hcts £,2.c c beer*

identified as a pe rsonal process

in which the teacher

is self-mot iv at ed to seek out relevant activities.

She

found that Adult Learning theories and resear ch have
suggested a strong relati on shi p betwe en informal
learning ac tivities and adult behavior.

Pa rt ic ip at io n

in formal professional de ve lo pm en t activities was often
hindered by time con st ra in ts of home economics
teachers.

43

To identify the informal activi ti es of home
econo mics teachers Youa tt used wh a t she d e s cr ib ed as a
two phase process wi th twenty teachers who v o lu nt ari ly
p a r ti ci pa te d from a sample of home ec onomics teachers
drawn from three Car ee r Ed ucation Pl anning Districts.
The first phase required that subjects meet as a group
and d i sc us s / br ai n st or m concepts relative to the study.
The second phase required that the teachers of the
group respond to a qu es tionnaire relative

to the

questions of the study.

What Youatt found through conten t ana lysis of the
responses to her q ue st io nn air e was that the top three
activities of home economics teachers were Home and
Family Living Experiences,

Courses and W o r ks ho ps which

were offered through commercial ent er pri se s or
nnmmiini tv education,

and Popular Media.

What she alee

found was that the ac tivities w h i c h were identified as
useful

by respondents were those w h i c h pr ov ide d

information to suit the needs of the teacher and
enh anced the t e a c h e r ’s attitude toward or view of
students.

She reported that,

with regard to the sample of

her study,

teachers wi th more than six years of

experience

identified nea rl y four times as many

informal activities as teachers w i t h six or fewer years

44

of tea ching experience.

Those teachers wi t h six or

fewer years of e x p e r ie n c e were more likely to identify
courses or wor ks ho ps than those w i t h more than six
years of experience.

In addition,

the frequency of

informal teache r ac ti v i ty was gr ea te r in those
di st ric ts whi ch res tr ic te d

formal ac tivity

p ar ti ci p a t i o n based up o n avail abl e resources.

In sum mar izi ng her findings You at t states that
there appears to be a r e la ti on sh ip between the stage of
a home econo mic s te ach ers care er and life to the
activi ti es w hic h a teach er be li ev es are most
beneficial,

and the av ai la bi li ty of formal profe ssi ona l

de v e l o p m e n t activities.

T e a c h e r P a r t i c i p a t i o n in and T h e i r Per ce pt io ns of
Pr of e s s i o n al Gro wt h Ac tiv iti es

In 1979 Bu r d e n c o n du cte d a study p e rta in ing to
" T e a c h e r s ’ P e r c ep ti ons of the C h a r a c t e r i st ic s and
Influences on T h e i r Personal
De ve lopment."

and Prof es si on al

His study was un de r t a k e n wi t h the intent

of integrating and ap plying human and career
de v e l o p m e n t re search and theories
development.

to teacher

The de s i r e d end result was the

i d e n ti fi ca ti on of de ve l o p m e n t a l pa tt e r ns and changes

in

45

teachers as they co nti nu e

in their caree rs as well as

causes of such p a tt e rn s and changes.

In his study Bu r d en reviewed literature
areas of H um an Development,

in the

Career Development,

and

Cha ra c t e ri st i cs of Te ach ers and the O c c u p a t i o n of
Teaching.

What he re po rt ed in his literature review
pe rta in in g to H u m a n Develop me nt was that there are
theories of change w h i ch have been de ve lop ed with
regard to age,

psy ch ol o gi ca l behavior,

Most d ev el op me nt al
d e v e l op me nt

and human needs.

studies p e rta in ing to adult

focus up on either ages of dev el opm ent or

psycho lo gi ca l pr o c es s es

related to age.

With regard to career de v e l o p m en t he reported that
it is often defin ed as an ox'derly mo ve me nt of an
individual wi t h a pp ro pri at e
or vertically.

skills either h o ri zo nta ll y

Some have desc ri bed career de ve lop me nt

based upon views of h u m a n dev el opm en t

in terms of life

or age stages.

With regard to Te ac h e r s

and the O c cu pa t i o n of

Tea ching he reported that the literature
teachers were social,
conforming,

conservative,

conscientious,

em pha s iz ed control of self,

others needs and demands,

suggested that

ad aptive to

and were resistant to change.

46

He

found literature w h i c h desc ri bed the o c c u p a t i o n of

teaching as lacking an upw ar d c a r e e r path.

The

liter ature sug gested that for a teacher to move upward
requir ed that they go into a non-t ea ch in g
su p p o r t/s pe cia li st p o s i t i on or become an adm in is tr at or
w h i c h in effect
occupation.

is a reno un cem en t of teaching as an

Or that the teacher may move to another

schoo l/ di st ric t w h i c h offers better benefits or
improved working conditions.

To determine what were the changes w h i c h teachers
p er ce ive d to have oc cur re d in their careers Bur de n used
a focused interview w i t h fifteen el em e n t a r y teachers to
obtain

information.

The teachers were sel ected to meet

specific cr iteria relative to experience,
gender,

and period of teaching.

- - - , , - , , 1

x x ^411

4- U

wiAC

4

- ^ 4- ________4

_________

i i l O C i V ICtYia

The
_________

n a b

assignment,

information
i- K

_

LliCli

__________ -• -

,

.1

C A C U I I ± 11C U

1

ttllU

c a t e g or iz ed into the areas of per son al and profes sio nal
development,

influences of personal

and p r of es sio nal

env ir on me nt on development,

influences of sup er vis or y

pr actices upon development,

and p r e f er en ce s pe rtaining

to facilities and su per vi si on relative to development.

What Burden reported as significant

from his

exa mi n a t io n of the in terview information was that there
was evidence of stages of career d e ve lop men t for
teachers.

The pro gr es s io n

from one stage to another

47

was or d er ly and re quired that te achers u n der go changes
wi th regard to their knowledge,

attitude,

ability,

and

job per fo rm an ce wi th i n each stage before ad vancing to
the next stage.

There

is a de cr eas e of changes in

teachers as they p r o gr e s se d beyond the fifth year as
co mpared to the first four years.

An additional

finding of his study was that there

appeared to be what Bur de n identified as "year phases"
which applie d to each t e a c h e r ’s development.

He stated

that there were di sti nc t c h ara ct eri sti cs associated
with his three cat eg or i e s of "year phases".
year he

identified as a time

in whi ch teachers were

co ncerned with m a n ag em e n t and profes sio nal
skills.

The second,

third,

The first

survival

and fourth years were

conc ern ed with begin nin g to try new teaching methods,
4- A ssr,

v x

)

teaching complexities.

UilU

~

U

^

4- « _

gl Ifaoci

— --- ------------- _ x*

JM'CI

\JL

The fifth year and beyond was a

time in w h i c h te achers ap peared to have a good command
of what,

why,

their students

and how they responded to the needs of
in their p a rt ic ul ar working environment.

They were willi ng

to try new methods,

accepted changes

as they occurred,

and began to look for ways to meet

their own needs.

As for the sources or causes of the developmental
changes,

Burden sugge ste d that they could be found in

48

theories relating to care er and human development.
Tea chers in their early years desire to amass the
skills nece ssa ry to be successful and to det er min e
teaching is actually to be their career.
enter a stage

if

They then

in w hi ch they begin to explore other ways

of being successful professionally,

p e r s on al ly and to

limit the tensions a s s o ci at ed wi th teaching.

In addition to the effect human de ve lop me nt had in
shaping t e a c h e r ’s personal

and profe ssi ona l deve lop men t

he reported that his analysis of data indicated that
other teachers great ly
Teach er turnover,
ideas,

influenced their development.

while a tt rib ut ed with bringing

often slowed teach er

in new

interaction due to the time

needed to develo p new relationships.

He found that as time passed teachers accumul at ed
knowledge which led to changes
that the personal

in job performance.

lives and professional

And

lives of

teachers interacted in both po sitive and negative ways.
However,

there were few positi ve

influences associated

with supervisors or ad mi nis tr at or s with regard to the
pr of essional or personal dev el op me nt of the teachers
his study.

In 1980 DeKarske,

worki ng

in co op era tio n with

the Saginaw County Pr of essional Dev el opm en t Policy

in

49

Board,

surveyed all of the teachers and ad mi nis tr at or s

in Sagin aw cou nty w i t h respect to their p e r ce iv ed
needs.

The project was u n de rt ak en because of evidence

pe rt a i n in g to teacher replacement and past re search
w h i c h su ggested the importance of teach er p e r c e pt io ns
and involvement to the success of any inservice
activity.

What Dekarske found was that there were many
common areas of interest held by the ed ucators wi t hi n
the sample surveyed.

However,

he did ca u t i o n that the

des ign of the survey and the breadth of the sample
wo uld require future e x am ina tio n of educa tor s by grade
and subject to deter min e the true needs of those
groups.

In 1987 Ycv an cv ic h examined the prof es sio nal
d ev el opm ent of special educa tio n staff in terms of
teacher and adm ini str ato r perceptions.
defined

in-service ed uc a ti on

She broad ly

to encompass any planned

progra m for the improvement of individuals with in an
educational
individual

setting and professional deve lop men t as an
process more

and environmental
programs.

influenced by a d mi nis tra tiv e

factors rather than available

50

In her study Y o v a n o v i c h reviewed liter at ur e w hi ch
p e r t a i n ed to c on tin ue d teacher pro fes si on al deve lop men t
and adult learning w h i c h related to teacher
pr of es s i o n al development.

What Y o v an o v i c h found p e rt ai ni ng to continued
profe ss io na l de ve l op me n t was literature w h i c h justified
the need

for co nt i nu i ng pr ofe ssi ona l deve lop men t

t o d a y ’s world of knowledge,
enrollments.

t ec hn ol og y and declining

The su gge st io n that as teaching staffs

become more stable,
natural

with

fewer "new"

sources of v i t a li ty and

disappear.

fresh ideas would

in terms of formal c ou rs ew or k

towar d a degree beyond a Bachelors,
inspirational,

lecture,

or remedial,

or other ac ti vi ty required to

in o n e ’s career or fulfill

c e r t i f i c a ti on or ad va nc e m en t
1975

staff members

A de sc r i p t i o n of inservice educ at io n for

teachers was define d

advance

in

re qu irements for

in salary.

As early as

inservice ed u c at io n had been broadly defined as

active

involvement of the teacher in group and/or

individual pu rs ui ts w hi ch occurred after initial
certification.

Te ac he rs are learners who continue to

grow throughout

their lifetimes.

There was a

c o ns id er ab le amount of literature p er ta in in g to teacher
p e r c e pt io ns of inservice education,

often defining

in terms of a d m i n i s t r a t o r s ’ agenda,

irrelevancy,

it

4

51

i ne ff ec tiveness etc.,

w h i c h at the same time suggested

a desire of tea chers to pa rt ici pat e

in meaningful

a ct iv it ie s d ev elo pe d with regard to the nature of the
adult learner.

What she found p e rt ai nin g to adult learning was
literat ure wh ich sug ges te d that d ev el op me nt al
do pr ov id e d if fer en tia l e x pl an ati ons
behavior.

for adult

Among those e x pl an at io ns wh ich she felt

related to
L i n de ma nn

concepts

teachers

as adult learners were those of

(1926) w h i c h drew a r e lat io nsh ip between each

i n d i v i d u a l ’s li fe -c ent er ed orientation,
motivation,
differences.

need for self-direction,

experience,

and age

She also cited literature w hi ch supported

the need to apply adult learning knowledge to future
inservice and pr of es s i on al

de ve lop men t activities.

finally she also re fe r e n c e d the study refered
earli er by Burden

And

to

(1979) w h ic h pro posed the develop me nt

of a car ee r cycle model

for teachers as learners.

To de termine the p e rc ept ion s of special ed ucation
teachers and ad min is t ra to rs Y ov an ov ic h devel ope d an
interview schedule to be used with all participants.
The parti cip ant s were volun te ers
e du cat ion dist ric ts
teaching

sample

from two special

in the state of Indiana.

The

included 36 female teachers and 2 male

52

teachers.

The ad mi nis tr ati ve

sample

included 13 male

ad m i n i s tr at o rs and 2 female administrators.

What Yo va n o vi ch found was that teachers and
a dm in is t r at or s share a numb er of per cep tio ns

relative

to the need for and de fi n i t i o n of pro fessional
d e v e l o pm e n t activities.

Ad mi ni st ra to rs

identified the

same areas as teachers did wi t h regard to teacher
p r ef er en c es of p r of ess io na l de ve lop me nt activi tie s and
both va lu e d act ivity
A d m i ni st ra to r s also

in prof es sio nal

organizations.

identified the same o b st ac les to

pro fe ss io n al d ev el op me nt ac ti v i ty for teachers such as
time,
and

cost,

family.

and outside res pon sib il iti es of co m m u ni ty
However,

there were

identified d i f f e re nc es

in the greate r va rie ty of activi tie s
tea chers vs.

(informal)

used by

adm ini st r a to rs and the per ce pti ons those

same admi nis tra to rs ha\c i c^aruiug

uiic icV6i oi

pr of es si on a l - g r o w t h ac ti vit y of teachers.

And there

was an ac kn ow le dge men t by teachers of a change

in their

d ef in it io n of conti nue d profe ssi ona l developm ent
related to time

in their teaching career.

Pro fessional

dev el op me nt was

identified as being more than attending

college courses or obtai nin g a m a s t e r ’s degree.

It was

identified as a va ri et y of activit ies to assist the
teach er with keeping up wi th the latest trends
profession.

in their

53

From her resp ons es Y o va n o v i c h su ggested that
conti nui ng p ro fe ssi on al d e ve lop men t should be varied

in

nature and d ev elo pe d wi t h regard to knowledge
per ta in ing to the adult learner.
mixture of formal and informal

It should be a

activities dev eloped to

suit the individual needs and learning styles of
teachers.

The a ct iv iti es should provide for informal

interaction of the pa rt ic i p a n t s so as to allow an
exchange of and integra ti on of new ideas with their own
experiences.

There should be c o l l a b or at ive efforts of

both teach er and ad mi n i st ra to r to build upon their
similar pe rc e pt io n s to devel op profe ssi ona l growth
activities w hi ch are more likely to succeed and
ac co m p l i s h goals.

Finally,

growth activi ti es will

ef fective pr of essional

require long term commitments of

teachers to contin uin g education.

In 1978 H e i tz eg

looked at the

formal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activi ti es of staff in a Michigan
suburban school di strict with regard to the degreelevel and age of staff members.
profes si on al

He defined formal

growth in terms of college courses,

district

inservices,

ac tivity

in terms of hours of participation.

purpose

professional conferences and
His

for the study was to devel op and test a model

54

whi ch could d e t er min e the impact of de clining student
enrollment

in public schools on staff development.

In his literature search H e it ze g reviewed
mater ia ls wh ic h p e r t a i n e d to en ro llm ent -fo rec as tin g
techniques,

approa che s to and effect iv en es s of

inservice education,

and the

impact of declining

en rollment upon the educational

institution.

What he

found p er ta in in g to en ro ll me nt -f or ec as ti ng was that,
baring mi g r a t io n pa tte rn s of people,

the decline

in the

number of ki nd er g a rt e n through twelfth grade students
was well do cum ent ed and reason ab ly accurate.
regard to the pr ofe ss i o n al
legal,

medical,

With

growth activities of the

and funeral professions he found that

pr ofe ssi ona l gro wth

is accepted,

voluntary,

and often

required by each of the examined professions,
f K p

q f qf o

practice.

o o

o

r o q n i r o m o n f

However,

growth activity,

O £

C O H ulllUCd

if not

p u b l i c

of the three forms of professional

colleg e classes,

and p rofessional conferences,

district

inservices,

he found little data to

support the notion that conference at tendance had a
significant

impact upon professional performance.

With

regard to the effects of en rollment decline he noted
that some were pos itive
for overcrow ded

systems.

in terms of space avail ab ili ty
However,

in di stricts which

have experien ced a drastic reduction in enrollment

55

entire buildings have been closed and staff layoffs
have occurred.

A si tu at ion wh ich he re po rte d raised

some conce rn wi t h regard to the pr ac t i c e of se niority
layoff and the di ff e re nc es be twe en new teachers and
older teachers.

To deter min e the level of formal p ro fe ss io na lgrowth act ivity of his subjects,

H e it ze g used a survey

instrument to d et erm in e college cou rs e hours,
profe ssi on al c o n f er e nc es
spent

in terms of hours,

in te ac he r- in se rv ic e activities.

days at

and hours

The subjects of

the study were ran domly chosen from twelve categories
derived through the pr odu ct of de gre e-l eve l and age
one partic ula r sub urban school district.
was made to

An attempt

insure that at least twenty but no more

than thirty-five were selected for each category.
total

in

A

of 30! subjects were drawn but data were

available

from only 290.

A further ex a mi na ti on of the

sample selected ind icated that sixty-th ree percen t were
female,

th ir ty- sev en percen t were male,

percent were e le me nt ar y assignments,
percent were

secondary assignments,

were special education,

therapist,

fifty-three

thi rty-three
fourteen percent

social worker,

ps ych olo gis t and cu rr i c u l u m consultants.

From the res ponses to the surve y He itz eg

found a

range of act ivi ty whi ch varied from 0 to 628 hours.

56

His st at istical an alysis of total p r o f e s s io n a l - g r o w t h
ac ti vi ty su ggested that young er teachers are more
active.

Tea chers with the highest level of formal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y have ac hieved the highe st
college deg ree l e v e l .

An an aly si s of interact io n be twe en age
degree level d e te c te d no

int eraction relative to

pr o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity.

However,

tabular data

s ug ges ted to Heitze g that the least active
teache r at the B.A.

level and

is an older

level and that there is a te ndency

toward less act ivi ty at all degree levels.

He also

found that the olde st group at MA+15 to 30 are more
active

than their younger co unt erp art s at the BA + 40

or MA level.

If the BA + 40 /MA group were

then there wo uld be a consist en t
r>rofpRRi nnfl] -<»rnwf h €*.ct ivity j ss
consis ten t decline

increase

ignored

in formal,

ificrsstsss sind 3.

in formal p r o f es si on al -g ro wt h

act ivi ty as age increases.

To de te rmi ne what the cons eq ue nc es of a de clining
enrol lme nt would have upon the levels of p ro fe ss io na lgrowth act ivity

in his school di st ri ct Heitz eg

de ve lop ed and used a model which took into account his
findings and a r ed uc tio n of fifty students a year.
What he found was that as the student enrollment
d e c re as ed there w o u l d be layoffs of the least senior

57

teachers,

ty pi cal ly younger,

and as a result a decli ne

in district p r o f e s s i o na l- gr ow th act ivi ty might occur.

In co nc lu s io n H ei tz eg argues that

if only the formal

pr o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t y of teachers

is

ac kn ow l e d g e d then the data suggest that teachers may
become relati ve ly less skilled wi t h time and the
v i t a l i t y of an educati on al
However,

he cautions,

system will suffer.

that an ass um pt io n of the study

was that p r o fe ss io na l ed ucators do grow in kn owledge
and skill

in a d d i t i o n to the

identified

in his study.

as "informal"

formal ac tivities

He refers to such activ it ies

such as staff conversations,

of other teachers,

obse rv at io ns

and eva lu ati ons by supervisors.

Since one goal of formal ed u c a t i o n

is to foster the

se l f -i ni ti at ed or se lf -d ir ec te d ac tivity of the
Iparnpr.

then those activities,

wh e t h er formal or not,

whi ch are un de r t a k e n by an individual may c on tri bu te to
their cont in ue d growth.

Ost and Baird

(1989)

ex am in ed and co mp ar ed the

pe r ce iv ed sources of experie nc ed science t e a c h e r s ’
skills and knowledge with other experie nc ed teachers
who earned A l a b a m a ce r t i f i c at io n in the same time
period.

To do so they surveyed

1260 A l a b a m a teachers

who held at least M a s t e r ’s degrees as of June

1985.

The survey instrument used was o ri gi na ll y de signed to

58

ev aluate teacher ed uc a t io n pr ograms

in light of state

standards.

Of the 610 surveys w hi ch were returned by the
surveye d teachers 491 were
the refore useful
the 491

identified as teachers and

to their study.

The responses

from

teachers we re analyzed und er the catego ri es of

1)

Instructional and C l as sr oom Management,

2)

Instructional

St rat eg ie s and Techniques,

as an Individual,

3) Learner

and 4) Social and Professional

Fou nda tio ns of Teaching.

The results of the analysis suggested that as a
group the maj or it y

indicated that their knowledge of

Instructional and Cl a s s r o o m M an age me nt was derived from
gr aduate educa tio n or experience.

The responses of

science teachers were not found to be signifi can tly
diff ere nt

from the general

po pu la ti on being studied.

The responses to questions pe rta ini ng
Instructional

to

St rat egi es and T ec hni qu es suggested that

the sources of that knowledge in six out of the eight
areas was pr im ari ly graduate educa tio n or experience.
A significant dif fe re nc e betwee n science teachers and
others was
app rop ria te

found on ly in the use of a variet y of
instructional ma te ria ls and media.

59

The responses to que stions pertai ni ng to Learner
as an Individual
derived

indicated that teacher knowledge was

from gra duate educ at ion or experience.

A

significant di fference betwe en science teachers and
other teachers was found only in the area of adapting
mat er ial s to individual differe nc es and relating
mate ri al s to s t u d e n t s ’ experiences.

The responses to questions pertai ni ng to Social
and Pro fe ssional Fou nda ti on s of Teaching

suggested that

in six of the nine areas examin ed the ma jo r i t y of the
teachers

indicated that their knowledge was derived

from experience.
mu lt i cul tu ral

Only in the area of workin g with

students was there a significant

d if fe re nc e between science teachers and the rest of the
study group.

As a result of their analysis of teacher responses
Ost and Baird

(1989)

have suggested that science

teachers view their sources of knowledge

in much the

same way as other teachers with the exceptions of media
usage,

adapting mate ria ls to students,

mu lt ic ul tur al

students.

other teachers

Both science teachers and the

surveyed attri bu te d the ma j o r i t y of

their knowledge in the areas of,
Cl as s ro om Management,
Techniques,

and working with

Instructional and

Instructional

St rategies and

Learner as an Individual,

and

Social and

60

Profes sio na l Foundati on s of Teaching to eithe r graduate
ed u c a t i o n or experience.

To explain the results of their survey Ost and
Baird cited literature w h i c h suggests that the
b e g in ni ng teacher is concerned first with survival and
m ana gem en t skills.

They then progress to a period of

personal growth in w hi c h they examine their
un de rs t a n d in g s of teaching and specific content.
result

The

is that the c on ti nu in g develop me nt of a

t e a c h e r ’s skills and knowledge

is tied to both

experi enc e and pr evious profe ssi ona l

training which has

allowed them to esta bli sh their need to know.
There for e a t e a c h e r ’s p e r c ep ti on of source of knowledge
and skills

is af fected by their experience/s.

In 1085 Saslaw {-'resented a paper ciiLx uieu
of Professional Organizations,
Centers:

States,

Survey

and Te ach er

Inservice E du ca ti on and Professional

Development"

at the annual meeting of the Am er i c a n

A s s oc i a t io n of Co lleges

for Teacher Education.

The

intention of the paper was to identify the current
state of inservice and staff development pr og ra ms with
the belief that a review of the present co nditions
would provi de useful

guidelines at a national level.

61

What Sas la w re po rt ed from her survey results was
that fo rt y-three states and the District of Col umb ia
have plans w hic h are eit he r ma ndated by law or have
guidel in es

for local di st ri ct inservice or profe ss io na l

de v e lo pm en t activities.

Of those which ma nd ate d

inservice hours the r e qu ir em en ts were often tied to
r e ce rt if ic at io n at intervals.

With regard to the formerly g o v er nm en t- fun de d
Te ach er Centers only thirteen out of the nine ty listed
responded.

Of those w hi ch responded there was an

indication of

gr ea t l y reduced program s wi t h poor

attend anc e at

of fer ed activities.

The decli ne of

Sas la w suggests,

might be due to a

Teach er Centers,

lack of equal pa r t i c i p a t i o n of pr of essional
respect to dec isi ons
to changes
changes

groups with

of the centers or it could be due

in the te achers themselves.

And

if it is

in teachers then new forms of encoura gem ent

beyond that of de g r e e a tt ai nm ent might be needed.

Of the pr of essional
their view of

groups contacted to determine

their or g an iz at io ns part in inservice and

pr of essional growth activities,
was a commonality,
And

found that there

wh ic h was to provide assistance.

in two of the o r g a n iz at io ns

desire

Saslaw

to set standards

there was ex pressed a

for inservices and staff

62

deve lo pm ent with the

intent of improving the

profession.

As a final remark,

Saslaw states that there

is

interest in the area of staff de ve lop men t and inservice
education;
see this

however,

it is her opinio n that one cannot

interest as a top pri ori ty item.

In 1983,
the paper

W.

John Smyth and Colin H e nr y pr es ent ed

"Case S tu dy Experie nc e of A Co ll a b or at iv e and

Re sp on si ve Form of Pr of essional De ve lop me nt for
Teachers,"

to the A u s t r a l i a n A s s o c ia ti on for Re se arc h

in Education.

The

intention of the study was to

suggest that v ie wp oi n t s of teachers regarding what
works

in classr oo ms

change.

However,

should be considered as a basis of

a m e c h a n i s m to focus teacher

v i e w p o i n t s } such s.s c i i n i c 2.1 s u p e r v i s i o n > i 3 needed
col la bo r at io n and critical

if

reflection are to occur.

The study occurred over a period of six months
with teache r par tic ip an ts
high school.

During

in 4 pr ima ry schools and one

the period of study the

parti cip ant s became active observers and co ns ultants
who shared their ob ser vat ion s of colleagues teaching
with those same co lle agu es
exchanges.

in non-th rea ten in g

63

In the des ign of the study S my th and He nr y
de ve lo pe d a " ’follow t h r o u g h ’ in-service model"

to

address what they felt were time and a u th or it ar ia n
shortc omi ngs of past clinical s u pe rvi sio n inservices.
In particular,

their model was intended to ack no wle dge

the t e a c h e r s ’ l eg it im ate need for control and o w ne rs hip
while at the same time de mo nst rat e the need
external

support,

teamwork,

for

and follow through.

What Smyth and H en ry found was some s k e p t i c i s m of
their actual

intent.

The need to co m m u n i c a t e areas of

concer n or hear from other teachers was a strong theme.
Q ue sti ons of who and why teachers became

involved led

to the real iza tio n that there were personal
held by the participants.

agendas

Smyth and H e n r y suggested

that the rec ogn it ion of personal agend as was a
C 1 tfni— f 1 r'ftnf
~

f 1 nr? I r»<f

1n

4* V> r» +■

f^ A*W

J

1 i

WUVJ. O

H
r.
KJ f* ct

strong tie betwe en the success of i m pl em ent ati on of a
proces s and early involvement.

In addition,

they felt

that there was a strong tie betwee n the success of
implement ati on not only to the p a rt ic ip an ts but to the
supportive

role entered

into by the principal.

In reflecting upon their study of the
implement ati on of clinical

su pe rv is io n using their

" ’follow t h r o u g h ’ inservice model"

Smyth and Henry

strongly suggested that active c o o p e r a t io n of all

64

me mbe rs of the edu cat io na l c o mm un ity coupl ed with
v o l u n t a r y involve me nt is clear ly the path to pursue.

O r g a ni za t io ns and Profe ss ion al Grow th Ac ti vi ti es

In 1982 D o u g l a s s and Kahle

(1983)

surveyed a

rand om sample of m em be rs of the National A s so c i a t i o n of
B io log y Teache rs

(N.A.B.T.) with the intent of

d e ve lo pi ng a demographic,

educational,

employment,

and

pro fe ss io n al a c t iv i ty pr o f i le of the entire me mb er sh ip
and a future co nce rn of ex amining the roles of w o m e n
bi ol og y education.
survey,

1985).
J i
u j.x x

In 1985 the results of the 1982

wi t h an em pha si s up o n women,

W o m e n in Science:

A Rep or t

A l t h ou g h the
4-U«

i.

in

i

was pu bl is he d in

from the Field

(Kahle,

focus of each report was slightly
4t. o^

..U ^ _ U
n u j.w a a

•
^
luciiuii.y

1
.1. .
u lit;

-n- *
1
pi UiCb&iUlid>i

c h a r a c t e r i s t ic s and a c t i vi ti es remain the same and thus
both reports are re viewed together.

The survey was sent to a random sample of
ap pr o xi m a t e l y 20% of the m e m b e r s h i p of N.A.B.T.
with a return of 48% of those sampled
responses).
types;

(5000)

(a total of 509

The qu es ti on s of the survey were of two

Likert and forced response multiple choice.

Onl y the results of that survey w hi ch wou ld be of value
to this project will

be reported.

65

Based upon pr io r kn owledge of N.A.B.T.

membership

Douglass and Kahle have suggested that the m aj or it y of
members are male.

They found

that over sixty-five

percent of those members are married.

At the time of

the survey seventy-five perce nt of the res po nde nt s were
between thirty and fifty-five years of age wi t h fifty
percent of the total

falling be twe en thirty-f ive and

fifty years of age.

Douglas noted the age

s tr at ifi cat ion and suggested that it may be due to
dec lining enro llm ent s and the forced layoff of teachers
with less than 12 years of experience.
experie nce of biolog y teachers

The reported

in the c l a s sr oo m was

forty-two percent with eleven years to twen ty years,
ei ghteen percent wit h six to ten years,

and tw en ty- fo ur

percent wit h five or fewer years with their present
cinployGr

•

The pro fessional activit ies reported indicated
that teachers were

involved within their school

district,

attended pro fessional

journals.

Of those responding,

percent were active

level.

and read

more than ninety

in departmental

to eighty - five percent
institutional

conferences,

indicating

matters with eighty
influence at the

At ten dan ce at professional

or gan iza tio ns was reported

in such a manner as to

suggest that seventy-five percent of respondents have

66

attended at least one pr ofe ssi ona l meetin g a year.

The

identified attend anc e level Douglas su ggested may have
a relat io nsh ip to the costs of a t ten da nce w hi ch nea rl y
fifty percent of the respondents
from their own funds.

indicated was paid for

The reading of two or three

journals regularly was reported by half of the
respondents.

In 1986 Michael Ne uschantz and Maude Covalt
on behalf of the A m e r i c a n Institute of Physics

(1988)

(A.I.P.)

conducted a nation wid e survey of se condary school
physics teachers and publ is he d their findings
Physics

in the High Schools:

Findings

in

from the 1986 -

87 Nation wid e Survey of Seco nd ary School Teachers of
Physics.

The intent

of the survey was to develop

current baseline da t a on all physics teachers
United States of America.

in the

In par ti cu la r the survey

focused on individual backgr ou nd characteristics,
conditions of employment,

pro fessional dev elo pme nt

interests and activities,

teacher approaches,

experiences

It also gathered

in teaching.

and

information

pertaining to the structure and av ai la b il it y of physics
class es nationwide.

To de termine the sample

for the nationwide survey

a master list of schools wi t h desired c h ar ac te ri st ics

67

was obt ai ned

from Qu a l i t y Ed uc ati on al Data.

3631 schools of the listed 23,161

A total of

schools were

id entified to be included in the sample.

Letters

d ef in ing the purpose and requesting p e r m i s s i o n to
conduct the survey were then sent to each chief state
official,

state science supervisor,

or private school
responding

administrator.

schools,

and supe rin ten den t

Of the 3472

2846 offered classes

in physics

w hi ch were taught by a total of 3301 teachers.
the 3301 teachers

And of

identified mu lt ipl e ma il ing s and

phone calls ac hieved a response rate of seventy-five
percent.

Only the results of that survey wh ic h would

be of value to this project will be reported.

The dem ogr ap hic

results

indicated that

t hr ee -f ou rth s of the respondents were male,
median

age

experience.

of

for*ty — o n e

and

fifteen

years

of

had a
teaching

Almost two-th ir ds held graduate degrees

while only on e-forth appeared to have earned a degree
in physics,
level.

including ele ve n percent at the graduate

Few de s c ri be d their assignments as pri ma ril y

devote d to physics.

There are many physics

teachers

who by virtue of numerous years and experience,
without

even

the academic or ce rt i f ic at io n credentials,

acquired c on sid er abl e m a s t er y of the
of teaching

it.

have

field and methods

68

To better u nd er st an d the ch ar ac ter ist ics of
physics teachers Neu sc h a nt z

and Cova lt com pared the

responses of te ac h e r s in terms of gender,
spe ci al i z at io n
experience.

in p hy si cs and years of teaching

They rep orted that there were fewer female

physics teachers and of those they were less likely to
hold a degree
experiences,
"drafted"

in physics,

have had p h y s i c s- re lat ed wo r k

and we r e more lik el y to have been

into tea chi ng physics than men.

specialization,

w h i c h they d e s cr ib ed as being equally

depe nd en t on initial
experience,

training and physics teaching

they found

or atti tu de s

In terms of

few d i f f e re nc es in approaches to

in teaching physics.

report a d i ff er en ce

in c o nfi de nce

However,

they did

in teachers relative

to the amount of c o l l e ge -l ev el p h ysi cs courses and
experience.

The e x a m i na ti on of teach er responses relative to
years of experi en ce

suggests that the more senior the

teacher is the more likely they are to stay on until
retirement.

The highe st

rate of at trition relative to

responses of the sur ve y was found to happen wit hi n the
first

five years.

experience
meetings,

It was also found that as years of

increase so does atten da nc e at pr of essional
institutes and workshops;

physics or other science teachers;

contact with
percent with

69

gra duate degrees;

the amount of time devote d to

labo r a to ry ex ercises

increases,

individual con fi d en ce

increases.

The findings pe rt a i n i n g
dev elo pme nt

and the p e r c e p t i o n of

to pro fessional

ind icated that seve nt y-n ine perce nt cited

science journals as a means to keep up to date followed
by the mass media.

A t t e n d a n c e at one or more

pr ofe ssi ona l meeting,

workshop,

or institute,

w i t h i n he

last two years was rep orted by seventy percen t of the
respondents with at ten dan ce at pr ofe ssi ona l meetings
being the most co mm o n act ivity of the three.
contrast,

a small per ce nt ag e reported school

speciali sts at the state or dis trict

In
science

level as sources

of information.

Killian,

V?ood,

and Bell

(1980)

pr es ent ed some re co mm end ati ons

discussed and

for prof es si on al

de ve lo pme nt of tea chers in "Last Call
Self-Im pro vem ent ."

for Pro fessional

Al t h o u g h the article

itself was

not a study or res ear ch report p er ta in in g to
profe ssi ona l deve lop men t
number of conditions

for teachers

it did identify a

and concerns regarding

profe ssi ona l de ve lop men t of other org an iz at io ns and
attem pte d to apply those to teachers.

70

Killian,

et.al.

identified three conditions

per ta i n in g to p ro fe ssi on al

development.

The first

con di tio n was a tr en d in man y states to enact ma nd at or y
co nti nu in g e du ca tio n laws per ta in in g to those who
provid e pr ofe ssi ona l
nurses,

lawyers,

and pharmacists.

public

engineers,

services such as doctors,
architects,

optometrists

The second co n d i ti on was control.

I nte res ti ngl y enough,

only the legal p r of es si on is

identified as ac tu a l l y con tr ol li ng c on tin ui ng edu cation
throug h institutes offere d by it.
profession,

Even the medical

doctors and nurses who have medical

pra ct i ti on e rs on their boards,

does not have the total

control of c on ti nu ing e d uc at ion wh ic h the legal
p r o f e s s io n appears to have.

In contrast,

the boards of

educa ti on whi ch exert control over teachers are
gene ra lly co mposed of noneducators.

The third co ndition

was cr e d i bi li t y of presen t boards of control
of public

sentiment rega rd ing lawyers,

in light

doctors,

a c c o u nt an ts and engineers.

In light of the conditions and concerns
in other professions,

identified

Killi an e t . a l ., suggested that

educators still wo ul d be wise to take on the task of
c o n t r ol li ng their own continuing education.
co mp le x i t i e s of the educational

There are

system w hi ch require

solutions which must come from w i t h i n and cannot be

71

ge n er ate d from without.
be successful

However,

if ed ucators are to

in their at tempts to gain control

they

must be willi ng to address the issues of continuing
education,

control,

and credibility.

The di sregard

for

inservice educ at io n e x p re sse d by pr of essional
or ga ni za ti on s in education,
education,

a form of continuing

must somehow be eliminated.

Educators must

support and accept c on ti nu in g educ at ion both
in di vidually and in the p u b l i c ’s eyes.

Educational

pr a c t i ti on er s must be w i lli ng to share control with
others who are kn ow le dg ea bl e

in the area so as to

eli minate the p u b l i c ’s conce rn over conflict of
interests such as p e r ce iv ed to be present
and medical professions.
teacher educators should

Teachers,

in the legal

administrators,

and

focus their energies on

co o p er at io n rather than on issues of control

to

dem on st ra te their desire to ma in ta in professional
standards and thus e s t ab li sh credibility.
educational pr of es si on a l s
prof es si on al

And

should learn from other

o r g a n iz ati on s and incorporate that

kn owledge with the needs of ed ucation to establish
credibility.

If they do not take action,

however,

they

will continue to be subjected to legislative actions
intended to do what ed ucators appear unable to do.

72

Wi th in the original ten year li terature

search one

article listed p e r ta ine d to the continu ing e d u c a t i o n of
physicians,

"Continuing E d u ca ti on of Physicians:

Conc lu si on s and Recommen da tio ns ,"

(Mayer,

et.al.

1980).

A lt h o u g h the article was p r i m a r i l y devoted to the
conti nu ing educ ati on of physicians,

its value to this

study is based in the com mo n references and co mp ar is on s
found

in educational

literature to the continu ing

e ducation of physicians.

There was an interesting

similarity to the conditi on s of continuing ed uc ati on
and pro fe ssional dev elo pm en t of teachers.

The pu rpo se of the article was to identify the
present conditions of conti nu ing medical

e d u ca ti on and

to suggest di rections to improve those identified
present practices,
u n H p r t

a

It p h

K v

f K p

using a number of past studies
^ S S O C

^ o f

i o n

AlT.C T 1 C C I H

M c d i c d l

Colleges and others.

In the report,

there was em phasis placed upon the

importance and value of conti nu ing medical
the physician.
medical

e d uc at ion to

The authors stated that continuing

education

is va l uable to physic ian s because

it

can improve the competence and perf orm anc e of the
professional with regard to the patient.

But before

continuing physician ed uc ati on can ac com pli sh the
desired goals there are a number of factors which would

73

affect the planning,

p a r t ic ip at io n and success of

contin uin g educ ati on to be addressed.

Among the factors cited as having an influence
upon continuing medica l ed uc ati on were those of the
individual p hy sic ia n characteristics,

p h y s i c i a n needs

and the complex nature of each in di vidual's practice.
Other factors

identified as affecting the dev elopment

of continuing me dic al ed uc ati on were rapid expa nsi on
due to a m a r k e t- ba se d economy,
cont inu all y changing

ad hoc faculty,

student body,

sp ecialty requirements,

a

m a n d a to ry state and

and the limited app li ca ti on of

sound educatio nal m e th od ol og ie s to co nti nui ng educa tio n
programs.

Wi th regard to the actual p a r t i c i p a t i on of the
p hy sic ian

in co nti nui ng medical ed uc ati on the study

reports that the most comm on form u nd er ta ke n
ca tegory one credit.

is

C a te go ry one credit documents

regis tra tio n by the ph ys ic ia n at a course offered by an
institution or or ga ni za ti on which is ac cre dit ed to do
so.

At present the success of contin uin g ed uc ati on is

me asu red only

in terms of ac cu mul ati on of credit hours

rather than the d o cu me nt at io n of impact upon the health
care del iv er y system.

74

In response to the identified c on di ti on s of
co nt in ui ng medical education,

Ma ye r suggests that

should be cl ose ly tied to the p h y s i c i a n ’s needs.
should encou rag e

individual

it
It

i n tr os pec ti on and the

iden ti fi cat io n of needed education,

it should not be

ma nd a t e d witho ut any ev idence of a beneficial
The courses should be deve lo ped

effect.

for the adult learner

and enhance the ab ilities of the p h y s i c i a n to continue
to learn.
covered

The cost of contin ui ng ed u c a ti on should be

from a nu mb e r of sources.

There

should be

co o p e r a t i o n in atta ini ng quality c o nti nu ing medical
ed u ca ti on through the formation of a comm it tee dealing
w i t h medical e d u ca tio n wi t h rep re sen ta tiv e members from
medical organizations,

societies

, and government.

In an attempt to better un de r s t a n d the nature of
co ntinuing medical e du cat ion

in the State of Mi ch ig an

a recent copy of Co nt i n u i n g Medical E d u ca ti on
R e qu ir em en ts

for Physic ia ns

B o ard of Medici ne

Licensed by the Michigan

(March 1988),

was ob ta in ed

D ep ar tm en t of Li censing and Regulation.
of the document

from the

An exa mi nat io n

revealed that for a ph y s i c i a n to hold a

Michigan license they must show evidence of comple ti on
of 150 hours of contin ui ng medical

ed u c a t i o n over a

three year period prior to relicensure.

Continuing

educa ti on may be earned in any of the six categories of

75

co nti nu ing medical education,

however,

hours must be in c a t e g o r y one.
contin ui ng medical ed u c a t i o n
(briefly)

as:

se ve nty-five

The catego ri es of

(CME)

can be de sc rib ed

1) A c c r e d i t e d CME Courses w h i c h are

of fe re d by the A m e r i c a n Medical A s s o c i a t i o n or the
M i c h i g a n State Medical

Society,

2) N o n a cc re di at ed CME

courses,

4) Books,

Papers,

Publications,

5) U n s u p er vi se d Ed uc ati on

such as self

3) Teaching,

and Exhibits,
assessment,
Training.

self ins tru ct io n and

6) Ful l-time Gra dua te

The proof of p a r t i c i p a t i o n in c a te go ri es one

and two are ce rti fic ate s of attendance,
d ire cto r/s

are used

from

in categories three and six,

of the article p u b l i s h e d
de scr ib ing

letters

in cat eg or y four,

any n o n - s u p e r v i s ed ed uc ati on

a copy

and a letter

in cat ego ry

five.

Tc better id entify ca te gor y one continuing
ed u c a t i on credits letters of inquiry were sent to both
the A m e r i c a n Medical As s o c ia ti on

(A.M.A.).

A m e r i c a n Os te opa thi c As s o c ia ti on

(A.O.A.).

were

received from both.

in response to the

did not better def in e the respective
or A.O.A.

inquiry

roles of the

in terms of contin ui ng medical

e d u ca ti on beyond st ro ng ly suggesting
However,

Responses

U n f o r t u n a t e ly an ex a mi na ti on

of the mate ri al s received

A.M.A.

and the

the literature

its importance.

from the A.M.A.

did indicate

76

that t we nty -t hre e p er ce nt of their member s are
p r i m ar il y interested
journals,

in medical

and scientific

scientific conferences,

educational materials.
the organization,

and

It also indicated the size of

293,535 vs.

ph ys i c i an s 600,000.

seminars,

total p o p u l a t i o n of

While the size in itself may or

may not be important,

the fact that the State of

M i c h i g an recognizes contin ui ng m e dic al educ at ion
spons ore d by the A.M.A.

as ca te g o r y one credit may

suggest something w i t h regard to pr of essional
an iza tio ns and con ti nu in g education.

Summary

Profe ssi ona l de ve lop men t aft er entering the
pr eco ll eg e teaching pr of es si on has been found to
consist of both formal and informal activities.

Formal

prof ess ion al dev el op me nt ac tiv iti es have been desc ri bed
as activi tie s w hi ch ty pi ca lly have been mandat ed and/or
c ont rol led by those

in au th ori ty such as college

courses and teacher

inservices.

Informal professional

develop men t activi tie s have been desc ri bed as
activit ies wh ich a pr eco lle ge t e ach er enters,
upon teacher id ent ifi ed profe ssi ona l
needs.

based

and personal

Examples of informal pro fessional

development

ac tiv iti es are reading of journals and newspapers,

77

planning

lessons,

other teachers,

obse rv ing other teachers,

talking to

travel or any other act ivi ty in wh ich a

teacher finds pr ofe ss i o n al meaning.

In addition,

informal pr of ess ion al d e ve lop men t activities have been
found to take place while teachers were active in
formal profe ss io nal
the literature

d e v e lo pm ent activities.

suggests,

has only identified

however,

At present

that prese nt research

formal professional de ve lopment

ac tivities as having a m ea su ra bl e effect upon the
individual participant.

Studies to de termine the

effect of formal pro fes si on al dev elo pme nt activities
upon the p r o fes si ona l teach er have been able to rely
upon cause and effect m e th od s w h ic h have used contact
hour units,

credit units,

associa te d with

or quantifiable units not yet

informal pr of essional development

activities.

In general,
disc ri mi na ti ng

teachers have been found to be

in the types of formal and informal

pro fe ssional d e v e lo pm en t activities they would
pa rt ic ip at e

in if allow ed choices.

The se lection of

activities has been found to be based upon teachers
pe rc eptions of not only the knowledge to be gained
an activit y relative

to teacher pr of essional

a concern for the e n v ir on me nt

in

needs but

in w hi ch an act ivi ty was

presented and the stage of the t e a c h e r ’s career.

78

Care er de ve lop men t and human dev el opm ent have been
found to affect teache r pr ofe ssi ona l developm ent
activity.

There appears to be a sequence of changes

teach er activit ies
h uma n needs.

in

relative to career de ve lop me nt and

C h an ges

in the level of formal

profes sio na l de ve lop men t act iv it y relative to the age
of teachers and the degree held have been identified.
Chang es
vs.

identified wit h the needs of be ginning teachers

seasoned tea che rs have been identified and appear

to occur more of ten duri ng the first few years after an
individual

becomes a teacher.

teachers personal

And

the effects of

lives upon their cl as sro om teaching

prac tic es have been identified.

Comparis ons

of profe ssi ona l d e ve lop men t activity

of science teachers with regard to the level of
assign men t su«?gest. that

there

is » di ffe ren ce which

appears to be relate d to the level of the teaching
as sig nme nt and the stage of the teaching career.
pr ef ere nce s

The

for p ar ti cu la r types of professional

de ve lop men t activit ies of pr eco lle ge science teachers
were

found to vary relative to the level of assignment

as did reported attend anc e at college,

sc ie nc e- sp ec if ic

profe ssi ona l mee tin gs and

The needs of

begi nni ng

inservices.

science teachers were found to be similar and

yet different

from other beginning

teachers.

The

79

di ff er en ce s betwee n b eg inn ing teachers of di fferent
content areas were su gg es te d to be due to the nature of
science and the m et hod s re quired to conve y the
knowl edg e of science to each student.

There was no li ter atu re

found wh ich co mp are d the

levels of formal or informal pr of essional develop me nt
ac tiv ity of science te ach ers
level.

relative to

age or degree

Ne ith er was there any literature found which

wo uld suggest any re la t i o ns hi p be twe en formal and
informal profes sio nal

growth act ivi ty of science

teachers as they ma tu re d professionally.

Wit hi n the most

recent

literature examined,

which

identified the average age of the n a t i o n ’s science
teachers with regard
supportive evidence

to retirement,

there was no

found for concer n in the next

decade.

The

impl ica tio n

teaching

staff identified

study will be teaching

is that the present science
in the most recent national

into the next decade.

An ex am in ati on of literature pe rta ini ng
contin uin g educa tio n of physicians,
have often been cited in educational
compare and contrast

whose activities
literature to

those of precollege teachers,

suggests the importance of the pro fessional
o rg an iz at io n and the

to the

individual

in continuing

80

education.

Of the req ui re d con ti nu in g ed uc at io n of

physicians,

their pr ofe s s io na l or ga ni za ti on /s are

recog ni ze d by the State of M i c h i g a n as offering
c a t e g o r y one credit,
least

w h i c h by law must account for at

fifty perce nt of the required co ntinuing

ed u c a t i o n credits of physicians.

Ca te g o r y one credit

is defin ed as at te n d a n c e at pr of ess ion al

conferences.

In five out of six c a t e g o r i e s of c on ti nu in g educ at io n
the phys ic ia n and his pr of ess ion al org ani za ti on /s are
relied upon to d e v el op programs or individual projects
to meet co nti n ui ng ed uc at io n requirements.
of six c a te go rie s does the

On l y in one

individual or profes sio nal

or ga n i z at i o n appear to loose the se lf -d ire cte d control
of conti nu ing ed u c at io n activities;
school

attendance.

full-time graduate

When a ph y s i c i a n enters

full-time

graduate

school additio na l

involved

in the proce ss of det er mi ni ng what knowledge

should be conveyed,
conveyed,

and how

groups of individuals become

how that knowledge should be

it will be mea su re d as being

su c ce ss fu ll y internalized.

The enroll me nt

in any

graduate school places a number of res trictions upon
the

individual.

Control

over time and rate of learning

are no longer in the hands of the
hands of others.

individual but

in the

C H A P T E R III

ME TH OD S AND PROCED URE S

In this ch apt er the met ho d of data collection,
d e s cr ip ti on of the p o p u l a t i o n examined,
of the an aly si s to be un de rt a k e n

and d e s c r i p t i o n

in Chapte r IV are

presented.

De sc r ip ti o n of Pop ul at i o n
The p op ul at i o n of interest for this study is the
Mi chi ga n Science Tea che rs A s s o c i a t i o n
defined by the April

The M.S.T.A.

1989,

(M.S.T.A.).

as

m e m b e r s h i p list.

is a pro fes si on al

or ga niz ati on

es ta bl is he d in 1953 to bring to gether all those
interested

in s t r e n g th en in g and pr o m o ti ng science

educ at io n in Michigan.
precol le ge teachers,
students,

Its m e m b e r s h i p includes

u n i v er si ty professors,

college

staff membe rs of the State Board of

Education,

me dia /m a te ri a l s

interested

individuals.

As of April
m e m b er sh ip s

1989,

su ppliers and other

there were

in the M.S.T.A.,

81

2659 c a t e go ri ze d

Table 3.1.

82

T A B L E 3.1

M.S.T.A.

M e m b e r s h i p As of April

Ca te g or y

1989

Total

2101
Re g u l a r M e m b e r s h ip
77
F a m i ly Me mb e rs hi p s (2 Teachers)
School Me mbe r sh ip
57
C o l le ge Student M e mb e r s h i p
298
Life M e m be r sh ip
8
15
R e ti re d M em be rs h ip
A f f il iat e (Exhibitors) M e m b e r s h i p
82
3
PE R K (Out of State) M e mb er sh ip
U n i de nt i f ie d Me mb er s h i p
18
TO TA L

M E M BE R SH IP

2659

D e s c r i p t i o n of Su rveyed P o p u l a t i o n
Since it was the purpo se of this study to
examine and identify the level of formal and informal
p ro f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t i e s of a p a r t i c u l a r group of
science teachers
c on du cte d
those

(members of the M.S.T.A.)

in practice,

in the c ate go rie s

as they are

the survey was sent only to
identified

in Table 3.2.

R e gu la r m e m b e r s h i ps w h i c h have been identified as
affili at es

(Exhibitor),

school m e mb ers hip s which could

include teachers w i t h individual memberships,
students,
survey.

and PERK me mb er sh ip s were not

college

included in the

Family me m b e rs hi ps or life m e m be rs hi ps which

83

were

issued to two teachers residing at the same

address were sent two a p pr op ri at el y addre sse d surveys.

TABLE 3.2

Cha ra ct er is ti cs of Surveyed Po pulation

Cat ego ry

Total

Regula r Membersh ips
Fam ily Me mb ers hi ps
Life Membersh ips
Retir ed Mem ber shi ps
U n i d e nt i f ie d Memb er shi ps

2091
154
9
15
18

T OTA L

2287

SURVEYS

Des c r i p ti on of R es po nd ing Population
TI 11“
Vl a

a response

c 11 v*tT a xt

SUiVw J

t.t a n n /> v> 4*

V.M

of 1155 or

4* a

T
%» « <
us/ 0 u0u0u7 I M 1 1 *C1u •
a •An ( w ^ l**U«UMiC« 4
. o a->n uJ

50.5 percent,

was attained.

An an alysis of the data indicates that the
m a j o r i ty of the respondents are between thi rt y-f ive and
forty-se ve n years of age and are male.
se ve nty-three p e rc en t of all

respondents are under the

age of fo rt y-seven years of age,
B.l).
while

A total of

(appendix B Table

Fifty-five percent of the respondents are male
forty-four percent are female,

with the re mainder

84

of one percent not respo nd in g to the question,
(appendix B, Table B.2).

Sixty-three perce nt of the respondents
that they have bel onged to the M.S.T.A.
more years.

indicated

for three or

T h i r t y -s e ve n percent of the respondents

indicated m em be r sh ip of two or less years,

(appendix B,

Table B . 3).

The largest re ported cat ego ry of M.S.T.A.
conference attendance was that of two to five
conferences,

forty percent.

Seven percent of the

respondents,

however,

conference,

(appendix B, Table B.4).

indicated never having attended a

The respondents

indicated me mb ers hip s

in

eighty-n ine other science or gan iza tio ns with 537
-

1 n H l O f lt 1 ntf
co

—

~

momVtArQK 1 rt
~ w » — **-r

1n

(Including the M.S.T.A.),
Unfortunately,

r*r*

***'-' * *
—

r.r*rfor»i r»o f -j
o

o

u.v i i o

(appendix B, Table B.5).

many of the responses were only

a bb reviations which,
references,

f T.TA

when co mpared to 1989 as so cia tio n

could not be reason abl y interpreted.

The

or ga nizations to which ten or more respondents
indicated me mbe rs h ip were identified and are reported
with respective me m b e r s h ip s

in appendix B, Table B.6.

The science o r ga ni zat io n with the largest membe rs hi p

85

was the Na tio na l Scienc e Tea che rs A s so c i a t i o n with 316
responses.

At prese nt the m a j o r i ty of responde nts have
indicated that they have earned a m a s t e r ’s degree.
On ly twelve percent of the res pondents have
that they hold only a b a c h e l o r ’s degree,

indicated

(appendix B,

Table B . 7).

The responses to the qu estion of present
teaching cer ti fi c at io n

indicated that seventy-one

percent are ce rt ifi ed at or above the State required
eig hteen semester hours of contin ui ng education,

while

th irteen percent have indicated only provisional
certification,

(appendix B, Table B.8).

sixteen percent either

The remaining

indicated no ce rt i f ic at io n or

did not re sponded to the question.

Subject s

a c e r t i f i c at io n in M ic hi ga n is

ident ified by a letter code on the individual teaching
cer ti fi cat e

issued to each qual if ied teacher.

The most

common area of science c e r t i f ic at io n rep orted by the
respondents was science
(appendix B, Table B.9).

(D X ), followed by Biology
In many cases

indicated science ce rt i f ic at io n
while some

(DA),

respondents

in two or more areas

indicated c er tif ic ati on in only one area.

86

The present p ri m a r y assig nm ent of the
re sp on de nt s was that of teacher,

w h i c h a c c ou nt ed for

se v e n ty -s ev en perce nt of all responses,
Table B.10).

Interestingly,

(appendix B,

while the survey

instrument only listed the c at eg or ie s of teacher,
administrator,

professor,

of substitute,

retired,

optional

and consul ta nt the c at ego ri es

and student emerg ed un de r the

heading of other.

It should be noted that the

intent of the qu es t i o n was to id entify pr i m a ry
a s si gn me nt and that there were a number of re sp on de nt s
who indicated mu lt ip le assignments.

The range of the r e s p o n d e n t s ’ p r i m a r y level of
a ss ig nm en t was from that of pr eschool to university,
from state c on su lt an t to m u s e u m coordinator.
majority,

however,

indicated that they were as signed to

cjprrtnH nrv .

positions,

The

j

H lid d ls ,

5 t nc i

jl* ,

V> ^ V >

sr .h c c l

(appendix B, Table B.ll).

The science subjects being taught by the
responde nt s are indicated

in ap pendix B, Table B.12.

Bi o l o g y appears to be the subject most of te n taught by
the respondents w hi le astronomy,
plac em en t courses
chemistry,

etc.)

anatomy,

( honors biology,

and ad vanced

second year

seem to be taught by the re sp ondents

on a limited basis.

87

The m a j o r i t y of the respondents,
percent,
fewest,

forty-one

teach in su bu r b a n school districts,
ni ne t e e n percent,

districts,

teach in urban school

(appendix B, Table B.13).

The m a j o r i t y of the respondents,
percent,

while the

sixty-one

live w i t h i n twe nt y miles of a c o lle ge or

u n i v e r s i t y while

fifte en perce nt live over forty miles

from a college or university,

(appendix B, Table B.14).

Wi t h regard to an initial teaching a s si gn me nt
the area of science,

in

si xty-two perce nt of those

id entified as K - 12 te ac he rs indicate a first choice
while tw en ty - e i g h t p e rc en t
choice,

(appendix B,

indicated second or third

Table B.15).

In some cases

resp on de nt s wrote on the survey that they had no choice
in the ma tt e r and that they could not respond to the
que s t i o n

in terms of the avai la bl e choices.

W i t h regard to r e c e r t i f i c a t i o n into the area of
science teaching,
re sp on de nt s
response,

less then three percent of the

id entified as K - 12 teachers se lected that

(appendix B, Table B.16).

88

Sur v e y Procedu res

Because there
to the background,

is limited informa ti on pe rt ai ni ng

education,

the individual M.S.T.A.
identified
sample

in T ab le

and actual oc cu p a t i o n of

mem be r bey on d those categor ies

3.1,

a census survey rather than a

survey as d e fi ned by Mos er and Kalt on

used in this study.

(1972) was

To ac com pli sh a sample survey for

this study wo ul d require

individual background,

including e d u ca ti ona l and occu pa ti on al

information

w hi ch would allow rep re se nt at iv e samples of a p p r op ri ate
size to be drawn w i t h regard to the ca tegories of
interest
1982).

(Yates,

1953;

Chao,

1969;

Weiss & Hassett,

The identi fie d limits furth er prevent the

g e n e r a l i z at io n of findings to the entire M.S.T.A.
po pu l a t i o n using statist ic al methods.
id^nt if i?d

Even under the

cxistir.j limits , hcv,7e v e r , a census survey

still retains the essence of survey research which
Butts

(1983) de s c r i be d as being a significant way of

gener at in g know le dg e of what

is.

While the total cost and size of a census study
is often pr o h i b i t i v e

there are some statistical and

informational be ne fi ts of conduc ti ng a census study of
a p op ul at io n rather than a sample study.

In addition,

the analysis of census data would allow for the use of

89

relati vel y simple sta ti stical

techni qu es

(Peatman,

1947).

Data Co lle cti on
A survey instrument was m a il e d to each
individual

id entified in Table 3.2.

Each mem be r was

encouraged to ans we r all quest ion s as co mp le t e l y as
po ssible and return it in a pos tp ai d envelop.

The mi nim um ac cep ta ble ret ur n of surveys for
analysis was 50 percent.

If less than 50 perce nt of

the surveys were ret urn ed then a second m a ili ng to
those who had not responded,

identified through an

ex am ina tio n of num be re d retu rn envelopes,
The rational

was planned.

for setting a 50 pe rce nt return rate was

based upon an e x a mi na ti on of surveys co nducted by
P ow o^ ow cm a .

T 4w. 1n1+U ip X

1/u

/T3 rp T

«

Ame ri ca n Institute of Ph y s i cs
Covalt

1988),

Teachers

M C l

(A.I.P,

i O O~

1 <5UR I7 /i I

1

Neus ch atz and

the Nat ion al A s s o c i a t i o n of Biology

(N.A.B.T.,

Do ug la s and Kahle

related literature reviewed.
A.I.P.

j

studies a response

1983),

and

In both the R.T.I.

and

rate of over 70 percent of

their sample was achieved.
mailings and phone contacts,

It required multiple
however,

w hi ch were

accom pli sh ed by using the resources of or ga niz at ion s
conce rned with the c o l l ec ti on of data.

The

survey

90

condu cte d by the N.A.B.T.,

however,

only ac hi ev ed a

response rate of 50 percent of their sample w i t h no
r eferences to mu lti ple mailings or phone co nt ac ts but
did note the limits of budget constra in ts of a national
organization.

Survey Instrument
The survey instrument re quested that the
respondent answer questions
information,

in three areas;

de mo gra ph ic

formal pr of es si on al -g ro wt h activities,

informal p r o f e s si o na l- g ro wt h activities,
answer the questions of the study.

and

so as to

It also included

quest ion s p er tai ni ng to the r e s p o n d e n t ’s p e r c e p t i o n of
the use of knowledge gained from identified activities
wit hi n their c las sro om s and the r e s p o n d e n t ’s
pe rc ept io ns of

obst acl es to continued

p r o f e ss io na l- g ro wt h activity.

The categories

of que stions

survey form are di sp lay ed

in Table

included on the
3.3 to ge the r with

the number of the survey question/s.

The following were the guiding que st io ns of the
study:

1. Are there dif fe re nc es in formal p r o f e ss io na lgrowth ac ti v i t y of science teachers who
belong to a professional organization, grouped
by age or degree level?

91

TA BLE 3.3
Survey C a t eg or ie s and Qu es tio ns

Categories

Survey Question/s

Age
Gender
Number of years a MSTA member
Other Science Organization Memberships
Number of MSTA Conferences attended
Years of Experience
Present Position
Degree and Additional Graduate Semester Hours
State Certification/s
State Certified Science Areas
Primary Assignment (Pre-college, College, etc.)
Science/s Presently Teaching
Change in State Certified Area
Location of School District
Distance from Residence to College
Graduate Semester Credits Earned in Past 12 Months
Professional Conference Attendance in Past 12 Months
Attendance at School District After Work Inservices
Perceived Use of Knowledge Gained in Activities
Professional-Growth Activity Preferences
Obstacles to Professional Growth Activity

1
2
3
4
5
6
10
7
8
9
11
12
13,
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22

14

92

2. Are there di ff ere nc es in informal
pr o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t y of science
te achers wh o belong to a p r ofe ss ion al
organization, grouped by age or degree level?
3. What is the r e la ti on shi p be t w e en formal
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activi ty and informal
p r o fe s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti vi ty of teachers,
groupe d by age or degree level?
4. Are there di ffe ren ces in teache r perc ept ion s
of the r e l a t io ns hi p be tw ee n knowledge gained
in formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t i e s and
the use of such know le dge w i th i n the c l a s s ­
room, relative to teach er age or degree
level?
5. Are there di ff erences in teach er p e r c e pt io ns
of the r e l at io ns hi p betwe en kn owledge gained
in informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activities
and the use of such know le dg e w i t h i n the
classroom, relative to teach er age or degree
level?
The c at eg or ie s of formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activity,
attend an ce
prp

college courses,

inservice,

and conference

and the m e t h o d o l o g y of respective analysis
from

study c o n du ct ed by Hcitz cj

(1979)*

The catego ri es of informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
act i v i t y are d er iv ed
and Y o v a n o v i c h

from the studies of H ol ly

(1987):

Sp onsored Travel
Independent Travel
Reading Ma ga zi ne s / J o u r n a ls
Reading Ne wspapers
Reading Science Relat ed Books
Informal G at he ri ng s of Peers
Independent Re search

(1977),

93

The ca teg or i es of o b s ta cl es were d e riv ed from
studies c on duc te d by We is s

(1987)

and Y o v a n o v i c h

(1987):

Dis t r ic t Fina nci al Support
Ob t a i n in g Relea se Time
F am il y/ Pe rs ona l R es p o ns ib i l i t i e s
Travel Time to A c t i v i t y
A c t i v i t y O n l y O f f e r e d A f t e r School
A c t i v i t y O n l y O f f e r e d on We ek e n d s
A c t i v i t y O n l y O f f e r e d During Summers
Relev an ce of A c t i v i t y to Yo u r Needs
Len gt h of Time N e e d e d to Co mp le te A c t i v i t y
As part of the pr o c e s s of d e s ig ni ng the survey
instrument

it was s u b mi tt ed to M.S.T.A.

doctoral comm it te e members,
pr ac t i c i n g

science teachers,

e v a l u a t i o n and comments.

B o a r d Members,

a se le ct ed group of
and a s t a t i s t i c i a n for

The intent of the review

process was to insure that the survey instrument was
clear,

asked q u e st io ns appropriately,

and was ther ef or e

1 i kpl v to be co m p l e t e d so thsit the dssir cd

inf crisiticn

would be obtained.

As a result of the proce ss of instrument
eva lu a t i o n certa in lim it at io ns were pla ce d upon the
survey instrument responses.

The responses pe rt a i n i n g

to d e m o gr ap hi c

c h a r a c t er is ti cs were es s e n t i a l l y c l o s e d - e n d e d due to
the nature of the q u e st io ns and/or the needs of the
study.

Where

it was be li e v e d c l ar if yi ng

in fo rmation

94

p er ta i n in g to d e m o g r a ph ic
achieved,

inf or ma ti on mi ght be

an add it io na l response of " O t h e r ” was

included.

Formal p ro fe s si o n a l gr o wt h was identif ied as
gr adu ate college cou rse w o r k in terms of semester
hours,

att en da n ce at p r o f e s s i o n a l c o n f e r e n ce s

of days,

and after school

the re spo nde nt

in terms

inservice pa rt ic i p a t i o n of

in terms of hours.

The res ponses to com bin ed formal and informal
pro fe s si on a l gro wth a c t i vi ty were limited to a five
point

scale which could be used to de v e l op a set of

tables use to co mpa re the relative pa rt ic i p a t i o n of age
groups and degree gro up s

in terms of mean values.

The

mi d- po in t of three wo uld

indicate no change in rel ative

pa r t i c i p a t i o n wh il e a nu m b e r less than three would
indicate an increase in relative time.
resp ons es of groups could be com par ed
using the ch i-s qua re

The re sponses

the

for d i ff ere nce s

statistic.

for q u e st io ns pe rt ai ni ng to the

relative use of k n o wl ed ge gained
formal and

And,

in an identified

informal act iv it y were limited to a three

point scale

for comparison.

A value of one indicated a

ve r y useful

act iv i ty while a value of three

an act iv i ty w hic h was not useful.

indicated

95

The resp ons es
perceived

for qu e s t i o n s p e rt ai n i n g to

ob s t ac l es to c o n ti nu ed pr of es sio nal - grow th

a c t i v i t y were l im it ed to a three point scale for
comparison.

A v al ue of one

while a value of three

indicated a m a j o r obstacle

indi ca te d no eff ec t up o n a

r e s p o n d e n t ’s p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity.

A copy of the sur v ey form is d i s p l a y e d in
A pp en di x A.

Tr ea tm en t of the Data
The res ponses

from the re tu rne d surveys were

tra ns fe rr e d to co m p u t e r d i s k for ex a m i n a t i o n and
analysis.

In cases w he re there was no response to a

p ar ti c u l a r q u e s t io n a code was e n ter ed indicating such.

From the res po nd i n g p o pu l a t i o n those res po nd en ts
whose pr im ar y a s s i gn m en ts were

identified as pra ct ic in g

teachers at the k i n d e r g a r t e n through the twelfth grade
level of the study w e r e

identified.

The following age groups were used

22 - 34 years
35 - 47 years
48 - 65 years

in the study:

96

The following degr ee groups were us e d in the
study:
BA/BS
BA/BS + 1 8 *
MA/MS
or BA/BS + 30*
MA/MS + 1 5 *
MA/MS + 30* or more
EdS
PhD
The formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity,
terms of hours,

in

was d et er mi ne d for each respondent

using the following conversions:

1
1
1
1

Sem ester Gra duate Credit
Terra Gr ad u at e Cred it
C onf er enc e Day
Inservice Ed uc at io n Day

= 15 H ou rs
= 10 Hours
= 6 Hours
= Te ach er Estim ate d
Hours

Reports were then ge n e r a t e d w hi ch wo ul d indicate
pra ct i ci ng kin de r ga rt e n throu gh twelf th grade level
teache r act ivi ty in each of the surveyed formal
profpRsinnal —grnwtli activities w i t h regard to the
defin ed age groups and degree groups of the study.
mean value of response was de te rm in ed

A

for each formal

p r o f e s s i o n a l -g ro w th ac ti vi ty relative to de fi ne d age
groups and degree groups.

Reports were also gene ra ted to de scribe the
responses of age groups and degree groups wi t h regard
to relative p ro fe s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity,
knowledge obtained from p a r t i c i p a t i o n

use of

in each activity,

97

and obs tac le s to co n t in ue d p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activity.

A n e x a m i n a t i o n of t e ac he r p a r t i c i p a t i o n in,
pe r c e p t i o n s of the use of,

and obs ta cl es to cont in ued

formal and informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c ti vi ti es was
then conducted.

The

formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g ro wt h

ac tiv it ie s of each age and degree group were compared
using the mean,

sta nd ar d deviation,

var ian ce te ch niq ue
(1978).

and an alysis of

s imi lar to that used by Heitz eg

The rel ati ve pa r t i c i p a t i o n

informal pr of es si o na l

in formal and

grow th activit ies w i th i n each age

group and degree gr ou p were co mp are d using the mean and
the ch i-s qua re test.

A d if fe re nc e

in com par iso ns

for

ea ch ana lys is was co ns i d e r e d to be si gn if ic an t at an
alpha level of

.05.

The respo nse s to q u es ti ons p e rt a i n i n g to the use
of knowledge at t a i n e d th ro u g h pa rt ic i p a t i o n

in su rveyed

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t i e s and obst ac les to
c on tin ued p r o f e s si on al - gro wt h act iv it y were reported
using tables to c om pa re the means.

It should be noted

that because this study was u nd er ta ke n as a census
study the results of this survey

will be valid only

for those teacher s who respo nde d to the survey.

98

S upp l em en t ar y Planned Ana lys is

The levels of p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y w i t h
regard to the ca te g o r i e s of age and deg re e were then
examined with regard to gender and level of assign me nt
(Elementary,

Mi dd l e School,

Jr. High,

Hi g h School).

Summary

Information pe rt a i n i n g to p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activi ti es of se lected membe rs of the M.S.T.A.

was

ob tained through the use of a census sur ve y rather than
a sample survey.
gen erate

The inf or ma ti on co l l e c t e d was u s e d to

information p er ta in in g to the pr of ess ion al

growth activ it ie s of science teachers who are members
of the

M.S.T.A..

The information pe rt a i n i n g to the
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g ro wt h activ it ies of science te achers who
responded was used to identify an overall pa t t e r n of
responses

for all of the respond en ts using data

ge nerated

in terms of means,

analysis of variance,

ch i-s qu ar e statistics.

A further an alysis was

und er t a k en to det er mi ne

if there are d i f f er en ce s

p r o f e s s i on a l- gr o wt h activi ti es
degree

level,

gender,

and

in

relative to teach er age,

assignm en t or science specialty.

99

The intent of the study was to exami ne and id entify the
formal and informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activ it ie s of a
p a r t i c u l a r group of science te achers who are me mbe rs of
the M.S.T.A.

as th ey are c o nd uc ted

in practice.

C H A P T E R IV

DATA A N A L Y S I S

In this c h a p t e r the d ata col l e c t e d p e r t a i n i n g to
the p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t i e s of a selected
p o p u l a t i o n of teach e r s are examined.

A c o m p a r i s o n of

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t i e s w i t h i n analysis groups
is c o n d u c t e d w i t h the intent of identifying levels of
activity,

simi l a r i t i e s and trends.

Rep r e s e n t a t i v e

r e s p o n d e n t remarks are s u m m a r i z e d w i t h regard to
"Other" p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c tivities and o b stacles to
con t i n u e d p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y and the
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h p r e f e r e n c e s of the p o p u l a t i o n are
identified.

The r e s e a r c h questions are then stated and

the findings of the d a t a analy s i s are related to the
qu estions of the study.

Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y R e l ative to the
Ca t e g o r i e s of A g e and Degree
The

initial pr o c e d u r e

for analysis of formal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t i e s required that the
g r a duate college course semester hours and p r o f e ssional

100

101

c o nference atten d a n c e a c t i v i t i e s as repor t e d by each
respondent be c o n v e r t e d to contact hour values.
Graduate college credit hours were c o n v e r t e d to contact
hour values by m u l t i p l y i n g

semester hour units by

fifteen and pro f e s s i o n a l confe r e n c e atten d a n c e as
recorded in days of atte n d a n c e was c o n v e r t e d to contact
hours by m u l t i p l y i n g days by six.

A total

formal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y value was then computed
for each individual by summing the contact hours of
graduate college credit,
attendance,

p r o f e s s i o n a l c o nference

and a f t e r - h o u r s school

inservice.

A n a l y s i s of formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - growth
a c tivities was a c c o m p l i s h e d through the c o m p a risons of
contact hours

for each i dentified a c t i v i t y and total

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y with regard to the
MiAMlyciu c ategories of age and degree.

Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of Age Groups
A n e x a m i n a t i o n of the total

formal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a ctivities of selected age groups
using an average value

for each age group suggests that

as the age of the respo n d e n t

increases their overall

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y decreases,
In particular,

(Table 4.1).

it is the number of graduate college

credit contact hours w hich d e c reases as age
(Table 4.2).

increases,

An e x a m i n a t i o n of the responses of all

102

T A B L E 4.1

A V E R A G E C A R E E R E X P E R I E N C E AN D TOTAL FORMAL
P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T Y OF S E L ECTED A G E GROUPS

Group

Respondents
(N)

Teaching Experience
(years)

Total*
Professional
Growth Hours

Mean

Mean

S.D.

S.D.

Ages:

22- 34

160

4.23

3.45

105.22

100.14

Ages:

35- 47

589

15.47

6.57

74.77

79.42

230

22.72

8.21

61.04

59.47

8

27.00

9.09

35.63

23.32

Age:

48

- 65

Age:

65 - Over

* Total Professional Growth = ((Semester College Hours, x 15) +
(Professional Conferences x 6) + After School Inservice Hours).

103

TABLE 4.2

FORMAL PROFESSIONAL-GROWTH ACTIVITY OF SELECTED AGE GROUPS

Age
Group
(years)

22 - 34

Graduate
Professional
Credit
Conference
(semester x 15) (days x 6)

School
Inservice
(hours)

Mean

S.D.

Mean

S.D.

Mean

S.D.

75.18

89.43

25.05

28.67

4.99

1.07

35 - 47

36.65

65.27

30.61

37.00

7.51

13.16

48 - 65

25.26

46.17

28.33

30.52

7.45

13.15

65 - Over

3.75

10.60

24.00

19.24

7.88

9.72

104

age groups for all

formal a c t i v i t i e s using the a n a lysis

of v a r i a n c e i n d icated that there is a s ignificant
d i f f e r e n c e betw e e n age groups only with regard to total
formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y and reported
g r a duate activity,

(Table 4 . 3 ) .

Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of De g r e e Groups
There is no c l e a r patt e r n to the total

formal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y of r e s p o ndents using
aver a g e va l u e s w i t h regard to de g r e e group,
4.4).

There are highs and lows of activity,

w h i c h ap p e a r at v a r i o u s degree groups.
there are changes
degree

(Table
however,

In particular,

in g r a duate coll e g e a c t ivity at the

levels of BA/BS through MA/MS + 15

w h i c h might

be a s s o c i a t e d wit h State c e r t i f i c a t i o n req u i r e m e n t s and
co n t r a c t u a l benefits a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the hi g h e r degree,
(Table 4 . 5 ) .

An e x a m i n a t i o n of t h e d e g r e e

group

r esponses using the a n a l y s i s of v a r iance test indicated
that there
groups

is a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n degree

in total p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity and in all

of the formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a ctivities examined,
(Table 4.6).

105

T A B L E 4.3

C O M P A R I S O N OF FORMAL P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T I E S OF
S E L E C T E D AG E GROUPS

Variable

College
Credit

Sum-of-Squares

DF

Mean-Square

F-Ratio

1182.65

4

295.66

15.35

Professional
Conferences

130.52

4

32.63

1.00

School
Inservice

One or More Groups Has No Variance

Total
Professional
Growth
201971.27

4

50492.82

8.12

P

0.000*

0.405

0.000*

Analysis of Variance is Significant if P is 0.05 or less.

106

TABLE 4.4

AVERAGE CAREER EXPERIENCE AND TOTAL FORMAL PROFESSIONAL-GROWTH
ACTIVITY OF SELECTED DEGREE GROUPS

Degree
Respondents
Group
(N)
(+ hours)

Teaching Experience
(years)

Total*
Professional
Growth Hours

Mean

Mean

S.D.

S.D.

BA/BS

123

5.55

7.60

78.09

79.08

BA/BS + 18

115

13.54

7.77

65.73

66.48

BA/BA + 30

107

14.45

8.37

110.86

103.04

MA/MS

300

16.00

7.42

59.15

69.29

MA/MS + 15

119

18.27

7.10

82.89

73.26

MA/MS + 30

194

20.32

8.10

80.97

81.92

EdS

18

19.61

7.93

128.06

122.68

PhD

1
K
AV

ic
An
X V • '<v

n Iac
V

co
VV

no

f t \i

A 1
on
lit
i/

Li

* Total Professional Growth = ((Semester College Hours. x 15) +
(Professional Conferences x 6) + After School Inservice Hours).

107

TABLE 4.5

FORMAL PROFESSIONAL-GROWTH ACTIVITY OF SELECTED DEGREE GROUPS

Degree
Group
(+ hours)

Graduate
Credit
(semester x 15)
Mean

Professional
Conference
(days x 6)

School
Inservice
(hours)

S.D

Mean

S.D.

Mean

S.D.

BA/BS

52.19

67.96

20.95

21.59

4.96

9.90

BA/BS + 18

38.09

62.89

22.90

18.05

4.74

9.28

BA/BA + 30

72.90

99.64

29.13

34.03

8.83

13.06

MA/MS

22.71

50.48

29.94

34.73

6.50

11.18

MA/MS + 15

45.83

59.33

28.63

33.73

8.44

15.29

MA/MS + 30

40.06

71.20

32.66

35.54

8.24

15.32

EdS

47.84

61.68

co no

oo on
vw

■\

1

1c

PhD

18.00

35.49

35.40

26.50

10.33

OO

X X •uu

on
XV* w
12.36

108

TABLE 4.6

COMP A R I S O N OF FORMAL P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T I E S OF
S E L E C T E D DEGREE GROUPS

Variable

College
Credit

Sum-of-SquareB

DF

Mean-Square

F-Ratio

P

1051.04

7

150.15

7.71

0.000*

1236.94

7

176.71

5.62

0.000*

2562.12

7

366.02

2.30

0.025*

Total
Professional
289219.43
Growth

7

41317.06

6.73

0.000*

Professional
Conferences

School
Inservice

* Analysis of Variance is Significant at the 0.05 level.

109

P a r t i c i p a t i o n in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s
The relative time d e v o t e d to identified informal
and formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y was
a c c o m p l i s h e d by u s i n g a five point scale.
mid - p o i n t of three

The

i n dicated no relative change of

pro f e s s i o n a l gr o w t h a c t i v i t y during the pas t twelve
months as compared to the beg i n n i n g of the respondents
career w hile a n u m b e r of one or two indicated an
increase and a n u m b e r of four or five indicated a
decrease.

P a r t i c i p a t i o n of Age Groups

in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h

Activities
The average va l u e s d e t e r m i n e d wit h regard to the
r elative p a r t i c i p a t i o n in p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activ i t i e s of age groups s u ggested a similar trend
college p a r t i c i p a t i o n as was
reported semester hours,
the respondent

in

found using respondent

(Table 4.7).

As the age of

increases the number of g r a duate college

hours attained decreases.

The onl y other

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y in w h i c h the use of
average group val u e s

suggests a p a t t e r n w i t h respect to

age was that of sp o n s o r e d travel.
a decrease
The overall

As the age

increased

in p a r t i c i p a t i o n in sponsored travel occurs.
results

for most cate g o r i e s and activities

appear to be fairly close w i t h a few e x ceptions w h i c h

110

T A B L E 4.7
PARTICIPATION IN SELECTED PROFESSIONAL-GROWTH ACTIVITIES RELATIVE
TO THE BEGINNING OF AN AGE GROUPS TEACHING CAREER

Category

Sponsored
Travel

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

65- Over
years

*
3.13
(126)

3.25
(506)

3.45
(195)

4.40
(5)

2.69
(134)
Reading Magazines
Journals
2.45
(137)
Reading
Newspapers
2.55
(137)
Reading Science
Related Books
2.39
(136)
Informal Gatherings
of Peers
2.69
(137)
Independent
Research
2.84
(135)
College
Classes
2.83
(136)
Professional
Conferences
2.26
(137)
School Sponsored
After hours, Weekend
and Summer
Inservices
2.65
(127)

2.57
(541)

2.33
(214)

3.60
(5)

2.32
(221)

2.60
(5)

2.40
(552)

2.37
(220)

2.40
(5)

2.32
(555)

2.36
(221)

2.60
(5)

2.61
(551)

2.73
(219)

3.00
(5)

2.98
(542)

2.98
(212)

4.20
(5)

3.45
(552)

3.65 .
(220)

4.60
(5)

2.12
(551)

2.24
(221)

2.80
(5)

2.61
(536)

2.72
(211)

3.25
(4)

Independent
Travel

2.14
(555)

* Average/(Respondents). (Range of responses were from one to
five. A value less than three indicates more relative time. A
value greater than three indicates less relative time.)

Ill

o ccur at the s i xty-five and over age group.
general,
highest

In

relative p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y is
in the c a t e g o r y of p r o f e s s i o n a l c o n f e r e n c e s and

lowest in the c a t e g o r y of s p o n s o r e d travel.

And,

the

average values of the groups suggest that relat i v e
teacher p a r t i c i p a t i o n
activ i t i e s

in mos t p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h

is at the same or an inc r e a s e d level for all

groups as whe n they first b e g a n t h e i r career.

An

analysis of the responses u sing the c h i - s q u a r e test
indicated that there were s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e s
the cate g o r i e s of sp o n s o r e d travel,
reading mag a z i n e s and journals,
peers and college classes

in

independent travel,

informal g a t h e r i n g s of

(Table 4.8).

However,

the

signif i c a n c e s ma y be c o n s i d e r e d suspect as more than
twenty percent of the fitted cells had expected
f requencies of less than five.
proc e d u r e s were e x p l o r e d

A l t e r n a t e S tatistical

(Borg and Gall,

1983) but the

r esea r c h e r was advi s e d to use the P e a r s o n Chi- S q u a r e
test values as r e p orted w i t h a note of caution.

P a r t i c i p a t i o n of Degree Groups

in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h

Activities
Relative p a r t i c i p a t i o n in identified
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h acti v i t i e s

for all degree groups

using an average value to indicate group response
appears to suggest that there are

few d ifferences

112

T A B L E 4.8
C O M P A R I S O N OF P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T I E S OF A G E
G ROUPS

Pearson Chi-Square
Value

Degrees
Freedom

Probability

Sponsored Travel

32.83

16

0.008*

Independent Travel

44.68

16

0.000*

Reading Magazines
or Journals

30.32

16

0.016*

Reading Newspaper

24.40

16

0.081

Reading Science
Related Books

12.90

16

0.680

Informal Gatherings
of Peers

27.16

16

0.040

Independent Research

14.42

16

0.567

College Classes

62.86

16

0.000*

o n
a c
fat/* - x v

4 /*
X U

u.

15.90

16

0.460

A A.

A f ’r

A

1

A

A A A
c u v

Conferences
School Sponsored
After Hours Inservices

* Chi-Square test is significant at the

0.05 level

113

b e t w e e n how each g roup rates their p a r t i c i p a t i o n in a
p a r t i c u l a r a c t i v i t y w i t h the p o s s i b l e e x c e p t i o n of
g r a duate college activity,

(Table 4.9).

An examination

of responses to college p a r t i c i p a t i o n by degree level
suggests a similar u p and down level of a c t i v i t y as was
found w h e n the actual hours of p a r t i c i p a t i o n in college
c ourses was evaluated.

In general,

the activ i t i e s of

g r e atest relative p a r t i c i p a t i o n for all groups are
p r o f e s s i o n a l conferences,
journals,
overall,

reading mag a z i n e s and

and reading s c i e n c e - r e l a t e d books.

And

w i t h the e x c e p t i o n of s p onsored travel and

college classes,

the values sug g e s t e d that relative

teacher p a r t i c i p a t i o n in most p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activ i t i e s

is at the same or an increased level for all

groups as when they first began t heir career.

An

a nalysis of the responses using the chi- s q u a r e test
i ndicated that there were s ignificant di f f e r e n c e s in
the categories of s p onsored travel,
research,

independent

college classes and p r o f e ssional

c o n f e r e n c e s ,(Table 4.10).

However,

the signi f i c a n c e s

may be consi d e r e d suspect as more than twenty percent
of the fitted cells had expected frequencies of less
than five.

114

TA B L E 4.9
P A R T I C I P A T I O N IN S E L E C T E D P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T I E S R E L A T I V E T O TH E D E G R E E H E L D B Y K - 12
RESPON D E N T S AND THE B E G I N N I N G O F T H E I R T E A C H I N G C A R E E R

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS PhD
+18
+30
+15 +30
_

Sponsored
Travel

3.14
(86)

3.18 3.41
(101) (87)

2.53
(106)

3.32 3.09 3.34 2.88
(274) (112) (172) (17)

3.62
(16)

Independent
Travel

2.57
(93)

2.58 2.53 2.62 2.47 2.06 2.56
(99) (294) (117) (188) (18) (16)

Reading
Magazines
Journals

2.36 2.08 2.22 2.24 2.14 2.26
(99) (110) (103) (302) (118) (192)

2.06 2.25
(18) (16)

Reading
Newspapers

2.46
(99)

2.32 2.42 2.37 2.51 2.47
(108) (103) (300) (119) (191)

2.67 2.25
(18) (16)

2.28
(98)

2.26 2.34 2.34 2.36 2.41 2.22
(110) (103) (303) (119) (190) (18)

Informal
Gatherings
of Peers

2.45
(95)

2.74 2.63 2.69 2.53 2.71
(107) (103) (301) (119) (191)

Independent
Research

2.88 2.95 2.86 3.03 2.88 3.01
2.72
(95) (105) (101) (294) (115) (186) (18)

Reading Science

College
Classes

3.12
(97

2.50
(16)

2.67 2.62
(18) (16)

2.69
(16)

3.39 2.85 3.74 3.13 3.51 3.44 3.44
(109) (103) (299) (119) (190) (18) (16)

115

T A B L E 4.9 - C o n tinued

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS PhD
+18
+30
+15 +30

Professional
Conferences
2.28
(98)

School Sponsored
After hours,
Weekend and
Summer
2.44
Inservices
(89)

2.13
(109)

2.16 2.14 2.15 2.06
(102 ) (302) (119) (189) (18)

2.19

2.67 2.45
(102) (96)

2.66

2.72 2.71 2.61
(285) (118) (187) (18)

1.88
(16)

2.69
(16)

* Average/(Respondents). (Range of responses were from one to
five. A value less than three indicates more relative time. A
value greater than three indicates less relative time.)

116

T A B L E 4.10
C O M P A R I S O N OF P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T I E S OF DE G R E E
GROUPS

Pearson Chi-Square
Value

Degrees
Freedom

Probability

Sponsored Travel

50.83

32

0.019*

Independent Travel

39.01

32

0.184

Reading Magazines
or Journals

27.53

32

0.692

Reading Newspaper

28.20

32

0.659

Reading Science
Related Books

17.65

32

0.981

Informal Gatherings
of Peers

27.32

32

0.702

Independent Research

47.61

32

0.037*

College Classes

77.84

32

0.000*

D v*/"Nf*oee i CTlIli

A'J
1 n
« • JL ♦

on

otd

A
A 4«*
U « U«t 1

45.68

32

0.055

Conferences
School Sponsored
After Hours Inservices

* Chi-Square test is significant at the

0.05 level

117

Use of Kno w l e d g e G e n e r a t e d by P a r t i c i p a t i o n in
Professional Growth Activities

The relative use of k n o w l e d g e ga i n e d from
participation

in an id ent i f i e d formal or informal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y was e x a m i n e d u sing a three
point scale.

A r e s ponse of one i n dicated a v e r y useful

a c t i v i t y w h i l e a v alue of three ind i c a t e d an a c t i v i t y
w h i c h was not useful.

A fourth r e s ponse w a s also

a v ailable to indicate that the re s p o n d e n t s had never
p a r t i c i p a t e d in a p a r t i c u l a r activity.
response wa s not used w h e n an

The fourth

aver a g e v alue was

compu t e d for any activity.

Use of K n owledge G e n e r a t e d by P a r t i c i p a t i o n in
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s by Age Groups
The average res p o n s e s of all age groups suggests
that all of the ident i f i e d a c t i v i t i e s p r o v i d e useful
knowledge,

(Table 4.11).

slight d i f f e r e n c e s

An d there appear to be only

in aver a g e v a l u e s

if the s i xty-five

and o lder age group is not considered.
are the average value g r o u p responses
pro f e s s i o n a l conferences,
journals,

Of cular note
in the areas of

reading m a g a z i n e s and

and reading scie n c e rela t e d books.

A pattern

of high relative kno w l e d g e use appears to be suggested
through a mean c o m p a r i s o n of roup r e s ponses

in all

118

T A B L E 4.11
U SE OF K N O W L E D G E G A I N E D IN P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T I E S R E L A T I V E TO S E L E C T E D A G E GROUPS

Category

Sponsored
Travel
Independent
Travel
Reading
Magazines
Journals
Reading
Newspapers

22 - 34
years

Independent
P6S6£rch
College
Classes
Professional
Conferences

48 - 65
years

65- Over
years

*
1.68
(76)

1.68
(295)

1.61
(122)

1.50
(4)

1.67
(120)

1.64
(501)

1.67
(189)

1.50
(6)

1.52
(143)

1.45
(560)

1.49
(218)

1.00
(6)

1.71
(139)

1.71
(551)

1.76
(217)

1.50
(6)

(138)

1.49
(549)

1,53
(215)

1.17
(6)

1.71
(131)

1.68
(533)

1.75
(208)

1.50
(6)

1. 76
(100)

1.81
(389)

1
ont
i.* U

1

(156)

on
A • uu
(5)

1.67
(140)

1.69
(537)

1.62
(202)

1.50
(6)

1.41
(140)

1.36
(560)

1.34
(216)

1.67
(6)

1.76
(429)

1.88
(179)

1.50
(6)

Reading Science
1.55
Related Books
Informal
Gatherings
of Peers

35 - 47
years

School Sponsored
After hours,
Weekend and
Summer
1.66
(93)
Inservices

* Average/(Respondents in Category) (Range of participation
responses were from one to three. A value of one indicated a very
useful activity, a value of two somewhat useful, and a value of
three an activity not useful.)

119

three.

A test of sign i f i c a n c e u s i n g the c h i - s q u a r e

test was not a t t e m p t e d as an ex a m i n a t i o n of the raw
data and c o n s u l t a t i o n w i t h a pro f e s s i o n a l

statistician

indicated that basic a s s u m p t i o n s for use c o u l d not be
meet.

Use of Knowledge G e n e r a t e d by P a r t i c i p a t i o n in
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s by Degree Groups
The average res p o n s e s of all degree groups
suggests that there is little d i f f e r e n c e

in how each

g roup values a p a r t i c u l a r a c t i v i t y w i t h re g a r d to the
relative usefu l n e s s of k n owledge ga i n e d from
p a r t i c i p a t i o n in that specific a c t i v i t y
However,

an

(Table 4.12).

overall g e n e r a l i z a t i o n of the p a t t e r n s of

the d ata suggest that all groups rate the u s e f u l n e s s of
the knowledge gained t h r o u g h reading magazines,

reading

science related b ooks and p r o f e s s i o n a l c o n f e r e n c e
a t t e n d a n c e as being the most valuable.
were slight d i f f e r e n c e s

in averages

W hile there

for each g roup w i t h

respect to the p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity,

there were

no m ajor differ e n c e s w i t h the e x c e p t i o n of the
c a t e g o r i e s of Ed.S and Ph.D.

120

TABLE 4.12

USE O F TH E K N O W L E D G E G A I N E D IN P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T I E S R E L A T I V E TO TH E D E G R E E H E L D B Y K - 12
RE S P O N D E N T S

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

*
Sponsored
Travel

1.75
(60)

1.76
(46)

1.53
(53)

1.69 1.68
(147) (79)

1.61 1.42
(114) (12)

1.50
(8)

Independent
Travel

1.71
(92)

1.65
(94)

1.65
(80)

1.67 1.69 1.56 1.38
(267) (110) (174) (16)

1.86
(14)

Reading
Magazines
Journals

1.49 1.45 1.47 1.49 1.41 1.41 1.56
(118) (108) (105) (298) (118) (191) (16)

1.64
(14)

Reading
Newspapers

1.69 1.66 1.75 1.73 1.73 1.75 2.06
(113) (108) (104) (296) (117) (186) (16)

1.71
(14)

1.53 1.45 1.51 1.51 1.49 1.50 1.50
(110) (106) (102) (296) (118) (185) (16)

1.40
(15)

Informal
Gatherings
of Peers

1.69 1.78
(107) (98)

1.72
(96)

1.70 1.73 1.62 1.69
(285) (113) (184) (16)

1.73
(15)

Independent
Research

1.78 1.88
(76) (69)

1.69
(72)

1.84 1.82
(206) (83)

1.80 1.87
(143) (15)

1.86
(14)

College
Classes

1.57 1.79 1.54
(113) (103) (96)

1.75 1.65 1.66 1.50
(283) (116) (184) (16)

1.67
(15)

Reading Science
Related Books

121

T A B L E 4.12 - Co n t i n u e d

Category

Professional
Conferences

School Sponsored
After hours,
Weekend &nd
Summer
Inservices

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

1.41 1.35 1.35 1.41 1.41 1.29 1.19
(115) (109) (102) (298) (118) (191) (16)

1.00
(14)

1.74
(79)

1,72
(74)

1.76 1.69
(71) (233)

1.95 1.84
(94) (159)

1.93 1.62
(15) (13)

* Average/(Respondents in Category) (Range of participation
responses were from one to three. A value of one indicated a very
useful activity, a value of two somewhat useful, and a value of
three an activity not useful.)

122

O b s t a c l e s to P a r t i c i p a t i o n in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
Activities

To det e r m i n e ho w r e s p o n d e n t s v i e w e d researchi d entified obs t a c l e s to c o n t i n u e d p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
a c t i v i t y a three p oint scale was used.

A response of

one indicated that the ident i f i e d o b s tacle was a m a j o r
b arr i e r to c o n t i n u e d p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity.
response of two i n dicated that the

A

i d entified o b s t a c l e

was a m inor o b s tacle to c o n t i n u e d p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activity.

And a r e s ponse of three

indicated that the

a c t i v i t y was not an o b s t a c l e to p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activity.

O b s t a c l e s to P a r t i c i p a t i o n R e l a t e d to Age
In general mos t age groups v i e w e d the i dentified
c ategories as m i n o r o b s t a c l e s w i t h the exc e p t i o n of
distr i c t

financial

support and obt a i n i n g release time

which ap p e a r to be of g r e a t e r concern,

(Table 4.13),

If the sixty-five and over g roup is e x c luded due to its
small

size there

overall

is little relative d i f f e r e n c e

response avera g e s

in the

for each c a t e g o r y wit h the

ex c e p t i o n of fami l y / p e r s o n a l

responsibilities.

The age

c a t e g o r y of thirty - f i v e to fo r t y - s e v e n years of age has
an average value w h i c h ma y suggest that f a m i l y / personal
r e s p o n sibilities

is as great an o b s tacle to

123

T A B L E 4.13

PERCEIVED OBSTACLES TO CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL-GROWTH
A C T I V I T Y R E L A T I V E T O S E L E C T E D AGE GROUPS

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

65- Over
years

District
Financial
Support

1.62
(143)

*
1.62
(555)

1.67
(216)

1.67
(6)

Obtaining
Release
Tine

1.84
(145)

1.73
(559)

1.83
(218)

1.60
(5)

Fanily/Personal
Responsibilities

2.03
(145)

1.77
(566)

2.13
(216)

2.17
(6)

Travel Tine
to Activity

2.19
(145)

2.09
(558)

2.15
(217)

2.33
(6)

Activity Only
Offered After
School

2.28
(143)

2.14
(557)

2.18
(217)

2.50
(6)

Activity Only
Offered on
Weekends

2.12
(144)

2.03
(558)

2.07
(217)

2.50
(6)

Activity Only
Offered During
Summers

2.43
(143)

2.20
(554)

2.14
(218)

2.33
(6)

124

T A B L E 4.13 C o n t i n u e d

Category

Relevance of
Activity to
Your Needs

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

65- Over
years

2.04
(137)

1.88

1.91
(215)

2.33

2.09
(216)

2.00
(6 )

Length of Time
Needed to
2.10
Complete Activity (143)

(545)

2.00
(550)

(6)

* Average/ (Respondents). (Range of responses were from one to
three. A value of one indicates a major obstacle to continued
professional-growth activity. A value of two indicates a minor
obstacle to continued professional-growth activity. A value of
three indicates no effect upon professional-growth activity.)

125

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y as is obt a i n i n g release
time or d i s t r i c t f i nancial

support.

A test of

s i g n i f i c a n c e using the c h i - s q u a r e test was not
a t t e m p t e d as an e x a m i n a t i o n of the raw d a t a and
consultation with a professional
that b asic assump t i o n s

s t a t i s t i c i a n indicated

for use could not be meet.

O b s t a c l e s to P a r t i c i p a t i o n Related to Degree
In terms of o b s t a c l e s to c o ntinued p r o f e s s i o n a l g rowth a c t i v i t y most de g r e e groups viewed d i s trict
financial

support and obt a i n i n g release time as more

than a m i n o r obstacle,

(Table 4.14).

The re m a i n d e r of

the a reas p r e s e n t e d on the survey were ident i f i e d as
m i n o r o b s t a c l e s by m ost of the deg r e e groups.

S u m m a r y of Age G roup and Degree Group D a t a A n a l y s i s

A c o m p a r i s o n of three formal pro f e s s i o n a l growth
a c t i v i t i e s of s e l ected teachers,
v alue of activity,

using a cont a c t hour

s u g gests that as teachers age or

at t a i n a higher level deg r e e there are some s ignificant
d i f f e r e n c e s and p a t t e r n s of participation.

As teachers age there

is a significant

difference

in total formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h

activity.

In p a r t i c u l a r the decrease

is most apparent

126

T A B L E 4.14

P E R C E I V E D O B S T A C L E S TO C O N T I N U E D P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T Y R E L A T I V E TO T H E DEGREE H E L D BY K - 12
RESPONDENTS

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

District
Financial
Support

*
1.69 1.51 1.51 1.66 1.67 1.68 1.80
(113) (104) (105) (295) (119) (193) (15)

2.07
(14)

Obtaining
Release
Time

1.94 1.77 1.76 1.81 1.66 1.77 1.75
(115) (104) (105) (295) (119) (191) (16)

1.77
(13)

2.04 1.76 1.94 1.78 1.96 1.97 2.00
(117) (108) (106) (299) (120) (191) (17)

2.13
(15)

Family/Personal
Responsibilities

Travel Tine
to Activity
Activity Only
Offered After
School

Activity Only
Offered on
Weekends

Activity Only
Offered During
Summers

2.23
(114)

2.10 2.08 2.06
(108) (104) (299)

2.19 2.12
(118) (190)

2.24
(17)

2.20
(15)

2.32
2.13 2.17 2.18
2.19 2.15
2.25
(114) (108) (104) (296) (119) (191) (16)

2.08
(13)

2.28 1.91 2.09 2.10 2.04 2.01 2.06
(113) (108) (103) (299) (119) (192) (16)

2.36 2.14 2.29 2.23 2.21 2.18 2.06
(111) (108) (102) (297) (120) (192) (16)

2.00
(14)

2.14
(14)

127

T A B L E 4.14 - Con t i n u e d

Category

Relevance of
Activity to
Your Needs

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

2.02 1.97
(109) (102)

1.92 1.91 1.88 1.87
(101) (293) (118) (188)

PhD

2.00
(16)

1.86
(14)

Length of Time
Needed to Complete
Activity
2.13 1.94
1.99 2.05 2.05 2.03
2.31
(108) (107) (104) (294) (118) (192) (16)

2.14
(14)

* Average/ (Respondents).
(Range of responses were from one to
three. A value of one indicates a major obstacle to continued
professional-growth activity. A value of two indicates a minor
obstacle to continued professional-growth activity. A value of
three indicates no effect upon professional-growth activity.)

128

and was

found to be signif i c a n t onl y in the area of

g r a duate college classes.

In contrast,

w hile

statistical a n a lysis i n dicated a s i g n i f i c a n t diff e r e n c e
betw e e n degree groups
activ i t i e s and total
ctivity,

in all p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h

there was no e a s i l y di s c e r n i b l e pattern.

A compa r i s o n of relative time p a r t i c i p a t i o n in
id entified formal and informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activ i t i e s suggests that r e gardless of age or degree,
relative p a r t i c i p a t i o n in most of those activ i t i e s

is

at the same or increased level as w h e n the teacher
first ente r e d the profession.

The o nly activ i t i e s

w hich there was an a p p a r e n t trend,

a decrease,

in

and

sign i f i c a n c e was found relative to age were graduate
college courses and spo n s o r e d travel.

The a c tivities

of hishest. r p 1a t,i vp rprt.i oiT>nt ion w h i c h w ere common to
age or degree a n a lysis were,

p r o f e ssional conferences,

reading mag a z i n e s or journals,

and reading science-

related books.

A compa r i s o n of r e sponses w i t h regard to the use
of the knowledge gai n e d in identified
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activ i t i e s found only slight
d i f f e r e n c e s wit h i n age g r o u p or degree g roup analysis.
R es p o n s e s of most age and degree groups sug g e s t e d that
all a c tivities are useful.

The activ i t i e s of greatest

129

use were,

pr of es s i on a l conferences,

or journals,

reading maga zi nes

and readin g sc ie nc e- rel ate d books.

A c o m pa ri s o n of responses w i t h regard to
p er cei ved obst acl es to cont inu ed p r of es s i o n a l - g r o w t h
ac tiv ity su ggested that wit hi n both age and degree
groups most

identi fie d obst ac les were c on sid er ed as

minor.

Com mon to bo t h analysis categories,

degree,

dis trict

age and

financial support and obtaining

release time ap pe ar to be c on sid er ed as the greatest
obs tacles to c o n t i n u e d p r of es s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity.
And wit hi n the age g rou p analysis categor ies

the data

suggest that the age gr ou p of thi rt y- fi ve to
forty-se ven cons ide rs

fa mi ly/ personal

re sp ons ib il iti es

to be as great an obs tacle as obta in ing district
release time.

Te a c h er Com ments

"Other"

Profes sio nal

Gr o wt h A c ti vi t i e s of Tea chers

With regard to relative p a r t i c i p a t i o n

in

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activ it ie s and sources of useful
knowledge,

res pon den ts were pr ov ide d with the option of

identifying

"Other" a ct ivi tie s wh ic h they do or would

p a r t ic ip at e

in be y o n d those identi fi ed in the survey.

An exa mi nat io n of the responses to "Other"

130

pr o f e s si on al- gr ow t h ac tiv iti es y i eld ed resp on ses
three areas,

a t t end in g specific

conferences,

p ar t i c i p a t i o n in prof es si on al

organizations,

in

in stitutes or

and d e v e lo pi ng or improving their own

educati on al materials.

The

institutes and co nf ere nc es

identified by r es po nde nt s of the survey were:
Science Found ati on Institutes,

National

Edi so n Institutes,

and

Science Educ at io n in the Middle School Project.
Par ti ci p at io n in pr ofe ss io na l o r ga ni za ti on s beyond
c o n f e r e nc e/ w o rk sh o p at te nda nc e was

identified as either

being a board me mb er and /o r a wo r k s h o p presenter.

T ea che r Identified Ob s t a cl es

to Co nt inu ed

Pr o f e ss i o na l- G ro wt h A c t i v i t y
Teache r co mme nts per ta in in g to ob st acl es to
con ti nu ed p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t y could be group ed
in three areas,

Teachers

money,

time,

and value.

identi fi ed money as an ob stacle to

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g ro wt h activi ti es becau se of the direct
cost of p ar ti ci pat in g
expensive....",
labs....",
di strict

in the activity;

" . . . o ut ra ge ou sl y

"No funds for cl a s s r o o m innova ti on or

"...financial cost....",

funding....",

"...lack of

"I d o n ’t have the money!".

indirect costs such as the

Or,

individual w o rk in g other

jobs and having to pay not only for the act iv it y but

131

having to lose partim e emp lo ym en t pay;
we ek en d s and summers

"...

workin g

for the past fifteen years...",

wo r k four diff er en t jobs to support m y family!"
m a n y res po nd en ts

"I

For

the issue of being able to pay for

both p ro fe ss i o na l gro wt h ac tiv iti es and support their
family was a dd res se d in their w r it t e n comments.
data ex am in ed

And the

in this study suggest that it is a

conce rn p a r t i c u l ar l y for te achers betwe en the ages of
th ir ty -fi ve and for ty- se ve n years of age.

Time was

id entified as an obstacle w i t h regard

to when p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t i e s were offered;

"

...activities that take time from the teaching day...",
"...time conflicts,
the same time.",

all the act iv it ie s are offere d at

". .. coaching duties....",

are only offer ed during the
1

uxov

1

A -P 1

school day....".

4 - 4 ^ ^ . -I- U ~

J
.V
.U uo

"...classes

~

J

ilC
C
U

-P ~

i V
/l

It was

4, U ~

W
U
C

individual to spend time w i t h their family or pursue
personal

release,

" . . . c a n ’t wo r k it into my

ri du c ul ou s ly busy schedule...",
time from my family....",

". .. difficult to take

"As a begin nin g teache r I had

more time but wi th a young family the focus has
s h i f t e d ."

Value was

identi fied as an obstacle w i t h regard

to what p a r ti c i p a t i o n in p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac tivities
would do for the teacher,

"No science

inservices,

only

132

ones on discipline,

eff ec tiv e schools,

etc....",

"Why

learn how to do what you c a n ’t afford to implement,
i t ’s frustrating.",
teaching position,
years!",

"...lack of security in keeping
fourteen pinks lip s in thirteen

"...being ove rqu al ifi ed whe n seeking

employment.",

"No positive effect

"I go on my own time,

in the classroom.",

would not go if the district

requested unless they paid.".

Pre ferred Pr of es si on al -G ro wt h Ac tiv iti es of
K-12 Respondents

The prefe rre d pro fes si on al -g ro wt h activities of
practic ing K - 1 2

respondents were

identified by

requesting that each respondent select three activities
a

iv m

«

a

1

4

xxob

_

-O

-i-

.

i
. ten

________ X *

•

_

_ 1

^iuicd&iuiiai

and/or add others as needed.

_

j

I

g l UW U I

«

•

•

•

•

ttC tl Vi UlCb

In most cases the

respondents selected three or fewer activities, while
in some cases respondents added remarks indicating that
they could not choose only three from the identified
list.

The order of pref er red activities

all K - 1 2

respondents

is pres en ted

selected by

in Table 4.15.

Pro fessional conferen ces was the number one pr eferred
ca teg ory by a significant mar gi n followed by sponsored

133

T ABLE 4.15

P R O F E SS IO N A L- GR O WT H AC TI VIT IE S IDENTI FIE D BY K - 12
RE S P O N D EN TS IN O RD ER OF PR EFE REN CE

Activity

Rank (Nuaber)

Professional Conferences

1 (735)

Sponsored Travel

2 (386)

College Classes

3 (382)

School Sponsored Activities

4 (364)

Infornal Gatherings of Peers

5 (335)

Reading Magazines/Journals

6 (318)

Independent Travel

7 (246)

Reading Science Related Books

8 (173)

Independent Research

9 (132)

Other

m
*V

\»” >

11

(49)

134

travel,

college classes,

sch ool -s po ns or ed activities,

and informal gatheri ngs of peers.

S u p p l em en ta ry Ana ly si s

To det er mi ne

if there may be an interaction

betw ee n gender or level of assig nm ent w i t h regard to
age or degr ee upon pa rt ic i p a t i o n in p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activities the following sup pl em en ta ry analysis was
accomplished.

The metho ds used to examine and identify

levels of p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y or possible
trends we r e similar to those w h ic h were used to examine
the effects of age or degree upon p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activit ie s of respondents.

It should be noted,

however,

that becaus e of limited re sponses from

f

q

f Ko

t11 y*■?

^

t

h

e

s

e

co mb in ed w i t h mid dl e school responses.

rccporiccc *»crc
The numb er of

interacting groups nee de d to co mplete the sup ple men tar y
analysis dilut ed ma n y of the analys is groups to a point
where cautio n should be used
following analysis.

in the accept an ce of the

135

Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t i e s

Formal P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of Ge nd e r / A g e
Groups
An e x a mi n a t i o n of the total formal
pr of es s i o n a l - g r o w t h hours of selected age groups wi t h
respect to gend er using an average value for each group
suggests that as the age of the respondent

increases

their overall p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti vi ty decreases,
(appendix C, Table C.3).

In particular,

the values

suggest that as an individual mature s the amount of
graduate college a c ti v i ty decr eas es thus leading to an
apparent dec rease

in the total p r o fe ss io nal variable.

An analysis of var ia nc e to deter min e

if there was any

di ffe ren ce betwee n gende rs at each age gr ouping was
found not to be significant.
sig nificant differ enc e
(appendix C, Table C.4)

However,

there was a

found betwee n age groups,
similar to earlier findings of

this study.

Formal Pr of es s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of G e nd er /De gre e
Groups
An e xa mi n a t i o n of the total

formal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g ro wt h hours of selected degree groups
with respect to ge nd e r suggests that at most degree
levels

females are more p r of es s i o n a l l y active than are

136

males,

(appendix C, Table C.5).

In particular,

the

di f f er en ces b et we en genders of par ti cu la r degr ee groups
is to be found in the area of gra duate college credit.
Only at the PH.D level,
total sub-group,

a very small sample of the

did the cat eg or y of male exc ee d the

average val ue s of the ca te g o ry of female in terms of
total

formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h hours.

An an al ys is of

va riance of total pr o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti vi ty to
det ermine

if there was any di ff e r e n c e between genders

at each degree gr ouping was found not to be
significant.
however,

There was a sig ni fi ca nt di fference

with regard to an overall compar is on b et wee n

genders and degree groups,

(appendix C, Table C.6).

The s i g ni fic an ce found w i t h regard to degree
to earli er findings of this study.
differ en ce

found,

is simil ar

The significant

found b e tw ee n genders wi t h regard to total

formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t y appears to be a
cumula ti ve di ff e r e n ce be twe en gender s which while not
statist ic al ly

signifi ca nt at each degree level b ec om es

signifi ca nt when the entire gen de r populat io ns are
compared.

A further e x a m i na ti on of the data suggests

that the m aj or cause of the significant finding m a y be
graduate colle ge participation.
degree groups

In six of the eight

female gradua te college p a r t i ci pa ti on

137

averages were found to account for at least one third
of the total

formal pr of es s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac tivity

di fference found be twe en genders.

Formal Pr of es s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of Level/ Age
Groups
Because of the limite d numb er of responses
teachers at the junior high school

from

level their

responses were group ed with those of the middle school
responses.

A n ex a m i n a t i o n of the total

formal

pro fe s s i o n a l- gr o wt h hours with regard to as signment
level and age suggests that there is greater activity
at the el em e n t a r y level than at ei t h e r the middle
sc ho ol/junior high level or high school level,
(appendix C, Table C.7).

In particular,

the differ en ce

between le vel/age groups appears to be related to the
number of graduate hours.

The da t a suggest that

elementary teachers have taken more gr aduate college
hours than either the m i d d l e / j u n i o r high school group
or high school group regardless of age.

At each age

group of this analysis el em e n t a r y teachers report
having taken nea rl y twice as many graduate college
courses as high school teachers.

An analysis of

variance could not be done to dete rm in e significance.
An attempt to ac co m pl i s h an analysis of va riance
yielded an error code identifying empty cells.

138

Formal P ro fe s s i o n a l - G r o w t h A c t i v i t y of Level/Degree
Groups
A n e x a m i n a ti on of the total formal profe ss io na l
growth hours wi t h regard to level of assignment and
degree suggests that el em en ta ry t e a c h e r s ’ total
ac ti vi ty exceeds that of both the mi dd l e / j u n io r high
school or high school groups with an exc ep tio n at the
Ed.S.or Ph.D.
particular,

levels,

(appendix C, Table C.8).

In

the amount of college credit taken by

ele me n t a r y teachers excee ds that of secondary and
middle school teachers by betwee n fifteen and
forty-five contact hours.

In addition,

the data suggest

that el em e n ta ry te achers att end ed more after school
inservices than eit he r middle s ch ool /j un ior high school
or high school teachers.

An ana lysis of var ian ce of

total p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti vi ty to de termine if
there was any d if fe re nc e betwe en levels at each degree
grouping was found not to be significant.
significant diffe re nc e

found,

however,

There was a

with regard to

an ov erall co mpa ri s on betwe en levels of assignment and
degree groups,
significance

(appendix C, Table C.9).

found with regard to degree

earlier findings of this study.

The
is similar to

The differences

found

between levels of a s si gn me nt appears to be a cumulative
differ en ce between groups wh ic h while not statist ica lly

139

significant at each

degree level becomes

so when the

entire as signment level pop ul ati ons are compared.

Pa rt i ci pa t io n in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h Act iv it ie s

Pa r t i c ipa ti on of Ge nde r / Ag e Groups

in Professional-

Grow th A cti vit ie s
An ex a m i na ti o n of relative pa rt ic i p a t i o n in
identified p r o f e s s i o n a l -g ro wt h activit ies

for all age

groups with respect to ge nd e r suggests that wi t h the
exceptions of sp onsored travel and college classes
pa rt ic ip ati on is at the same level or at an increased
level as when teachers first began their careers.
addition,

In

the data suggest that there may be activity-

related trends

in p r o fe s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac tivities

associa ted with gender and age.
n ■P h o t . h

rn« l o

«nH

jP0

10

For example,

^TOUpS

IncrCStSSS

as the
ths

®!2CUnt

of relative time devote d to independent travel
increases,

or as the age of the male groups increases a

dec rease in informal gat hering occurs as com pared to
similar female groups,
advisement,

(appendix C, Table C.10).

Under

a chi-sq uar e ex am in ati on of the data for

all age groups with regard to each gen de r was done
rather than a co mpa ri s o n between genders due to data
and me t ho do l og y requirements.

A chi-sq ua re

exam in ati on of male age groups yielded significant

140

di ff ere nc es

in sp onsored travel,

informal gatherings of peers,

independent travel,

and college classes.

A

chi-s qua re exa min ati on of data for all female age
groups yielded sign ifi can t dif fe ren ce s in independent
travel,

reading m a g a z i n e s / j o u r n a l s , and reading

newspapers,

(appendix C, Table C.ll).

Pa r t i ci pat io n of Ge nd er /D eg re e Groups in
Pr o f e s s i o na l- G ro wt h A cti vit ies
An ex am in a ti on of relative p a rt ic i p a t i o n in
identified p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac tivities

for all

degree groups with respect to gender suggests that with
the ex ceptions of sponsored travel and c o ll eg e classes
pa rt i c i p a t io n is at the same level or at an increased
level as when teachers

first began their careers.

There appe ar to be no ea s i l y noticeable trends to
suggest changes

in ac ti vit y as the data are examined

for either gender from degree group to the next hi g h e r
degree g r o u p ,(appendi x C,

Table C.12).

A chi-sq uar e

test y i el de d significant dif fe ren ces only for the
gender of male wi t h regard to the p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activi ti es of independent research and college classes,
(appendix C, Table C.13).

141

P a rt ic ip at io n of Le ve l/ Ag e Groups in Profes si ona lGro wt h Ac tiv it ies
An ex am i n a t i o n of re lative p a r t i c i p a t io n in
id entified p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activ it ie s for all age
groups w i t h respect to level of assig nm en t suggests
that w i t h the ex ce p t i o n s of sponsored travel and
college classes p a r t i c i p a t i o n is at the same level or
at an increased level as whe n teacher s first began
their careers.
trend

The data suggest that there may be a

in terms of act iv i t ie s and age only at the high

school level and the ele me nt ar y level.
school

At the high

level as age in creases there appears to be a

dec rease

in spon so re d travel,

in de pe nd en t research,

college classes and an increase

and

in reading newspapers.

At the el em e n t a r y level the data appear to suggest an
increase

in pr of es s i o n a l

increases,

confer en ce act ivi ty as the age

(appendix C, Table C.14).

e x a m in at io n of the

A ch i-square

interac ti on of age and assignment

level upon relative p a r t i c i p a t i o n yield ed signifi ca nt
di f f er en ce s at the high school level
travel,

independent travel,

m i d d l e / j u n i o r high school

in sponsored

and college classes;

level

at the

significant di ff ere nce s

appeared only in pr of es s i o n a l confe re nc e attendance,
and at the e l e m e n t a r y level
(appendix C, Table C.15).

in college classes,

142

P a rt i ci pa t io n of L ev el / D eg re e Groups

in Profess ion al-

G r ow t h Act iv it i es
An e x a m i na ti o n of relative p a rt ic ip at io n in
identified p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c ti vi ti es for all
degree groups w i t h respe ct to level of assignment
suggests that w i t h the e x ce pt io ns of sponsored travel
and college classes p ar ti ci p a t i o n

is at the same level

or at an increased level as wh e n teachers first began
their careers.

T he re app ea r to be no other trends

suggested by the da t a for any degree group with regard
to the level of a ss ig nm en t

in any of the surveyed

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activities,
C.16).

(appendix C, Table

A chi-s qu ar e test found signifi ca nt differe nc es

only at the s e c o n d a r y level with regard to college
classes and pr of es s i o n al
Table C.17).
C.16

conferences,

(appendix C,

A re - e x a m i n a t i o n of the data from Table

did not sugge st a clearl y visibl e pa tte rn or

trend for the s i g n if ic an t

findings of the chi-square

test with regard to colle ge classes or profe ss ion al
conferences.

143

Use of Kn owledge G e n e r a t e d by P a r t i c ip at io n in
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h Ac ti v i t i e s

Use of Knowledge G e n e r a t e d by P a r t i c i p a t i o n in
P r o f e s s i o n a l - G ro wt h A c t i vi ti es by Ge nde r/A ge Groups
The average data responses

for both genders

interacting with age suggests that all of the
identi fi ed activities p r ov id e useful knowledge.

And

the da t a suggest that reading ma gazines and journals,
and pr of essional co nfe r e nc e attenda nce pr ov id e the most
useful knowledge for both genders as they mature,
(appendix C, Table C.18),

Use of Knowledge G e n e r a t e d by P a rt ic ip at io n

in

P r o f e s si on a l- Gr o wt h A ct iv it ie s by Gen de r/ De gr ee Groups
The average data responses

for both genders

interacting with deg re e suggests that all of the
identified ac tivities pr ovi de useful knowledge.

While

there are no easi ly dis ce rn ib le trends for either
gender wit h regard to degr ee there
co ntrast

is a visible

in the data for genders at all deg re e levels

in school- sp on so re d activities.

That is,

di f f er en ce s between re por ted values

the

for each degree

ca te g o r y with respect to gend er are greater than one
q u ar te r of a point w h i c h m ak es those values a
not ic ea ble data p at ter n of differences,

(appendix C,

144

Table C.19)

. The da ta may suggest that females at all

degree levels use the knowledge

from school

inservices

more than males.

Use of Know led ge Ge ne ra ted by P a r t i c ip at io n in
Pr of es si o n a l - G r o w t h Activ it ie s by Le vel/Age Groups
The average data responses
assign men t

for all levels of

interacting wi t h age suggests that all of

the identified activit ies provi de useful

knowledge.

While there are no easi ly d i sc ern ibl e trends for any of
the levels ex ami ned there

is a visibl e contrast

in the

data b e tw een the e l e m e nt ar y and secondary levels for
all age groups with regard to sch ool -sp ons or ed
activities,

(appendix C, Table C.20).

The data suggest

that teachers as signed to the e le men ta ry school value
sch oo l- spo ns ore d

inservices more than high school

teachers.

Use of Kn owledge Gene ra te d by Par ti ci pa ti on in
P r o f e s s i o n a l- Gr o wt h A ct ivi ti es by Lev el/Degree Groups
The average data responses
assign me nt

for all levels of

interacting with degree suggests that all of

the identified activi ti es provide useful

knowledge.

While there are no easi ly d i sc ern ibl e trends for any of
the levels examined with regard to degree there is a
visible d if fe re nce betwe en levels found wi t h regard to

145

sch ool -s p o ns or e d activities.
that

found

The trend is similar to

with regard to level and age.

The data

suggest that te achers as si gne d to the e le me nt ar y school
value s c h o o l - s p on so r ed inservices more than high school
teachers,

(appendix C, Table C.21).

O b s t a c l e s to Pa rt ic i p a t i o n in P r o f e s s i o n a l - G r o w t h
Act iv i t ie s

Obsta cl es

to P ar t i c i p a t i o n Relat ed to G en de r/ Ag e Groups

An e x a m i n a t i o n of the data suggests that most
gender age groups vi ew e d the id entified catego ri es as
minor obst ac le s wi t h the e xc ept io ns of district
financial

support and ob taining release time which

appear to be of great er concern,
C.22).

(appendix C, Table

There a p pe ar s to be little d if fe re nc e

in the

average values gene ra te d w i t h respect to either gender
for most activi ti es

similar to the findings of this

study relative to age groups.

Obsta cl es

to P a r t i c i p a t i o n Relat ed to Gender /D egr ee

Groups
An e x a m i n a t i o n of the data suggest that most
gender degree groups viewed the identified categories
as minor ob stacles wi t h the e xc ep ti on s of district

146

financial support,

obtai nin g release time,

act ivi ty to needs,

and fa mi ly/ personal

responsibilities,

re levance of

(appendix C, Table C.23).

Ob st acl es to P a r t ic i p at io n Related to Level/ Age Gr o up s
An ex am i n a t i o n of the data w i t h regard to
assig nme nt level and age groups suggests that most
groups viewed the identified categories as minor
obs tacles wi t h the excepti ons of di st ric t financial
support,

obtai nin g release time,

res pon si bil it ies

and family/personal

(appendix C, Table C.24).

Of

pa rti cu la r interest are the values of all assign me nt
levels with regard to fa mily/personal
and relevance of activi ty to needs.

re sp onsibilities
The values

for all

three levels suggest that at the age group of 35 -47
there

is an increase

family/personal

in the percept io ns of

re spo ns ib il iti es as affecting act ivity

in p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activities.

And the data suggest

that there may be a p a tt er n pertai ni ng to relevance of
an ac ti vi ty to an i n d i v i d u a l ’s needs as they mature.
the high school

level relevance becomes more of a

concern as an individual matures,
level

At

at the middle school

it appears to be a constant mi no r obstacle,

and

at the e l e m e n t ar y level age group of 35 - 47 it appears
to be of great concern.

147

Obs ta cle s to P a r t i c i p a t i o n R e la te d to L e vel /D egr ee
Groups
In general most a ss ign me nt level deg re e groups
viewed the id entified c at eg or ie s as mi nor obs ta cle s
with the excep ti on s of di st ri ct financial
obtaining release time,
responsi bi li ti es

support,

fa mily/personal

and relevance of a c t i v i ty to needs,

(appendix C, Table C.25).

Summary of Gender and A s si gn me nt Level Da t a Ana ly si s

As teachers age there
in total

formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t y regar dl es s

of gender.
the de crease
genders

is a signifi ca nt decrease

An e x a m i n a t i o n of the data suggests that
in p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t y for both

is p r i ma ril y found in the area of graduate

college courses.

There were no sig ni fic ant dif fe ren ce s

found with regard to gen de r at each age grouping.

There were no sig ni ficant di f fe re nc es

found

between genders relative to interaction be twe en gender
and degree.

However,

a sig nificant dif fe re nc e was

found between gender s and degree groups.

An

ex am in ati on of the da t a suggests that the d i f f er en ce s
in both cases appear to be related to act ivi ty in
graduate college courses.

Females appea r to be more

148

active

in gr aduate colle ge cours es at most degree

levels th a n are males.

A c o m pa ri s on of total

formal p ro fe ss io na l-

grow th a c t i v i t y of teache rs using level of assignment,
age categories,

and degree ca te go ri es

suggests that

el e m e n ta ry teachers are more active than eit he r mid dl e
sc ho o l / j un io r high school or high school teachers.
While s i gn if ica nc e could not be de te r m i n e d relative to
level

int er ac tin g wi t h age due to the av ailable data

and re qu ir e m e nt s of the sta tistical
interac ti ng wi th degree,
level or deg re e

it was found wi t h regard to

in the s u p p l e m e n t a r y analysis.

e x a m i n a ti on of the data to accoun t
dif f e r e nc es

test or level

An

for sign ifi can t

suggests that e l e m e n t a r y teachers are more

active

in gr aduate colle ge cours es and after hours

school

inservices.

A c o m p a r is on of re lative time v a ri ab les wi t h
regard to p a r t i c i p a t i o n in i de nt if ie d formal and
informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activi ti es

suggests that

regard les s of gen der or level of assig nm en t
with age or degree,
those ac ti vi ti es

relative p a rt ic ip at io n

interacting
in most of

is at the same or increased level as

whe n the t ea che r first enter ed the profession.
sugg est ed by the data e x a m i n a t i o n w h i c h were
be sign ifi can t were:

as age increases

Trends

found to

independent

149

travel

in creases for both genders,

as age increases

male pa r t i c i p a t i o n in informal gatherings,
college activity,

graduate

and sponsored travel decreases.

Trends w h i c h were su ggested by data exa mi na ti on but
were not found to be signific ant were:

at the high

school level as age increases sponsored travel,
independent research,

colleg e classes,

and reading

newspap ers decreases,

while at the e l e m en ta ry school

level as age increases profe ssi ona l confe re nce
attenda nce

increases.

A co mp ar is on of responses wi t h regard to the use
of the kn ow led ge gained in identified
p ro fe s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activi ti es

found,

in general,

only

slight d i f fe re nc e s wit h i n eithe r gender or level of
assign men t analyses.
QMtfcfoqf pH f

oi

2

Resp ons es of most groups

setivi tis s

profe ssi ona l conferences,

useful

reading m a ga zi nes and

journals and reading scienc e-r ela ted books being va l ue d
above most other activities.
t e a c h e r s ’ responses suggest,

Female and e le men ta ry
however,

that they are

able to use sch ool -s po ns or ed activities more than high
school re sp on den ts regard les s of age or degree.

A com pa ri so n of responses wit h regard to
p er cei ved ob st acl es to conti nue d p r o f e s s i o n al -g ro wt h
ac tivity sugg est ed that overall both gender and

150

a ssignment levels co ns id er most id entified obs ta cle s as
minor.

The only two obstacles w h i c h the da t a suggest

to be more than m ino r ob stacles to most gen de r and
level groups were di strict financial
obtaining release time.
that fa mily/personal

In addition,

support and
the data suggest

responsi bi lit ie s become more than

a minor obstacle to cont in ued p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r ow th of
teachers wi t h i n the thirty- fi ve to forty-se ven age
group.

Findings of Data An aly sis Related to the Qu estions
of the Study

"Are there di ffe re nc es in formal p r of es sio na lgrowth ac tivity of science teachers who belong to a
pr of essional organization,
1p

v p

I

?”

Findings

grouped by teacher age or

from art ex am in at io n and

statistical analys is of teacher responses suggest that
there

is a de crease

in total

activity as teachers mature.

formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
In particular,

there is a

significant differ en ce and an ap parent de crease in
graduate college credits.
pattern,

however,

to relate

There was no c le ar trend or
level of degree to total

formal pr o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac tivity even though
statistical

analysis

indicated significant differences

151

be tw ee n groups for all ac tivities and total formal
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity.

A supplemental analysis to de termine if there
were di ff erences b e t we en gender or level of assign me nt
and total

formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac tivity found

that as teachers m a tu re d their total

formal

pr o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti vi ty d e c re as es regar dl es s of
gender or level of assignment.

The data suggest that

the dec rease in formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac tivity
occurs p ri ma ril y in graduate college course
participation.
appeared,

The decline

however,

in graduate college courses

to be slower at the el em e n t a r y level

than at the high school

level.

Similar to the analysis results found with
regard to degree groups,

a supplemental analysis of the

interac ti on of ge n d e r or assig nm ent level to degree
held by respondents

found no overall patte rn of decline

in total formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity.
was,

however,

a si gn if ic ant differ en ce

genders and as signment level groups.
the data to account

There

found between
An e x a m i na ti on of

for significant differences

suggests that females are more active in graduate
college courses than are males and that elemen ta ry
teachers are more active than high school teachers

in

152

graduate college cours es or after hours school
inservice activities.

"Are there di f f er en ce s in informal p ro fes si ona lgrow th ac ti v it y of science te achers who belong to a
pro fe ssional organization,
degree level?"

Fin dings

group ed by te ach er age or

from an e x a mi na ti on of teacher

responses suggest that in most informal activities
pr e se nt ed on the sur ve y the informal
p r o f es si o na l- g ro wt h ac ti v i ty of tea chers is at the same
or slightly higher level regard le ss of age or degree
held.

A s up pl em en tar y analysis of teacher
p ar t i c i p at io n

in informal p r of es s i o n a l - g r o w t h

activities with regard to gender or assig nm en t level
^ ^ t 9 9*9 r“4
4 . V U 1 1 U

O

r>tl 1 4* n

^

4 TT% 4 1 n

Both genders and all

4* n
V V

n

M

n M

/J

J

A

w
£

A
J.C? C

~
g i

-O X

—* J

1

— —. —
&

assignment level groups identified

their levels of p a r t i c i p a t i o n in most identified
informal p r o fe s sio na l- growth activit ies as being at
the same or greater levels as w h e n they first began
their career.

There are,

differen ce s and trends

however,

some significant

in informal p r o f e ss io na l- gr ow th

ac tivity found with regard to gender or assignment
level.
decrease

There is a si gn ificant d if fer en ce and a noted
in informal

•

gatherings

for males as they age.

153

And there appears to be an increase in pr of es si on al
con fe r e n ce attenda nc e at the el em e n t a r y school

level as

the r e s p o nd ent s matured.

"What is the r e lat io nsh ip betwe en formal
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y and informal p r o f e s s i o n a l growth a c t i v it y of teachers,
degree level?"

grouped by te ac he r age or

A co mp ar is on be twe en the level of

formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t y and informal
pr of es s i o n a l grow th ac ti v i ty suggests that while there
is a de cr e a s e

in formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y

informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti v i t y remains constant
or increases as a teacher matures.

The decli ne

in

formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y was found to occur
pr i m a r i l y

in gr aduate colle ge course participation.

While there was no p a t te rn to formal pr of es sio nal grow th ac ti v i t y of te achers with regard to degree the
results for informal ac ti v i ty were the same as those
found relative to age.

For all degr ee levels teachers

re po rt ed a constant or increased informal pr of e s s i o n a lgrowth value

The

in the identified activities.

informal p ro fe s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activ it ie s

wh ic h da t a suggest are the most p r e fe rr ed were reading
of m a g az in es or journals,

pr of es s i o n a l c o nf er enc es and

reading s c i e n c e- re lat ed books.

154

To u nd er s t a n d what might accou nt for chang es or
di ff er enc es

in formal and informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h

act ivi ty the sur vey

included a q u e s t i o n per ta in in g to

ob st acl es to c o n t in u ed p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity.
Of the re se ar ch -i d e n t i f i e d ob stacles to cont in ue d
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac tivity the responses suggest that
district

financial

support and release time are

co nsi der ed to be more than m in or obst acl es
groups and for all degree groups.

for most age

In addition,

for the

age gr oup of th ir ty- fiv e to forty-seven,
famil y/p ers ona l

re sp ons ibi lit ie s also appear to be

co nsi de re d as more than a minor obs tacle to conti nue d
p ro fe s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity.

A su pp lem ent al analysis to de te rmi ne
were d i f fe re nc es

if there

in formal and informal pr of e s si on al -

grow th act iv it y related tc gender or assignm ent

level

found that the responses were simila r to those found
with regard to age groups and degr ee groups.
addition,

In

the same three obstacles to continued

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h ac ti vi ty found wit h regard to age
groups and degree groups were
genders and all assignment

identified by both

level groups.

155

"Are there d i f fe ren ces

in teacher pe r ce pt io ns of

the re la t i o n sh ip b et we e n know le dge gained

in formal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activ it ie s and the use of such
kn owledge w i t h i n the classroom,
or degree level?"

relative to teacher age

A com pa ri so n with in and betwe en age

and degree groups suggests that there is little
diffe ren ce

in how each group val ue s formal p r o f e s s ­

ion al-growth activities.

All of the identified

activ iti es listed on the survey were consid er ed as
useful activities.

A s up pl eme nt al analysis to de termine
wer e any di ff er e nc es

if there

in teacher p e rc ept ion s pertaining

to the use of kn o w l e dg e gained relative to gender or
level of as sig nm e nt

found results similar to those

found wi th regard to age or degree.
the surveyed ac tiv i ti es were
useful knowledge.

In general,

all of

identified as pr oviding

The responses of female and

e lem ent ary teachers,

however,

suggest that they are

able to use the kn ow led ge gained

from sc ho ol- spo nso red

inservices more than high school

respondents,

regardless of age or degree.

156

"Are there di ff ere nce s

in teacher p e rc ept ion s of

the r e l at ion sh ip betwee n kno wledge gained in informal
p r o f e s si on a l- gr o wt h a cti vit ies and the use of such
kno wledge wi t h i n the classroom,
or degree level?"

An exa mi na ti on of the da t a suggested

that there is little d iff ere nce
degree groups,

relative to teacher age

in ho w age groups,

genders or assig nm en t level groups value

informal p ro fe s si on a l - g r o w t h activities.

All of the

activities listed on the survey instrument were
consid er ed as sources of useful
Professional conferences,
journals,
however,

information.

reading of mag az in es or

and reading sc ie nc e- re la te d books appear,
to be the most useful activities.

C H APT ER V

SUMMARY,

CO NC LUS IO NS AND R E COM ME NDA TI ONS

It was the purpose of this study to identify and
examine the level of formal and informal p r o f e ss io nal gro wth activities of a p ar tic ul ar group of science
teachers

(members of the Mic higan Science Teachers

A s s oc ia ti on - M.S.T.A.)

as these are co nducted in

practice and to examine the nature of relative changes
of the ac qu is iti on of knowledge

in o n e ’s career.

The survey was sent to 2287 M.S.T.A.
a response of 1155 or 50.5 percent,

members and

was attained.

From

the total number of respondent responses only those
responses w hi ch were

from fulltime k i n de rg ar ten through

twelfth grade teaching
analysis.

staff were selected for

Initial analyses used an ave raging method to

det ermine possible trends,

differences,

or sim ilarities

in response to the surveys p r o f e s s io nal -gr owt h
questions.

Further analyses used either the chi-square

test or the analysis of variance test,

157

as appropriate

158

to de t e r m i n e if the c o m p u t e d average values were
s t a t i s t i c a l l y significant.

The level of significance

for both the c h i - s q u a r e test and the analysis of
variance test was set at 0.05.

In this c h a p t e r the findings are s u mmarized with
regard to the q u e stions of the study and the literature
reviewed

in C h a p t e r II.

are implications

for the de v e l o p m e n t of p r o f essional-

growth activities,
the dat a used,

A l s o included in this chapter

r eflections u p o n the m e t h o d o l o g y and

and reco m m e n d a t i o n s for further

research.

S ummary and D i s c u s s i o n of Findings

Wit h regard to the p o p u l a t i o n surveyed the
findings

suggest

that there

is a decrease

in identified

formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t ivity as teachers mature.
However,

the d e c r e a s e appears to be more the result of

a d e c r e a s e in p a r t i c i p a t i o n in graduate college courses
rather then in other activities identified as formal
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity.
d ata and statistical

An e x a m i n a t i o n of the

eval u a t i o n of the other two formal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activities,

p r o f essional conference

a ttendance and after hours school
de t e r m i n e a similar d e c rease

inservice,

in activity.

could not

The average

159

group values c o m p u t e d more o ften s u g gested that as the
teacher m a t u r e d the y m a i n t a i n e d their p r e s e n t p a t terns
of a c t i v i t y or i n creased their level of p a r t i c i p a t i o n
in ei t h e r p r o f e s s i o n a l c o n f e r e n c e s or after school
inservices.

The h i g h v alue pl a c e d upon p r o f e ssional

conferences,

while different

from H o l l y

(1977),

was

c o n s i s t e n t wit h that found in o ther science
o r g a n i z a t i o n surveys
and Covalt

(1988)

such as com p l e t e d by Neus c h a n t z

and D o u glass and Kahle

W hile the d e c r e a s e

(1983).

in graduate college a c t i v i t y

a ppears to be c o m m o n for all age groups,

genders,

and

levels of a s s i g n m e n t there were some interesting
d i f f e r e n c e s and s i g n i f i c a n t findings found in the
s u p p l e m e n t a r y a n a l y s i s w i t h regard to the rate of
change and the level of a s s i g n m e n t and g e n d e r / d e g r e e
analyses.

In particular,

the data suggest that

e l e m e n t a r y school t e a chers have a higher average level
of g r a d u a t e college a t t e n d a n c e at all age and degree
groups than either m i d d l e / j u n i o r hig h school or high
school teachers.

W hile the d i f f e r e n c e in graduate

college credit a c t i v i t y might be due to the rate of
teacher r e p l a cement and the infusion of recently
g ra d u a t e d teachers

into the e l e m e n t a r y school,

a

c o m p a r i s o n of the sizes of the twen t y - t w o to
t h i r t y - f o u r age groups and B.A./B.S.

degree groups

160

sugge s t s something else ma y be occurring.

T h e high

school group is larger tha n the e l e m e n t a r y g r o u p and
yet t heir average total p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity,
p a r t i c u l a r l y g r a duate college a c t i v i t y va l u e s were
v i s i b l y less.

Because the s u r v e y e d p o p u l a t i o n i dentified
college classes and school

sponsored a c tivities as a

desi r e d activity as did the research of Weiss

(1987)

w i t h regard to p r e f e r r e d a ctivities for all science
t eachers nationally,
accou n t s

there must be something else w h i c h

for the d i f f e r e n c e s

in e l e m e n t a r y or gender

g r a duate college attendance.

Among the p o s s i b l e expl a n a t i o n s for the apparent
h igher rate of g r a d u a t e college p a r t i c i p a t i o n by
e l e m e n t a r y teachers

is the p o s s i b i l i t y that the pres e n t

graduate college cou r s e offerings be t t e r fit the needs
of the e lementary teacher.
r egard to a national

Weiss

(1987)

found with

sample of science t e a chers that

e l e m e n t a r y teachers p e r c e i v e d their q u a l i f i c a t i o n s to
teach science to be i n adequate in c o n trast to the
p e r c e p t i o n s of middle

school and hig h school

science

teachers who p e r c e i v e d they were a d e q u a t e l y qualified.

A c o mparison of the roles and educational
r e q u i rements to become c e r tified at the e l e m e n t a r y

161

level and high school

level suggest that elem e n t a r y

te a chers are g e n e r a l i s t s who need a basic knowledge
b a c k g r o u n d in a n u m b e r of content areas.
high school
k n owledge

science

In contrast,

teachers must go beyond basic

in at least one p a r t i c u l a r science content

area at the expense of o ther content areas to become
c e r t i f i e d and qualified.

It could be argued that

b eca u s e e l e m e n t a r y t e a c h e r s must take u n d e r g r a d u a t e
clas s e s

in a w i d e r v a r i e t y of content areas,

co n trast to high school teachers,
will i n g to p a r t i c i p a t e

in

that they are more

in graduate college courses to

e xpand their kn o w l e d g e background.

But the p e r c e p t i o n s of a d e q u a c y of knowledge
b a c k g r o u n d may not be the only reason for the
differences

in college class p a r t i c i p a t i o n between

elementary and

high school

science teachers.

that b e c a u s e of the d i f f e r e n c e s

It m a y fce

in the level of

k n o wledge and l a b o r a t o r y requirements to convey
sp e c i a l i z e d k n owledge to hig h school science teachers
and the size of the p o p u l a t i o n to w h i c h an advanced
science course w ould be addressed colleges and
u niv e r s i t i e s may not be financially able to or inclined
to o ffer m any g r a duate science classes for high school
science teachers.

C o u r s e offerings

for high school

science teachers m a y also be limited to the available

162

staff w h i c h a u n i v e r s i t y has who can convey the desi r e d
i n f o r mation to those t e a chers in a manor and at a level
w h i c h high school science teachers value.
i mportance of who and how k n owledge
i dentified by H o l l y

(1977),

The

is c o n veyed was

as a item w hich would

affect the a t t e n d a n c e of teach e r s at wor k s h o p s or
seminars or in this case it could be argued graduate
c ollege courses should be included.

A n o t h e r p o s sible e x p l a n a t i o n which may account
for the appar e n t d i f f e r e n c e

in graduate college

p a r t i c i p a t i o n b e t w e e n e l e m e n t a r y and high school
science teachers might be the g r e a t e r w i l l i ngness or
abil i t y of e l e m e n t a r y teachers to travel to the site
w here the course was offered.
however,

This explanation,

is highly que s t i o n a b l e c o n s i dering the percent

of high school

soienno t.psrhprs who hold at least a

V

m a s t e r ’s degree

in the surveyed population.

As for the signif i c a n t diffe r e n c e

in total

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y of female teachers w h i c h
was

found while e x amining the i n t e r action between

gender and degree,

the data,

literature reviewed and

teacher comments provide no useful clues.

An e x a m i n a t i o n of the level of informal
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y of this parti c u l a r group

163

of science teachers,

using the relative scale of the

study,

informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h

suggests that

activity does not d e c r e a s e as a teacher matu r e s or
attains another degree.

A n d it suggests that

if one of

the goals of a college e d u c a t i o n is to d e v e l o p
self-mo t i v a t e d learners,
c o n s i derable success

then there has been

in that goal of college education.

The informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activities
found to be p r e f e r r e d by k i n d e r g a r t e n through twelfth
grade teachers were reading of m a g azines or journals,
and reading science related books.

The identified

p r e f e r e n c e for reading concurs w i t h what H o l l y
Weiss

(1987) and N e u s c h a n t z and Covalt

(1988)

(1977),
found.

An id e n t i f i c a t i o n of the obstacles to continued
pr o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y which may affect the
overall choices and level of p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
a ctivity suggests that they are well known and commo n l y
identified by most r e s p o ndents regardless of age,
degree,

gender or assignment.

Financial

support and

release time appear to be a universal concern of the
respondents of this study and of previous studies by
Yovanovich

(1987),

Douglas and Kahle

(1983).

Intere s t i n g l y the same two o b s tacles to cont i n u i n g
p r o fessional-growth,
e d u cation and time,

m o n e y to pay for continuing
are also identified in literature

164

p erta i n i n g to p h y s i c i a n conti n u i n g e d u c a t i o n M a y e r et.
al.

(1980).

A n o t h e r notable o b s tacle to c o n tinued
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y was f a m i l y / personal
responsibilities.

The d a t a examined suggest that as

the teacher enters the t h i r t y-five to fo r t y - s e v e n year
age group family/personal

r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s become

n early as great an o b s tacle to p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activity as financial assi s t a n c e and release time.
need to pa y o n e ’s bills,

The

fulfill personal goals w h i c h

may have been p o s t p o n e d to complete graduate college
courses,

and meet the needs of family m e m b e r s may be a

significant

incentive to the beginning and m a t uring

teacher to find o t h e r more cost and time eff e c t i v e ways
to improve or m a i n t a i n their p r o f e ssional
m nv »lso account

participation,

It

for the conflict hchv.’een the noted

desire of teachers
college classes,

skills.

in this study to p a r t i c i p a t e in

the overall d e creases

and H o l l y ’s (1977)

in

findings w hich

indicated that teachers were more likely to turn to
other teachers
supervisors,

sixty-three percent of the time and to

pr o f e s s o r s / u n i v e r s i t i e s or other people

less then ten percent of the time.

In summary,

an e v a l u a t i o n of the dat a from a

select popu l a t i o n of science teachers suggests that

165

there

is a d e c r e a s e

in the total

formal p r o f e s s i o n a l -

growth a c t i v i t y of science t e a chers as they mature.
The d e c r e a s e in formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity,
however,

appears to be more the result of the m a t u r i n g

teacher e l e c t i n g to take fewer g r a duate college
credits.

Interestingly,

while g r a duate college

atte n d a n c e a c t i v i t y does d e c r e a s e as a science teac h e r
matu r e s the data suggest that they continue to seek
knowledge at the same or h i g h e r a c t i v i t y levels as w h e n
they first entered the p r o f e s s i o n in the other two
identified formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activities.
e v a l u a t i o n of a c t i v i t y

An

in p r o f e s s i o n a l c o n f e r e n c e s and

pa r t i c i p a t i o n in a fter school
group of science teachers

inservices

for a select

suggests at least a level of

constant p a r t i c i p a t i o n if not a trend to increased
p a r t i c i p a t i o n as a science teac h e r matures.
to p a r t i c i p a t e more

The trend

in p r o f e s s i o n a l c o n f e r e n c e s or

a c t i v i t i e s offered outside of the u n i v e r s i t y or
sponsored outside of the u n i v e r s i t y is also found wit h
regard to the c o n t i n u i n g e d u c a t i o n of physicians.

The

m a j o r i t y of p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y of phys i c i a n s
was

identified by Mayer,

et.

a l . (1980)

to be

confer e n c e s under the s p o n s o r s h i p of an appro v e d
o r g a n i z a t i o n or institution.

166

W h i l e there appears to be a shift in the type of
formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y of science t e a chers
as they mature,

this study suggests that the levels of

informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y remain constant
or increase as a science teacher matures.

Implications

The c o n d i t i o n s of teachers wit h regard to the
i d entified obs t a c l e s of,
time,

financial

f a m i l y / p e r s o n a l obligations,

support,
initial

release
salary,

and

av ailable g r a duate college credit ma y account for the
decre a s e

in g r a duate college a c t i v i t y and a constant

informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity.

In particular,

the present costs a s s o c i a t e d with g r a duate college
p

i

Apr)

f He

f i m o

prevent teachers

r6 C[U 1r 6 HI'S H t S

for*

p°rt icip-ticTi

m o y

from c o ntinued gradu a t e a c t i v i t y w hile

being an incentive for teachers to look to other
sources

for knowledge.

Because of the findings of this study with
regard to the c h a n g i n g

levels of formal and informal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t ivity of teachers as they mature
and an a c k n o w l e d g e m e n t of the value and d i f f i c u l t i e s of
a s s essing p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity,

it should be

a rgued that both formal and informal activ i t i e s should

167

be m e a s u r e d to a r r i v e at a more realistic picture of
teac h e r p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity.

P e r h a p s by

following the lead of the State of M i c h i g a n ’s
Depa r t m e n t of L i c e n s i n g w h i c h regulates the c o ntinuing
p r o f e s s i o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t for p h y s i c i a n s a more accurate
picture of teac h e r p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h and a future
pla n for c o n t i n u e d teacher p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h may be
achieved/developed.
development

C ontinuing p r o f e ssional

for p h y s i c i a n s

a c c u m u l a t i o n of time

is d e t e r m i n e d thro u g h an

in a nu m b e r of a c tivities with

graduate college cre d i t being o nly one of six c a t egory
areas of activity.
physician continuing

In the other five areas of
education either a m a j o r

pro f e s s i o n a l o r g a n i z a t i o n or the individuals s elf-study
is acknowledged.

Ac*

o

M

o 4"

w

w

rs

A i l

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-P

*-< 1.

M

W

W

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-

a s s essing the over a l l p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y of
science teachers

it is recommend that the relative time

survey of this s tudy or a similar instrument be used.
While it may be q u e s t i o n a b l e to use a scale which
requires r espondent p e r c e p t i o n s to determine
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y it should be n oted that
the levels of p a r t i c i p a t i o n

in formal profe s s i o n a l -

growth a c t i v i t i e s on the relative time survey questions
of this study p r o v i d e d similar results as to the level

168

of formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a ctivities

found using

contact h our values.

The a d vantage of u sing relative time values to
d e t e r m i n e teacher p a r t i c i p a t i o n in all profe s s i o n a l g r o w t h a c t i v i t i e s is p r i m a r i l y informational,

though

e x p e d i e n c y in d ata c o l l e c t i o n is also attained.

A

relative time survey of all p r o f e ssional growth
a c t i v i t i e s could quic k l y inform the
administrator,

individual teacher,

and other interested educational

p r o f e s s i o n a l s of the annual p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
acti v i t i e s of teachers.

It would also p r o v i d e a

d o c ument of teac h e r p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y in
areas w h i c h at pres e n t provide no record.

Re f l e c t i o n s Upo n M e t h o d o l o g y

A note of caut i o n and possible conc e r n should be
made w i t h regard to the findings of this study and the
s u ggested
in w h i c h

implications.

The population surveyed is one

it should be expec t e d to find a high rate of

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y because the

individuals

a lre a d y d e m o n s t r a t e a w i l l i n g n e s s to expend time and
resources to participate.

169

In general,

the findings of this study suggest

at least a constant rate of p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
ac t ivity in most formal and all informal profe s s i o n a l g rowth activities.

However,

due to the m e t h o d o l o g y to

meas u r e formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y in terms of
contact hours,
be

eve n this select p o p u l a t i o n appears to

less active

in total formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h as

they mature due to a decre a s e in a c c u m u l a t e d graduate
college credits.

Perhaps the use of contact hours w h i c h assumes
that there
enrolled

is a p o s itive r e l a t i o n s h i p betw e e n time

in a formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y and

the ass i m i l a t i o n of k n owledge should be rec o n s i d e r e d or
at least mediated.

A l t h o u g h the literature suggests

that time is an important v a r iable wit h regard to the
o o o i m i

1

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a meas u r e does not n e c e s s a r i l y or a c c u r a t e l y measure
the involvement of the individual or their gain in
useful

knowledge.

Yovanovich

Holly

(1977),

Youatt

(1983),

and

(1987) ha^e all argued that there are many

other sources of useful

knowledge beyond graduate

credit contact hours which are not as formal and are
less time consuming.

Unfortunately,

at pres e n t there

is no other way to access quickly the profe s s i o n a l -

170

growth a c t i v i t y of science teachers w i t h o u t somehow
relying upo n some form of time measurement.

Because the focus of the study was to d e s cribe
the level of formal p r o f e s s i o n a l growth a c tivities
using m e t h o d o l o g y simi l a r to that of Heit z e g

(1977),

and to suggest the level of informal p r o f e s s i o n a l growth a c t ivity in resea r c h identified activities,

the

q u e s t i o n of a v a i l a b i l i t y of formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
a c tivities was not asked.

In particular,

there was no

attempt to d e termine the a v a i l a b i l i t y of graduate
college courses w h i c h m ight have been useful
science teacher.

to the

And there was no attempt to

d i f f e r e n t i a t e the p r i m a r y subject of either
pro f e s s i o n a l c o n f e r e n c e s or after school activities.
It is quite possible

that the g r a duate college courses

u n d e r t a k e n by r espondents of this survey were done more
with an intent of leaving actual c l a s s r o o m t e a ching for
a p o s i t i o n as an a d m i n i s t r a t o r or support p o s i t i o n as
Burden
advance

(1979)

suggested.

The options

for teachers to

in their care e r s as c l a s s r o o m teachers are

rather limited as is the financial gain from c o ntinued
graduate college activity.

171

Recommendations

for Further R e s e a r c h

As a result of the findings and c o n c l u s i o n s of
this s tudy the followin g que s t i o n s

for further study

are raised.

Because the largest decl i n e
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y was

in formal

found to o ccur in the

area of gradu a t e coll e g e credits relative to age

it is

r ecomm e n d e d that a study be u n d e r t a k e n to identify wha t
graduate college courses are a v ailable and to what ends
the k n owledge a t t a i n e d is used by teachers.
(1979)

Burden

and others have reported in their r e s earch that

there are d i f f e r e n c e s

in the needs of the beginning

teacher and those of the ca r e e r phase teac h e r w h i c h
w ould affect their choi c e s of p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h
activities-

And Sanford

(1988)

because of the d i f f e r e n c e s

has argued that

inherent to science content

and the process skills of science there are needs
specific to b e g inning science educators.

It is

suggested that further resea r c h be done to determine:

1. What graduate level college courses are
p r e s e n t l y offered to meet the needs of
the beginning and the cer t i f i e d career
phase teacher?
Are they offered at
times and sites w h i c h are r e asonably
conve n i e n t for teachers?

172

2. Do teachers p a r t i c i p a t e in the p r e s e n t l y
offered g r a d u a t e college courses to improve
their skills, at t a i n knowledge, or do they
have other m o t ives?
3. Are there g r a d u a t e college courses w hich
appear to a t t r a c t teachers even a fter they
have c o m p l e t e d requirements for an advanced
degree or t e a c h e r certifi c a t i o n ?
W h y are
they still a t t r a c t i v e to ca r e e r p hase teachers?

The liter a t u r e reviewed in this study suggest
that o nly college cour s e s and some school
have pr o v e n to be s u ccessful
achieving desi r e d change.

inservices

in imparting kno w l e d g e or

The impact of informal

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h acti v i t i e s appears to be largely
ignored because of the lack of empirical d a t a w hich
w ould readily d e m o n s t r a t e the effect of informal
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h acti v i t i e s upon the k n owledge base
or behav i o r of the individual teacher.
this study and oth e r s reviewed,

The findings of

however,

suggest that

informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c tivities are an
important source of kno w l e d g e for teachers w h e n they
begin their career and increase

in importance as the

teacher matu r e s r e g a r d l e s s of degree,
a ssignment

level.

gender,

or

The dat a of this study suggest that

informal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c tivities of teachers
remained constant or increase in contrast to formal
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h acti v i t i e s as teachers mature.
Further research is su g g e s t e d to determine:

"

173

4. Are there or can there be dev e l o p e d
methods to m e a s u r e changes w h i c h occur
in t e a chers in response to informal
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity?
The data a n a l y z e d in this s tudy suggest that
e l e m e n t a r y teachers pa r t i c i p a t e more

in after-school

inservices than do t e a c h e r s assigned to either the
m i d d l e / j u n i o r hig h school or the h i g h school
In addition,

levels.

t e a c h e r comme n t s of this study and others

have suggested that not all teachers value district
sponsored

inservices.

Further r e s earch should attempt

to det e r m i n e s p e c i f i c a l l y those who w o u l d or w o u l d not
benefit

from d i s t r i c t sponsored after-school

inservices.

5.

Are the d i f f e r e n c e s in a f t e r -school
inservice p a r t i c i p a t i o n as found in this
study b e t w e e n elementary, m i d d l e / j u n i o r high
school and high school teach e r s only
c o n s e q u e n c e s of this study population?

6.

Is there a r e l a t ionship b e t w e e n why an
individual choose a specific level of
assignment and their own l e a rning styles
which is e x p r e s s e d in their value of a f t e r ­
school inservices?

An analysis of data of this s tudy found that
there was a s ignificant difference

in total

p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y of teachers
gender.

In particular,

formal

relative

the data of this study suggest

that females p a r t i c i p a t e more in g r a duate college
courses than males.

to

174

W h y w ould there be a d i f f e r e n c e in total formal
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y relative to gender?

Is

the d i f f e r e n c e in formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity
related to feelings of low s e l f - e s t e e m of female
teachers and the need to c o n s t a n t l y prove themselves?
Do female teachers p a r t i c i p a t e more
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activ i t i e s

in general or is there a

r e l a t i o n s h i p to assig n m e n t levels
school)?
difference

in formal

(elementary vs.

high

Is the formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h activity
related to the e c o nomics of traditional

family life with more male teachers working second
jobs?

Do graduate college courses better suit the

needs and learning styles of female teachers?

Or were

the results only c o n s e q u e n c e s of this study and the
p o p u l a t i o n of interest?

It is s u ggested that further

research should attempt to determine:

7.

Are the d i f f e r e n c e s in formal
p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t i v i t y between
genders at the assi g n m e n t levels of
eleme n t a r y school, m i d d l e / j u n i o r h igh school
or high school found in this study only
c onsequences of this study?

8. Wha t are the causes of d i f f e rences in
formal p r o f e s s i o n a l - g r o w t h a c t ivity relative
to Render?
Are they cultural, economic, or
related s t r u c t u r a l l y to the present
organiz a t i o n a l p a t terns of the schools
themselves?
If they are related to
or g anizational p a t t e r n of schools might
there be a patt e r n in use at present which
minimizes the differences?

AP P E N D I X A

175

APPENDIX A

Robert A.Hyduke
13245 Dempeey Rd.
St. Charles. MI 48655
April 20. 1989
□ear Colleague!
The attached survey Is being conducted with the
collaboration of the Michigan Science Teachers Association.
It will take about fifteen minutes to complete the survey.
The purpose of the survey is to develop a picture of the
present meobersnlp of the M.S.T.A. and their professional
growth activities as they are conducted In practice.
It Is
hoped that the combination of demographic Information and
professional-growth activity Information of practicing
teachers requested by the survey will provide same direction
and guidance to the development of future professionalgrowth activities by the M.S.T.A. and science educators.
Because this survey is about science teachers and Intended
to benefit science teachers I hope that you will choose to
complete it and return it in the self addressed envelope,
tour participation la atrictly voluntary and ycu indicate
your willingness to participate by completing and returning
the survey.
Be assured that any responses you provide for
this survey will be used anonymously.
If you have any
questions on how to respond please call
Robert A. Hyduke
(517) 866 - 6913.
Thank you for the time and consideration you gave in reading
this letter and examining the survey.
Look for the results In a future M.S.T.A. publication.

176

APPENDIX A

Teacher Professional Activity Questionnaire
Michigan Sclenee Teachers Association
PLEASE FILL IN. CIRCLE. OR CHECX THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE
1. Agei (Circle One)

a. Under 22

b.

d. 48 -65

2. Gendert(Circle One)

a.

Male

3. Number of years a MSTA meooert
a. 0 - 2

b. 3 - 5

22 - 34

e.

65 - Over

b.

Female

c. 35 - 47

(Circle One Group)

c. 6 - 10

d. 11 - 15

e. over 15

4. Other Science Organization Memberships: (Fill In)

5. Number of MSTA Conferences attended: (Circle One)
a. None
6.

b. 1

c. 2 - 5

d. 6 - 10

e. more than

10

Years ofExperience for each of the following whichapply(Fill In)
Teacher:____ Attainistrator:______

Professor:____

Consultant:___

7. Check Present Degree: (Semester Hours)
BA/BS

BA/BS + 18

BA/BS ♦ 30 or more________

MA/HS

MA/MS ♦ IS

MA/MS ♦ 30 or more________

Eria

PhD

None

8. Check Present Cert Iflcatlon/s
None _ _ _ Provisional

Continuing (18 Semester hours)____

Continuing (30 Semester hours)

Permanent _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Other (Describe)
9. Place a check by the science areas'you are certified In by the
State of Michigan.
DA Biology ____
DO Astronomy

___

DC Chemistry ____
DX Science

NJ Environmental Education _____

DE Physics _____
DH Geology-Earth Science ____
None _____

10. Check your Present Position (Primary) Assignment
Teacher:___ AttainIstrator:____
Other:__________

Professor:___

___________
(Describe or Name)

Consultant:_____

177

APPENDIX A

11.

Check your Present (Primary) Level of Assignment
PreschoolElementary:__
Secondaryi

Middle

Jr. Colleoei
(Describe

Jr. High

College:

Unlveraitvi

or Name)

12. If you teach at the middle school level or above, place a check next
to the area or areas you are presently teaching.
Biology

Life Science ____

Physics _ _ _

Ecology/Environmental _____

Earth Science _____

Chemistry ______

General Science

Physical Science ______
Science Methods _ _ _ _ _

Others (Describe)

13.

With regard to your Initial teaching certificate, was teaching In
the area of science your (Clreie One Answer)

#
a.
14.

1st choice

b. 2nd choice

Did you recertify from a non-science area Into science because of
staff reductions In your district? (Circle One Answer)
a. Yes

15.

17.

b. No

Which of the following best describes the location of the school
district you teach In? (Circle One Answer)
a.

16.

c. 3rd choice

Rural

b. Suburban

c. Urban

Which of the following best Indicates a one way distance from your
place of residence to a college or university. (Circle One Answer)
a. 0 - 10 miles

b. 11 - 20 miles

c. 21 - 30 miles

d.

e.

f. over 50 miles

31 - 40 miles

4 1 - 5 0 miles

How many graduate college credits have you earned during the past
12 months? (Fill In)
-

term credits (quarter credits)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ semester credits
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ None
18. How many days or fractions of a day have you spent attending
professional educational conferences outside tne school district
during the past 12 months? (I day ■ 6 hours of attendance).
iFI11 In)
. days

178

APPENDIX A

19. If your school district offera/sponsors teacher lnssrvics education
workshops during the summer months ana during the evenings ana
weekenas during the school year answer the following.
How many hours have you participated In these kinds of
activities during the past 12 months? (Do not include
release time workshops offered during the regular
school day.) (Fill In)
(estimated hours of
participation)
20. For each activity listed, circle one number to Indicate the
relative amount of time during the past twelve months you have
devoted to that activity as compared to the time you devoted to
such activities at the beginning of your career. (Circle One
Number On Each Line)
A lot
more more

same

less

A lot
lest

a. Sponsored Travel:
(e.g. College Credit)

1

2

3

4

5

b. Independent Travel:

1

2

3

4

S

c. Reading Magazines
or Journals:

1

2

3

4

5

d. Reading Newspapers:

1

2

3

4

5

e. Reading Science
Related Books:

I

2

3

.4

5

f. Informal Gatherings
of Peers:

1

2

3

4

S

g. Independent
Research:

1

2

3

4

S

h.

Classes

1

2

3

4

S

1. Professional
Conferences

1

2

3

4

S

J. School Sponsored
After hours, Weekend

I

2

3

4

5

k. Other

"nffscrflMl
21.

1 2

3

Cheek three of the following professional-growth activities which
you would most IIkelv participate In If offered:
Sponsored Travel

Independent Travel

College Classes

Reading Magazines/Journals _ _ Reading Newspapers
Reading Science Related Books
__Independent Research

Informal Gatherings of Peers

Professional Conferences

School Sponsored After hours. Weekend and Summer inservlces
—

O t h e r : ___ ________________________________________
tuescribe)

179

APPENDIX A

22.

For each activity listed, circle the number which best describes
your use of the knowledge gained from that activity In your'
your
elai room. (Circle One Number On Each Line)
Never
Not
Somewhat
Very
Pa
Participated
Useful
Useful
Ueeful
In Activity

a. Sponsored Travelt
(e.g. College Study)

1

2

3

4

b. Independent Travel!

1

2

3

4

c. Reading Magazines or
Journals!

I

2

3

4

d. Reading Newspapers!

1

2

3

4

e. Reading Science
Related Bookst

1

2

3

4

f. Informal Gatherings
of Peersi

I

2

3

4

g.. Independent
Research!

1

2

3

4

h. College Classes

1

2

3

4

1. Professional
Conferences

1

2

3

4

1

2

3

4

J. School Sponsored
After hours. Weekend
and Summer Inservtees
k. Other
iuescnoe)

23. For each Item listed, circle one number to the right of that item
which best describes that Item as an obstacle to your continued
professional-growth activity.
Major
Obstacle

Minor
Obstacle

a. District Financial
Support
b. Obtaining Release Time
from Teaching
c. Family/Personal
Responsibilities
d. Travel Time to Activity
e. Activity Only Offered
After School
f. Activity Only Offered
on Weekends
g. Activity Only Offered
During Summers
h. Relevance of Activity
to Tour Needs
I. Length of Time Needed
to Complete Activity

J-

_______

(Describe)

PLEASE RETURN THIS SURVEY IN THE ATTACHED ENVELOPE

No Effect

APPENDIX B

180

APPENDIX B

T ABLE B.l

A G E OF M S T A R E S P O N D E N T S

Category

Number

Under 22
22 - 34
35 - 47
48 - 65
65 - Ove r
No R e s ponse

2
189
649
280
26
9

TOTAL

1155

T ABLE B.2

G E N D E R OF MSTA R E S P O N D E N T S

Gender

Male
Female
No R e s p o n s e
TOTAL

Number

635
508
12
1155

181

APPENDIX B

T A B L E B.3

RE S P O N D E N T S M E M B E R S H I P YEARS IN MSTA

Category

Number

0 - 2 years
3 - 5 years
6 - 1 0 years
11 - 15 years
Ove r 15 years
No R e s p o n s e

418
311
153
82
176
15
1155

TOTAL

T A B L E B .4

MSTA C O N F E R E N C E S A T T E N D E D BY RE S P O N D E N T S

Ca t e g o r y
None
1
2 - 5
6 - 1 0
More than 10
No R e s ponse
TOTAL

Number
79
277
467
140
180
12
1155

182

APPENDIX B

T A B L E B.5

R E S P O N D E N T S M E M B E R S H I P IN S C I E N C E O R G A N I Z A T I O N S

Category

One O r g a n i z a t i o n
Two O r g a n i z a t i o n s
T hree O r g a n i z a t i o n s
Four O r g a n i z a t i o n s
Five O r g a n i z a t i o n s
Six O r g a n i z a t i o n s
Seven or More O r g a n i z a t i o n s
TOTAL

Number

618
259
157
78
28
12
3
1155

183

APPENDIX B

T A B L E B .6
OTHER SCIENCE ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIPS
AS I D E N T I F I E D BY AT L EAST TEN K - 12 RE S P O N D E N T S

Organization

Memberships

Rank

National Science
Teachers Association

316

1

National Biology
Teachers Association

81

2

Michigan Earth Science
Teachers Association

77

3

Metropolitan Detroit Science
Teachers Association
70

4

Michigan Biology
Teachers Association

51

5

American Chemical Society

49

6

American Association of
Physics Teachers

42

7

Michigan Association of
C ~

4

^

T? J , .
i i u u c a t A

V

i i

Specialists

36

8

Michigan Alliance for
Environmental and
Outdoor Education

31

9

American Association for the
Advancement of Science
25

10

Michigan Association of
Physics Teachers

19

11

National Earth Science
Teachers Association

18

12

Detroit Metropolitan Area
Physics Teachers Association 12

13

184

APPENDIX B

TABLE B. 7

PRESENT DEGREE OF RESPONDENTS

Category

BA/BS
BA/BS + 18
BA/BS + 30 or More
MA/MA
MA/MS + 1 5
MA/MA + 30 or More
EdS
PhD
None
No Response

TOTAL

Number

135
120
115
323
131
221
24
78
1
7

1155

185

APPENDIX B

TABLE B.8

PRESENT CERTIFICATION OF RESPONDENTS

Category

Number

Provisional
Continuing 18 Hour
Continuing 30 Hour
Permanent
Other (State/etc.)
None
No Response

149
171
584
52
8
166
25
1155

TOTAL

TABLE B.9

SCIENCE CERTIFIED AREAS OF RESPONDENTS

Category
Biology (DA)
Chemistry (DC)
Physics (DE)
Astronomy (DO)
Science (DX)
Geology - Earth Science (DH)
Environmental Education (NJ)

Number
396
228
94
30
435
124
67

186

APPENDIX B

TABLE B.10

PRESENT POSITION OF RESPONDENTS

Category

Number

Teacher
Administrator
Professor
Consultant
Substitute
Student
Retired
Other
Teacher and Other
Administrator and Other
Professor and Other
Consultant and Other
Student and Other
No Response

894
43
47
27
21
8
12
30
49
6
5
4
1
8

TOTAL

1155

187

APPENDIX B

TABLE B.11

PRIMARY LEVEL OF ASSIGNMENT

Level

Preschool
Elementary
Middle School
Jr. High
Secondary
Jr. College
College
University
Other
K - 12
Preschool and Other
Elementary and Other
Middle School and Other
Jr. High School and Other
Secondary and Other
University and Other
No Response

TOTAL

Number

Percent

5
274
163
71
421
21
16
45
47
5
4
24
19
11
7
1
21

0.4
23.7
14.1
6.1
36.5
1.8
1.4
3.9
4.1
0.4
0.3
2.1
1.6
1.0
0.6
0.0
1.8

1155

99.8 %

188

APPENDIX B

TABLE B.12

SCIENCE SUBJECT AREA PRESENTLY TEACHING

Subject

Biology
Life Science
Ecology/Environmental
Physics
Earth Science
Physical Science
Chemistry
General Science
Astronomy
Science Methods
Other (Advanced Placement,
Anatomy, etc.)
None (No area/s indicated)

Number

217
149
77
110
164
173
183
163
9
13
67
242

189

APPENDIX B

TABLE B.13

LOCATION OF RESPONDENTS SCHOOL

Category

Rural
Suburban
Urban
No Response
TOTAL

Number

402
470
223
60
1155

TABLE B.14
DISTANCE FROM THE RESPONDENTS RESIDENCE TO NEAREST COLLEGE OR
UNIVERSITY

0 - 1 0 miles
11 - 20 miles
21 - 30 miles
31 - 40 miles
41 - 50 miles
Over 50 miles
No Response
TOTAL

419
288
154
102
81
87
24
1155

190

APPENDIX B

TABLE B.15

INITIAL TEACHING CHOICE OF K - 12 TEACHERS

Number

Category

First Choice
Second Choice
Third Choice
No Response

574
175
86
87

TOTAL

922

TABLE B.16

RECERTIFICATION OF K - 12 TEACHERS

Response

Number

Yes
No
No Response

23
822
77

TOTAL

922

APPENDIX C

191

APPENDIX C

TABLE C.l

AVERAGE CAREER EXPERIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL-GROWTH ACTIVITY
RELATIVE TO SELECTED AGE GROUPS

Teaching
Graduate
Professional School
Experience Credit
Conference
Inservice
(years) (semester x 15) (days x 6) (hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(sum)

Age: 22 - 34 years
(N = 160)
75.18
89.43

4.23
3.45

25.05
28.67

4.99
1.07

105.22
100.14

Mean
S.D.

30.61
37.00

7.51
13.16

74.77
79.42

Mean
S.D.

28.33
30.52

7.45
13.15

61.04
59.47

Mean
S.D.

24.00
19.24

7.88
9.72

35.63
23.32

Mean
S.D.

Age: 35 - 47 years
(N = 589)
15.47
6.57
Ac f o

*

Aft

—

AR

36.65
65.27
v

o

o t

'o

(N = 230)
22.72
8.21

25.26
46.17

Age: 65 - Over
(N = 8)
27.00
9.09

3.75
10.60

* Total Professional Growth = ((College Hrs. x 15) +
(Professional Conferences x 6) + After School Inservices).

192

APPENDIX C

TABLE C.2
AVERAGE CAREER EXPERIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL-GROWTH ACTIVITY
RELATIVE TO THE DEGREE HELD BY K - 12 RESPONDENTS

School
Inservice
(hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(hours

4.96
9.90

78.09
79.08

Mean
S.D.

4.74
9.28

65.73
66.48

Mean
S.D.

BA/BA + 30 or more semester hours (N = 107)
72.90
14.45
29.13
8.83
8.37
99.64
34.03
13.06

110.86
103.04

Mean
S.D.

MA/MS (N = 300)
22.71
16.00
50.48
7.42

29.94
34.73

6.50
11.18

59.15
69.29

Mean
S.D.

MA/MS + 1 5 (N = 119)
18.27
45.83
59.33
7.10

29.63
33.73

O • 11
AA
U

oo on

15.29

73.26

S.D.

MA/MS + 30 or more semester hours (N = 194)
40.06
32.66
8.24
20.32
8.10
71.20
35.54
15.32

80.97
81.92

Mean
S.D.

EdS (N = 18)
19.61
7.93

128.06
122.68

Mean
S.D.

Professional
Teaching
Graduate
Credit
Conference
Experience
(years) (semester x 15) (days x 6)
BA/BS

(N = 123)
5.55
52.19
67.96
7.60

20.95
21.59

BA/BS + 18 semester hours (N = 115)
13.54
38.09
22.90
62.89
7.76
18.05

47.84
61.68

69.00
92.90

11.22
16.30

PhD (N = 15)
16.40
18.00
35.40
10.33
63.73
Mean
9.46
35.49
26.50
12.36
41.29
S.D.
* Total Professional Growth = ((College Hrs. x 15) +
(Professional Conferences x 6) + After School Inservices).

193

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.3
AVERAGE CAREER EXPERIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL-GROWTH
ACTIVITY RELATIVE TO GENDER/AGE GROUPS

Teaching
Graduate
Professional
School
Experience
Credit
Conference
Inservice
(years) (semester x 15) (days x 6) (hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(hours)

22 - 34 years of age
Female (N = 105)
4.03
3.21

81.00
96.30

24.60
27.36

4.04
8.79

109.61
107.32

Mean
S.D.

63.90
74.25

25.92
31.26

6.80
12.04

96.83 Mean
85.08 S.D.

33.54
44.64

9.59
14.56

84.33 Mean
89.53 S.D.

28.32
29.52

5.89
11.74

Male (N = 55)
4.71
3.86

35 - 47 years of age
Female (N = 260)
13.77
6.81

41.25
68.55

Male (N = 327)
16.78
6.06

33.00
62.55

67.23 Mean
69.76 S.D.

194

APPENDIX C

T ABLE C.3 -Cont i n u e d

Teaching
Graduate
Professional
Experience
Credit
Conference
(years) (semester x 15) (days x 6)

School
Inservice
(hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(hours)

48 - 65 years of age
Female (N = 76)
19.92

8. 12

39.30
58.65

33.54
38.22

10.82
15.88

25.68
25.68

5.83
11.28

83.65
70.33

Mean
S.D.

Male (N = 153)
24.05
7.93

18.45
36.90

49.97
50.05

Mean
S.D.

* Total Professional Growth Hours = Sum of Graduate Credit +
Professional Conference + Inservice Hours.

195

Appendix C

T ABLE C .4

COMPA R I S O N OF T O T A L FORMAL P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T Y O F G E N D E R / A G E GROUPS

Group

Sum-of-Squares

Mean-Square

F-Ratio

P

4904.34

1

4904.34

0.88

0.349

156158.06

4

39039.52

7.00

0.000*

4

2222.81

0.399

Gender
Age

DF

Gender X Age
8891.24

0.810

* Analysis of Variance is Significant at the 0.05 level.

I;

196

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.5

AVERAGE CAREER EXPERIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL-GROWTH ACTIVITY
RELATIVE TO THE GENDER AND DEGREE HELD BY
K - 12 RESPONDENTS

Teaching
Graduate
Professional
Experience
Credit
Conference
(years) (semester x 15) (days x 6)

School
InBervice
(hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(hours)

BA/BS
Male (N = 46)
7.87
9.41

44.22
70.76

18.46
13.68

4.87
10.72

67.54 Mean
76.49 S.D.

59.94
68.28

25.50
29.84

5.67
9.91

91.11 Mean
81.99 S.D.

33.27
58.50

24.06
20.51

4.18
8.37

61.50 Mean
68.33 S.D.

46.37
68.97

21.48
14.58

4.79
8.73

72.62 Mean
67.79 S.D.

Female (N = 70)
4.37
6.04

BA/BS + 18 semester hours
Male (N = 50)
16.26
7.34
Female (N = 56)
11.40
7.39

197

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C .5 - CON T I N U E D

Teaching
Graduate
Professional
Experience
Credit
Conference
(years) (semester x 15) (days x 6)

School
Inservice
(hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(hours)

BA/BA + 30 or more semester hours
Male (N = 38)
17.21
7.82

53.45
60.24

31.82
36.48

6.96
9.67

92.27
70.57

Mean
S.D.

76.55
101.62

27.60
29.87

10.43
14.79

15.43
36.21

28.15
31.60

5.27
9.97

48.87
51.50

Mean
S.D.

31.43
59.77

30.71
31.65

7.51
10.95

69.65
69.77

Mean
S.D.

34.95
46.95

25.69
38.26

6.03
12.66

66.66
57.97

Mean
S.D.

54.60
69.79

31.51
27.97

11.19
18.57

97.30
84.71

Mean
S.D.

Female (N = 60)
13.04
8.29

114.58
106.05

Mean
S.D.

MA/MS
Male (N = 164)
18.36
10.02
Female (N = 12)
14.34
6.77
MA/MS + 1 5
Male (N = 64)
19.53
6.97
Female (N = 47)
16.97
7.22

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C .5 - C O N T I N U E D

Teaching
Graduate
Professional
Experience
Credit
Conference
(years) (semester x 15]1 (days x 6)

School
Inservice
(hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(hours)

MA/MS + 30 or more semester hours
Male (N = 133)
34.84
21.79
8.25
61.59

27.70
22.91

6.14
13.31

68.69
69.90

Female (N = 48)
16.84
59.66
6.69
96.57

42.75
55.19

13.15
18.89

115.55
106.06

Mean
S.D.

44.00
23.57

11.67
18.71

110.00
82.18

Mean
S.D.

152.40
151.94

225.10
n a *ik

Mean

1O OK

1

36.75
28.95

12.92
12.57

72.17
41.67

Mean
S.D.

30.00
15.88

0.00
0.00

30.00
15.86

Mean
S.D.

Mean
S.D.

EdS
Male (N = 9)
18.56
7.60

54.33
73.77

Female (N = 5)
57.00
20.80
12,01
60.38

15.80

o n
Uti/i

PhD
Male (N = 12)
16.75
6.82

22.50
38.64

Female (N = 3)
0.00
15.00
0.00
19.16

* Total Professional Growth = ((College Hrs. x 15) +
(Professional Conferences x 6) + After School Inservices).

199

Appendix C

T ABLE C .6

C O M P A R I S O N OF T O T A L FORMAL P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T Y
OF G E N D E R / D E G R E E GROUPS

Group

Sum-of-Squares

DF

Mean-Square

F-Ratio

P

Gender

56445.67

1

56445.67

10.31

0.001*

Degree

312501.59

7

44643.08

8.15

0.000*

Gender X Degree
60899.54

7

8699.93

1.59

0.135

* Analysis of Variance is Significant at the 0.05 level.

200

APPENDIX C

TA B L E C .7
A V E R A G E C A R E E R E X P E R I E N C E AN D P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T Y R E L A T I V E TO A S S I G N M E N T LEV E L / A G E GROUPS

Teaching
Graduate
Professional
School
Experience
Credit
Conference
Inservice
(years) (semester x 15) (days x 6) (hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(hours)

22 - 34 years of age
Elementary (N = 46)
5.35
105.91
4.02
110.34

23.74
17.93

7.51
12.44

137.16
118.14

Mean
S.D.

Middle/Jr. High (N = 39)
5.21
82.89
26.54
4.56
91.59
30.30

2.59
4.64

112.01
98.37

Mean
S.D.

25.93
33.28

4.88
10.82

88.08
85.78

Mean
S.D.

(N
= 174)
42.41
34.98
71.59
44.17

10.69
15.77

88.08
85.11

Mean
S.D.

Middle/Jr. High (N = 143)
16.80
33.93
34.24
8.94
55.56
37.07

9.19
14.58

77.35
73.37

Mean
S.D.

4.07
7.60

56.82
56.96

Mean
S.D.

High School (N = 73)
4.13
57.27
3.93
72.71

or _

o \j

a n
-a *

j c a i

Elementary
13.98
6.72

o v i

~

High School (N = 238)
16.81
28.09
6.91
49.96

24.65
25.36

201

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.7 - C o n t i n u e d

Teaching
Graduate
Professional
School
Experience
Credit
Conference
Inservice
(years) (semester x 15) (days x 6) (hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(hours)

48 - 65 years of age
Elementary (N = 51)
19.69
46.83
8.31
63.55

32.59
25.66

11.06
14.82

Middle/Jr. High (N = 51)
22.77
22.65
26.41
6.03
42.46
22.00

8.96
13.00

High School (N = 115)
24.55
19.27
8.45
37.27

5.14
12.37

26.79
36.02

90.47 Mean
69.29 S.D.

58.02
58.68

Mean
S.D.

51.20 Mean
53.17 S.D.

* Total Professional Growth Hours = Sum of Graduate Credit +
Professional Conference t Inservice Kuui'u.

202

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.8
A V E R A G E C A R E E R E X P E R I E N C E AN D P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T Y R E L ATIVE TO TH E A S S I G N M E N T LEVEL A N D DEG R E E
H E L D BY K - 12 R E S P O NDENTS

Teaching
Graduate
Professional
Experience
Credit
Conference
(years) (semester x 15) (days x 6)

School
Inservice
(hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(hours)

BA/BS
Secondary (N = 57)
5.78
33.69
8.01
60.12

18.32
16.21

3.91
9.68

59.52 Mean
65.11 S.D.

Middle/Jr. High (N = 20)
4.75
66.45
5.48
63.29

27.91
36.79

2.45
3.76

96.65 Mean
83.34 S.D.

Elementary (N = 39)
6.24
71.17
8.35
80.14

26.54
27.46

9.95
12.20

BA/BS + 18 semester hours

106.64 Mean
91.24 S.D.

(N = 115)

Secondary (N = 41)
15.34
37.73
7.63
63.80

20.71
14.84

1.88
5.34

60.31 Mean
67.81 S.D.

Middle/Jr. High (N = 31)
14.01
36.59
8.03
59.20

24.97
14.23

5.74
9.02

67.29 Mean
59.57 S.D.

Elementary (N = 34)
146.45
11.34
7.17
70.98

23.03
22.83

6.53
10.41

76.02 Mean
75.84 S.D.

203

APPENDIX C

TABLE C .8 - C O N T I N U E D

Teaching
Graduate
Professional
Experience
Credit
Conference
(years) (senester x 15) (days x 6)

School
Inservice
(hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(hours)

BA/BA + 30 or more semester hours
Secondary (N = 40)
15.55
52.55
8.69
64.37

31.65
41.89

5.96
10.30

90.16 Mean
78.37 S.D.

Middle/Jr. High (N = 24)
15.79
59.51
8.81
77.27

23.00
17.21

9.19
12.46

91.69 Mean
78.70 S.D.

Elementary (N = 35)
13.10
90.99
7.45
112.08

30.26
27.73

12.32
15.60

133.56 Mean
113.23 S.D.

Secondary (N = 131)
16.71
21.16
8.72
43.97

25.31
29.88

4.07
8.00

50.55 Mean
55.65 S.D.

Middle/Jr. High (N = 72)
17.55
11.99
11.88
25.38

31.21
31.51

7.66
12.20

50.85 Mean
48.13 S.D.

Elementary (N = 91)
15.74
32.37
6.42
63.39

33.33
33.04

8.20
11.49

73.90 Mean
72.97 S.D.

MA/MS

204

APPENDIX C

TABLE C .8 - C O N T I N U E D

Teaching
Graduate
Professional
Experience
Credit
Conference
(years) (senester x 15) (days x 6)

School
Inservice
(hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(hours)

MA/MS + 1 5
Secondary (N = 53)
19.84
39.63
7.46
59.98

24.09
25.93

4.04
8.36

Middle/Jr. High (N = 27)
16.96
38.51
5.91
38.61

24.89
18.80

11.04
21.50

74.43 Mean
50.54 S.D.

Elenentary (N = 31)
17.36
53.66
7.40
46.95

37.44
38.26

12.90
17.53

104.50 Mean
88.04 S.D.

67.75 Mean
68.06 S.D.

MA/MS + 30 or more semester hours
Seconder" ^N — 99 ^
21.94'
25.20
8.60
43.65

25.97
23.60

5.80
12.14

56.97 Mean
51.71 S.D.

Middle/Jr. High (N = 49)
20.63
56.00
6.58
90.58

36.00
27.05

6.27
10.57

98.26 Mean
96.14 S.D.

Elementary (N = 35)
16.36
66.86
7.48
97.64

41.57
60.26

16.34
23.69

124.77 Mean
109.60 S.D.

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.8 - CON T I N U E D

Teaching
Graduate
Professional
Experience
Credit
Conference
(years) (semester x 15]I (days x 6)

School
Inservice
(hours)

Total *
Professional
Growth
(hours)

EdS
Secondary (N = 6)
26.33
26.25
8.04
41.28

76.50
110.17

9.33
20.07

112.08 Mean
111.71 S.D.

Middle/Jr. High (N = 7)
16.71
84.86
5.31
75.63

81.86
112.93

19.14
16.03

185.86 Mean
151.65 S.D.

Elementary (N = 2)
9.50
45.00
6.36
63.65

75.00
21.22

0.00
0.00

120.00 Mean
42.43 S.D.

PhD
Secondare ^N = 5 ^
19.20
o!00
13.10
0.00

34.80
20.53

5.20
8.67

40.00 Mean
26.42 S.D.

Middle/Jr. High (N = 6)
19.67
30.00
5.79
50.20

37.50
31.28

15.67
14.88

83.17 Mean
55.50 S.D.

Elementary (N = 4)
8.00
22.50
2.16
28.73

33.00
32.68

8.75
11.82

64.25 Mean
14.06 S.D.

* Total Professional Growth = ((College Hrs. x 15) +
(Professional Conferences x 6) + After School Inservices).

206

Appendix C

T A B L E C .9

C O M P A R I S O N OF T OTAL FORMAL P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T Y
O F A S S I G N M E N T L E V E L / D E G R E E GROUPS

Group

Level
Degree

Sum-of-Squares

DF

Mean-Square

F-Ratio

P

69181.51

2

34590.76

6.45

0.001*

278103.92

7

39729.13

7.41

0.000*

14

6814.43

Level X Degree
95401.99

1.27

0.219

* Analysis of Variance is Significant at the 0.05 level.

207

APPENDIX C

TABLE C.10

P A R T I C I P A T I O N IN S E L E C T E D P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T I E S R E L A T I V E T O G E N D E R / A G E GROUPS

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

Sponsored Travel
*
Female

3.24
(79)

3.21
(211)

3.12
(66)

Male

2.94
(47)

3.27
(295)

3.61
(129)

Independent Travel
Female

2.57
(87)

2.33
(230)

2.16
(74)

Male

2.89
(47)

2.76
(311)

2.42
(140)

Reading Magazines and/or Journals
Female

2.43
(89)

2.09
(242)

2.16
(75)

Male

2.50
(48)

2.17
(313)

2.40
(146)

2.43
(241)
2.38
(311)

2.50
(76)
2.31
(144)

Reading Newspapers
Female
Male

2.56
(89)
2.54
(48)

208

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.10 - C o n tinued

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

Reading Science Related Books
Female

2.40
(88)

2.25
(241)

2.17
(76)

Male

2.38
(48)

2.38
(314)

2.46
(145)

Informal Gatherings of Peers
Female

2.78
(89)

2.58
(240)

2.64
(75)

Male

2.53
(48)

2.64
(311)

2.78
(144)

Independent Research
Female

2.90
(87)

2.87
(234)

2.68
(73)

Male

2.75
(48)

3.07
(308)

3.14
(139)

Female

2.76
(88)

3.27
(241)

3.22
(75)

Male

2.96
(48)

3.59
(311)

3.87
(145)

College Classes

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.10 - C o n t i n u e d

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

Professional Conferences
Female

2.19
(89)

2.01
(239)

1.99
(76)

Male

2.38
(48)

2.21
(312)

2.37
(145)

School Sponsored After Hours, Weekend and Summer Inservices
Female

2.72
(82)

2.37
(230)

2.44
(71)

Male

2.53
(45)

2.79
(306)

2.86
(140)

* Average/{Respondents). (Range cf responses were frca one to
five. A value less than three indicates more relative time, t
value greater than three indicates less relative time.)

210

A P P ENDIX: C

T A B L E C. 11
C O M P A R I S O N OF PR O F E S S I O N A L -GROWTH A C T I V I T I E S OF
G E N D E R / A G E GR O U P S

Pearson Chi-Square
Value

Degrees
Freedom

Probability

Male
Sponsored Travel

28.23

12

0.005*

Independent Travel

32.07

12

0.001*

Reading Magazines
or Journals

14.42

12

0.275

Reading Newspaper

6.04

12

0.914

Reading Science
Related Books

10.37

12

0.584

Informal Gatherings
of Peers

21.94

12

0.038*

Independent Research

13.94

12

0.305

Pr»1 1otfo Pi o «*»o

f
JK«MOO
O
M

1
O
Xu

n
non*
\J WWW

Professional
Conferences

12.92

12

0.375

School Sponsored
After Hours Inservices

13.45

12

0.337

* Chi-Square test is significant at the

9

0.05 level

211

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.ll C o n t i n u e d

Pearson Chi-Square
Value

Degrees
Freedom

Probability

Female
Sponsored Travel

13.97

16

0.601

Independent Travel

27.75

16

0.034*

Reading Magazines
or Journals

26.51

16

0.047*

Reading Newspaper

26.99

16

0.042*

Reading Science
Related Books

12.07

16

0.739

Informal Gatherings
of Peers

19.61

16

0.239

Independent Research

19.70

16

0.234

College Classes

23.19

16

0.109

^rcf6 S2 'cnal
Conferences

IQ

A
U
• 1
A

1
C
X K*

A OAA

School Sponsored
After Hours Inservices

14.04

16

0.596

At

* Chi-Square test is significant at the

SJ »

0.05 level

212

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C . 12

P A R T I C I P A T I O N IN S E L E C T E D P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T I E S R E L A T I V E TO T H E G E N D E R A N D D E G R E E H E L D BY
K - 12 R E S P O N D E N T S

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+15
+30
+18
+30

PhD

Sponsored Travel
*

Male

3.17
(36)

3.13
(47)

3.49
(37)

3.39 3.11
(157) (65)

3.46 2.73
(121) (11)

3.50
(12)

Female

3.12
(50)

3.22
(54)

3.36
(50)

3.22 3.06
(117) (47)

3.06
(51)

3.17
(6)

3.60
(5)

iependent Travel
Male

2.73
(37)

2.54
(50)

2.86
(42)

2.77 2.82
(162) (66)

2.53 1.91
(132) ( U )

2.50
(12)

Female

2.46
(56)

2.52
(56)

2.37
(57)

2.24 2.35
(132) (51)

2.34
(56)

2.29
(7)

2.80
(5)

Reading Magazines and/or Journals
Male

2.38
(37)

2.18
(51)

2.09
(44)

2.29 2.29
(165) (68)

2.32 1.91
(135) (11)

2.50
(12)

Female

2.35
(62)

2.00
(59)

2.32
(59)

2.18 1.94
(137) (50)

2.11
(57)

2.29
(7)

2.40
(5)

2.26
(50)

2.25
(44)

2.32 2.53
(163) (68)

2.46 2.55
(134) (11)

2.17
(12)

2.44
(137)

2.49 2.86
(57) (7)

Reading Newspapers
Male

2.46
(37)

Female

2.47
(62)

2.38 2.54
(58) (59)

2.49
(51)

2.20
(5)

213

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C . 12 - CON T I N U E D

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+15
+30
+18
+30

PhD

Reading Science Related Books
Male

2.49 2.31
(37) (51)

2.36
(44)

2.39 2.45
(166) (69)

2.45 2.18
(133) (11)

2.42
(12)

Female

2.15
(61)

2.32
(59)

2.28 2.24
(137) (50)

2.32
(57)

2.29
(7)

2.60
(5)

2.22
(59)

formal Gatherings of Peers
Male

2.41
(37)

2.87
(49)

2.60
(44)

2.64 2.63
(164) (68)

2.75 2.45
(134) (U)

2.58
(12)

Female

2.48
(58)

2.64
(58)

2.64
(59)

2.74 2.39
(137) (51)

2.61
(57)

3.00
(7)

2.80
(5)

1/

D A n A A M ^V

Male

3.05
(37)

3.04
(49)

2.98
(44)

3.15 3.15
(161) (65)

3.04 2.45
(131) (11)

2.42
(12)

Female

2.78
(58)

2.88
(56)

2.77
(57)

2.89 2.52
(133) (50)

2.95
(55)

3.14
(7)

3.50
(4)

Male

3.43
(37)

3.69
(51)

3.00
(44)

3.94 3.31
(164) (68)

3.65 3.36
(133) (11)

3.25
(12)

Female

2.92
(60)

3.12
(58)

2.75
(59)

3.51 2.90
(136) (51)

3.16
(57)

4.00
(4)

College Classes

3.57
(7)

214

APPENDIX C

TABLE C.12 - CONTINUED

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

Professional Conferences
Male

2.51
(37)

2.18
(50)

2.23
(44)

2.27 2.24
(166) (68)

2.28 2.00
(133) (11)

1.83
(12)

Female

2.14
(61)

2.08
(59)

2.16
(58)

2.03 2.02
(136) (51)

1.86
(56)

2.00
(5)

2.14
(7)

School Sponsored After Hours , Weekend and Summer Inservices
Male

2.64
(36)

2.93
(46)

2.52
(40)

2.78 2.82
(160) (68)

2.86 2.73
(132) (11)

2.75
(12)

Female

2.30
(53)

2.45
(56)

2.39
(56)

2.50 2.58
(125) (50)

2.36
(55)

2.50
(4)

2.43
(7)

* Average/(Respondents). (Range of responses were froa one to
five. A value less than three indicates more relative time. /
value greater than three indicates less relative time.)

215

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C .13
C O M P A R I S O N O F P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T I E S OF
G E N D E R / D E G R E E GROUPS

Pearson Chi-Square
Value

Degrees
Freedom

Probability

Male
Sponsored Travel

40.49

32

0.144

Independent Travel

38.52

32

0.198

Reading Magazines
or Journals

29.99

32

0.569

Reading Newspaper

32.78

32

0.429

Reading Science
Related Books

24.88

32

0.811

Informal Gatherings
of Peers

31.96

32

0.469

Independent Research

70.16

32

0.000*

Pollotfo
--- — w cp- wP —I n o o o o

64.09

Professional
Conferences

43.77

32

0.080

School Sponsored
After Hours Inservices

43.52

32

0.084

a

nm*

V •V V X

* Chi-Square test is significant at the

0.05 level

216

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.13 - Con t i n u e d

Pearson Chi-Square
Value

Degrees
Freedom

Probability

Female
Sponsored Travel

36.28

28

0.136

Independent Travel

24.05

28

0.679

Reading Magazines
or Journals

30.01

28

0.363

Reading Newspaper

16.75

28

0.953

Reading Science
Related Books

22.42

28

0.762

Informal Gatherings
of Peers

20.39

28

0.850

Independent Research

27.64

28

0.483

College Classes

38.65

28

0.087

Professional
Conferences

35.80

28

0.148

School Sponsored
After Hours Inservices

25.28

28

0.613

* Chi-Square test is significant at the

0.05 level

217

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C .14

P A R T I C I P A T I O N IN S E L E C T E D P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T I E S R E L A T I V E T O T H E B E G I N N I N G O F AN A S S I G N M E N T
L EV E L / A G E G R O U P S T E A C H I N G C A R E E R

Category

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

3.03
(37)

3.31
(152)

3.05
(44)

3.43
(30)

3.04
(141)

3.43
(51)

3.03
(59)

3.34
(213)

3.63
(100)

2.52
(40)

2.51
(164)

2.14
(51)

2.68
(31)

2.39
(148)

2.45
(51)

2.79
(63)

2.74
(229)

2.37
(112)

2.22
(41)

2.22
(171)

2.20
(51)

2.67
(33)

2.04
(152)

2.34
(53)

2.49
(63)

2.13
(232)

2.37
(117)

22 - 34
years

Sponsored Travel
&
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

Independent Travel
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

Reading Magazines and/or Journals
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

218

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C .14 - Con t i n u e d

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

2.49
(41)

2.44
(171)

2.60
(52)

2.55
(33)

2.35
(150)

2.33
(52)

2.60
(63)

2.40
(231)

2.29
(116)

2.22
(41)

2.32
(171)

2.23
(52)

2.47
(32)

2.19
(151)

2.15
(53)

O 4
Aitv
(63)

A 4A
6 •*t£
(233)

2 •51
(116)

2.66
(41)

2.62
(170)

2.71
(51)

2.70
(33)

2.51
(148)

2.73
(51)

2.71
(63)

2.67
(233)

2.74
(117)

Reading Newspapers
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

Reading Science Related Books
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High
u;

— i

Informal Gatherings of Peers
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

219

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C .14 - C o n t i n u e d

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

2.78
(41)

2.96
(165)

2.66
(50)

3.03
(32)

2.92
(147)

2.90
(50)

2.79
(62)

3.03
(230)

3.16
(112)

2.37
(41)

3.45
(171)

3.13
(51)

2.94
(32)

3.34
(149)

3.50
(52)

3.08
(63)

3.52
(232)

3.94
(U7)

2.15
(41)

2.02
(168)

1.84
(52)

2.45
(33)

1.94
(151)

2.33
(52)

2.22
(63)

2.31
(232)

2.38
(117)

Independent Research
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

College Classes
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

Professional Conferences
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

220

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C .14 - C o n t i n u e d

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

School Sponsored After Hours, Weekend and Summer Inservices
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

2.45
(40)

2.41
(164)

2.00
(48)

3.07
(29)

2.49
(148)

2.74
(50)

2.59
(58)

2.84
(224)

3.01
(113)

* Average/(Respondents). (Range of responses were from one to
five. A value less than three indicates more relative time. A
value greater than three indicates less relative time.)

221

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.15
C O M P A R I S O N O F P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T I E S OF
A S S I G N M E N T L E V E L / A G E GROUPS

Pearson Chi-Square
Value

Degrees
Freedom

Probability

Elementary Level
Sponsored Travel

36.25

16

0.003*

Independent Travel

37.92

16

0.002*

Reading Magazines
or Journals

25.93

16

0.055

Reading Newspapers

11.42

16

0.783

Reading Science
Related Books

20.30

16

0.207

Informal Gatherings
of Peers

13.11

16

0.655

Independent Research

16.40

16

0.425

College Classes

49.928

16

0.000*

Professional
Conferences

12.89

16

0.681

School Sponsored
After Hours Inservices

17.93

16

0.328

* Chi-Square test is significant at the

0.05 level

222

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.15

- Con t i n u e d

Pearson Chi -Square
Value

Degrees
Freedom

Probability

8.57

12

0.739

11.35

12

0.499

7.26

12

0.840

10.52

12

0.570

Reading Science
Related Books

8.76

12

0.723

Informal Gatherings
of Peers

6.95

12

0.861

Independent Research

6.85

12

0.867

28.62

12

0.004"

Professional
Conferences

9.96

1
0
J. tmt

n con

School Sponsored
After Hours Inservices

9.41

12

0.668

Middle/Jr. Hitfh Level
Sponsored Travel
Independent Travel
Reading Magazines
or Journals
Reading Newspapers

College Classes

* Chi-Square test is significant at the

0.05 level

223

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.15 - C o n t i n u e d

Pearson Chi.-Square
Value

Degrees
Freedom

Probability

9.46

12

0.663

Independent Travel

18.69

12

0.096

Reading Magazines
or Journals

16.804

12

0.157

Reading Newspapers

18.93

12

0.090

9.07

12

0.697

Informal Gatherings
of Peers

12.79

12

0.384

Independent Research

11.83

12

0.460

College Classes

12.54

12

0.403

Prof0 S2 ioDul
Conferences

oo oo

1 O
£ 4 t

A

School Sponsored
After Hours Inservices

15.47

12

0.217

Hi«h School Level
Sponsored Travel

Reading Science
Related Books

* « « /

* Chi-Square test is significant at the

0.05 level

A A

A At

224

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C . 16

PARTICIPATION IN SELECTED PROFESSIONAL-GROWTH ACTIVITIES RELATIVE
TO THE ASSIGNMENT LEVEL AND DEGREE HELD BY K - 12 RESPONDENTS

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18 +30
+15
+30

PhD

Sponsored Travel
*
Secondary

3.34
(38)

3.12
(41)

3.72
(32)

3.38 3.16
(120) (51)

3.55
(84)

2.50
(6)

3.60
(5)

Eleaentary

2.72
(25)

3.10
(30)

3.19
(31)

3.42
(80)

3.21
(28)

3.09
(34)

4.33
(3)

3.67
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

3.39
(18)

3.32
(28)

3.18
(22)

3.20
(65)

3.00
(29)

3.14
(49)

2.71
(7)

3.67
(6)

2.53
(95)

1.86
(7)

2.80
(5)

Independent Travel
Secondary

2.69
(42)

2.67
(42)

3.03
(38)

2.64 2.72
(127) (53)

17 1

O

f

#» • * « »
M i Jf

Middle
Jr. High

A O

n

n ir
fa • f a i i

O
0 4
f a t O l

O

• \tKf

(26)

(32)

(35)

(90)

2.61
(31)

2.39
(36)

3.00
(3)

2.67
(18)

2.57
(30)

2.17
(23)

2.46
(68)

2.45
(29)

2.50
(52)

2.00
(7)

2.33
(6)

U

C A

£

* 3 3

(3)

Reading Magazines and/or Journals
Secondary

2.49
(43)

2.19
(43)

2.20
(41)

2.21 2.11
(128) (53)

2.37
(97)

1.86
(7)

3.00
(5)

Elementary

2.17
(29)

2.06
(33)

2.25
(36)

2.31
(93)

2.10
(30)

2.16
(37)

2.67
(3)

2.00
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

2.58
(19)

2.00
(32)

2.17
(23)

2.27
(70)

2.19
(31)

2.17
(53)

1.86
(7)

2.00
(6)

225

APPENDIX C

T ABLE C.16 - C o n tinued

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+15
+30
+18 +30

PhD

Reading Newspapers
Secondary

2.53
(43)

2.40
(43)

2.20
(41)

2.38 2.47
(126) (53)

2.47
(97)

2.00
(7)

2.20
(5)

Elementary

2.52
(29)

2.42
(33)

2.72
(36)

2.34
(93)

2.55
(31)

2.46
(37)

3.00
(3)

2.67
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

2.47
(19)

2.13
(30)

2.26
(23)

2.36
(70)

2.45
(31)

2.44
(52)

3.14
(7)

1.83
(6)

Reading Science Related Books
Secondary

2.33
(43)

2.37
(43)

2.59
(41)

2.39 2.44
(129) (54)

2.57
(95)

2.29
(7)

3.00
(5)

Elementary

2.31
(29)

2.30
(33)

2.06
(36)

2.28
(93)

2.35
(31)

2.30
(37)

2.67
(3)

3.00
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

2.22
(18)

2-»09
(32)

2.30
(23)

2.34
(70)

2.23
(30)

2.19
(53)

1.71
(7)

2.00
(6)

Informal Gatherings of Peers
Secondary

2.42
(43)

2.80
(43)

2.66
(41)

2.75 2.76
(128) (54)

2.67
(97)

2.43
(7)

3.40
(5)

Elementary

2.26
(27)

2.73
(33)

2.76
(36)

2.70
(93)

2.45
(31)

2.73
(37)

3.33
(3)

2.33
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

2.89
(19)

2.66
(29)

2.30
(23)

2.59
(69)

2.37
(30)

2.77
(52)

2.43
(7)

2.33
(6)

226

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.16 - C o n t i n u e d

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+15
+30
+18 +30

PhD

Independent Research
Secondary

2.88
(42)

2.93
(42)

3.00
(41)

3.10 3.10
(126) (53)

3.06
(94)

2.29
(7)

3.80
(5)

Elementary

2.74
(27)

2.94
(33)

2.71
(34)

3.07
(91)

2.57
(30)

2.81
(36)

3.67
(3)

3.00
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

3.16
(19)

2.93
(29)

2.78
(23)

2.99
(67)

2.93
(29)

3.06
(52)

2.57
(7)

2.00
(6)

Secondary

3.49
(43)

3.53
(43)

3.02
(41)

3.90 3.13
(128) (54)

3.65
(96)

3.86
(7)

4.40
(5)

Elementary

2.60
(29)

3.27
(33)

2.64
(36)

3.65
(92)

3.00
(31)

3.11
(37)

4.67
(3)

4.67
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

3.06
(18)

3.26
(31)

2.87
(23)

3.77
(69)

3.17
(30)

3.40
(52)

2.57
(7)

2.50
(6)

College Classes

Professional Conferences
Secondary

2.30
(43)

2.30
(43)

2.33
(40)

2.30 2.35
(129) (54)

2.36
(96)

2.14
(7)

1.80
(5)

Elementary

2.16
(29)

2.12
(33)

1.97
(36)

1.98
(92)

2.00
(30)

1.83
(36)

1.67
(3)

2.33
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

2.37
(19)

1.87
(31)

2.13
(23)

2.23
(70)

1.94
(31)

2.10
(52)

2.14
(7)

2.00
(6)

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.16 - Con t i n u e d

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18 +30
+15
+30

PhD

School Sponsored After Hours, Weekend and Sumner Inservices
Secondary

2.64
(42)

2.80
(41)

2.59
(37)

2.92 2.98
(121) (53)

2.88
(94)

2.57
(7)

3.40
(5)

Elementary

2.00
(26)

2.29
(31)

2.42
(36)

2.38
(88)

2.43
(30)

2.23
(35)

3.33
(3)

3.00
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

2.75
(16)

2.82
(28)

2.23
(22)

2.64
(67)

2.55
(31)

2.75
(53)

2.29
(7)

2.50
(6)

* Average/(Respondents). (Range of responses were from one to
five. A value less than three indicates more relative time. A
value greater than three indicates less relative time.)

228

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C .17
C O M P A R I S O N OF P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T I E S O F
A S S I G N M E N T L E V E L / D E G R E E GROUPS

Pearson Chi-Square
Value

Degrees
Freedom

Probability

Elementary Level
Sponsored Travel

37.65

28

0.105

Independent Travel

40.61

28

0.058

Reading Magazines
or Journals

32.37

28

0.260

Reading Newspaper

21.90

28

0.786

Reading Science
Related Books

24.52

28

0.654

Informal Gatherings
of Peers

26.38

28

0.552

Independent Research

31.47

28

0.297

College Classes

50.05

28

0.006*

Professional
Conferences

41.48

28

0.049*

School Sponsored
After Hours Inservices

38.550

28

0.088

* Chi-Square test is significant at the

0.05 level

229

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.17 - Con t i n u e d

Pearson Chi-Square
Value

Degrees
Freedom

Probability

Middle/Junior High Level
Sponsored Travel

37.33

28

0.112

Independent Travel

23.90

28

0.687

Reading Magazines
or Journals

19.56

28

0.880

Reading Newspaper

20.84

28

0.832

Reading Science
Related Books

20.29

28

0.854

Informal Gatherings
of Peers

24.87

28

0.635

Independent Research

36.36

28

0.134

College Classes

31.19

28

0.309

0T*/N

o<7
M M

n

OO

n n o

28.89

28

0.418

foOO
4
. A. W A

1S\Y>O 1

1

JLV

USJ

U •d i d

Conferences
School Sponsored
After Hours Inservices

* Chi-Square test is significant at the

0.05 level

230

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C .17 - C o n t i n u e d

Pearson ChiL-Square
Value

Degrees
Freedom

Probability

High School Level
Sponsored Travel

33.89

32

0.377

Independent Travel

37.40

32

0.235

Reading Magazines
or Journals

31.02

32

0.516

Reading Newspaper

41.27

32

0.126

Reading Science
Related Books

21.67

32

0.916

Informal Gatherings
of Peers

26.59

32

0.737

Independent Research

33.10

32

0.413

College Classes

47.03

32

0.042*

Professional
Conferences

31.89

32

0.472

School Sponsored
After Hours Inservices

45.38

32

0.059

* Chi-Square test is significant at the

0.05 level

231

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.18

USE O F T H E K N O W L E D G E G A I N E D IN P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T I E S R E L A T I V E T O G E N D E R / A G E GROUPS

Category

2 -34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

Sponsored Travel
Female

1.62
(45)

1.60
(126)

1.48
(46)

Male

1.77
(31)

1.75
(169)

1.68
(76)

Independent Travel
Female

1.65
(77)

1.56
(215)

1.53
(59)

Male

1.70

1.71

1.74

fA O \

Hn/>\

Reading Magazines and/or Journals
Female

1.49
(92)

1.40
(247)

1.50
(74)

Male

1.57
(51)

1.48
(313)

1.48
(144)

Reading Newspapers
Female

1.67
(89)

1.70
(243)

1.81
(72)

Male

1.78
(50)

1.73
(308)

1.74
(145)

232

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.18 - Continued

Category

2 -34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

Reading Science Related Books
Female

1.56
(88)

1.44
(240)

1.50
(72)

Male

1.54
(50)

1.53
(309)

1.54
(143)

Informal Gatherings of Peers
Female

1.69
(82)

1.64
(235)

1.75
(68)

Male

1.73
(49)

1.71
(298)

1.74
(140)

1.70
(166)

1 7C

1.75
(36)

1.89
(223)

1.92
(105)

Female

1.63
(91)

1.61
(239)

1.49
(65)

Male

1.76
(49)

1.76
(298)

1.68
(137)

Independent Research
p o m n l o

Male

1. 77

JL • « VS

(51)

College Classes

APPENDIX C

TA B L E C.18 - Con t i n u e d

Category

2 -34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

Professional Conferences
Female

1.38
(89)

1.30
(249)

1.22
(72)

Male

1.48
(51)

1.41
(311)

1.40
(144)

School Sponsored After Hours, Weekend and Summer Inservices
Female

1.61
(60)

1.58
(191)

1.72
(64)

Male

1.76
(33)

1.92
(238)

1.97
(115)

* Average/(Respondents in Category) (Range of participation
responses “ere fr«r>m Q n o f o three. A value of one indicated a ver
useful activity, a value of two somewhat useful, and a value of
three an activity not useful.)

234

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C . 19

USE O F THE K N O W L E D G E G A I N E D IN P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T I E S R E L A T I V E TO THE GENDER AN D D E G R E E H E L D BY
K - 12 R E S P O N D E N T S

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

Sponsored Travel
Male

Female

*
1.88 1.85
(25) (26)

1.68
(22)

1.79
(81)

1.70
(43)

1.65
(77)

1.29
(7)

1.75
(4)

1.66 1.65
(35) (20)

1.42
(31)

1.56
(66)

1.67
(36)

1.51
(37)

1.60
(5)

1.20
(5)

Independent Travel
Male

1.79
(39)

1.68
(47)

1.75
(36)

1.76 1.77
(146) (64)

1.59 1.44
(123) (9)

1.90
(10)

Female

1.65
(53)

1.62
(47)

1.57
(44)

1.56 1.58
(121) (46)

1.51
(51)

1.29
(7)

1.80
(5)

Reading Magazines or Journals
Male

1.47
(45)

1.49
(49)

1.55
(42)

1.54 1.44
(164) (69)

1.41 1.56
(135) (9)

1.60
(10)

Female

1.50
(73)

1.42
(59)

1.41
(63)

1.44 1.37
(134) (49)

1.41
(56)

1.57
(7)

1.60
(5)

iding Newspapers
Male

1.64
(44)

1.72
(50)

1.81
(42)

1.73 1.70
(162) (69)

1.76 2.11
(133) (9)

1.70
(10)

Female

1.70
(69)

1.60
(58)

1.71
(62)

1.72 1.77
(134) (48)

1.73
(53)

1.60
(5)

2.00
(7)

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C .19 - C O N T I N U E D

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

Reading Science Related Books
Male

1.58 1.52
(43) (50)

1.56
(41)

1.58 1.51
(161) (70)

1.48 1.44
(133) (9)

1.36
(11)

Female

1.49 1.39
(67) (56)

1.48
(61)

1.41 1.46
(135) (48)

1.56
(52)

1.57
(7)

1.40
(5)

Informal Gatherings of Peers
Male

1.76
(41)

1.84
(45)

1,68
(41)

1.76 1.78
(160) (65)

1.59 1.78
(131) (9)

1.73
(11)

Female

1.64

1.72

1.70

(CO)

1.75
/c c \

1.62

/CC \

1.60
/r-\
vu;

v s/v/

1.65

/ r *s \
\iJOf

/ior\

W « /

1.57
/m \
I 11

Independent Research
Male

1.74
(27)

2.05
(38)

1.69
(32)

l.95 1.95
(113) (44)

Female

1.80
(49)

1.66
(31)

1.70
(40)

1.71
(93)

Male

1.60 1.84
(42) (50)

1.59
(39)

Female

1.56
(71)

1.51
(57)

1.81 2.00
(104) (9)

1.80
(10)

1.79
(39)

1.67
(6)

2.00
(5)

1.84 1.69
(151) (67)

1.68 1.44
(130) (9)

1.64
(11)

1.64 1.58
(132) (49)

1.61
(54)

1.80
(5)

1.67
(39)

College Classes

1.74
(53)

1.57
(7)

236

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C .19 - C O N T I N U E D

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+ 18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

Professional Conferences
Male

1.43
(45)

1.42
(50)

1.45
(42)

1.49 1.44
(164) (68)

1.34 1.11
(134) (9)

1.00
(10)

Female

1.39
(70)

1.29
(59)

1.28
(60)

1.32 1.37
(134) (50)

1.19
(57)

1.00
(5)

1.29
(7)

School Sponsored After Hours , Weekend and Suaoer InserviceB
Male

1.81
(32)

2.00
(32)

2.00
(27)

1.85 2.12
(123) (56)

1.90 1.88
(113) (8)

1.60
(10)

Female

1.69
(47)

1.50
(42)

1.61
(44)

1.52 1.70
(no) (38)

1.70
(46)

1.75
(4)

2.00
(7)

* Average/(Respondents in Category) (Raiige ui participation
responses were from one to three. A value of one indicated a very
useful activity, a value of two soaewhat useful, and a value of
three an activity not useful.)

237

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.20

USE OF THE K N O W L E D G E G A I N E D IN P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T I E S R E L A T I V E T O A S S I G N M E N T L E V E L / A G E GROUPS

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

1.70
(23)

1.63
(95)

1.37
(27)

1.69
(13)

1.74
(73)

1.67
(27)

1.68
(40)

1.69
(127)

1.68
(68)

1.66
(38)

1.60
(154)

1.50
(36)

■i

4
ra
1 •O O

Sponsored Travel
*

Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

Independent Travel
Elementary
Middle
t

V

—
A

•

it;
liXgii

High School

rrrs
t u

(30)

(132)

1 •61
(45)

1.65
(52)

1.74
(215)

1.75
(108)

1.51
(41)

1.46
(175)

1.58
(50)

1.58
(33)

1.48
(149)

1.49
(51)

1.50
(69)

1.41
(236)

1.45
(117)

X •

Reading Magazines and/or Journals
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

238

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.20 - C o n t i n u e d

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

1.71
(41)

1.82
(176)

1.93
(49)

1.64
(33)

1.68
(141)

1.62
(50)

1.75
(65)

1.65
(234)

1.76
(118)

1.56
(41)

1.53
(173)

1.57
(49)

1.59

1.46
V
/

1.47

i o o \
\OCtf

1.52
(65)

1.48
(230)

1.53
(115)

1.73
(37)

1.70
(168)

1.82
(45)

1.68
(33)

1.68
(139)

1.84
(49)

1.70
(61)

1.67
(226)

1.68
(114)

Reading Newspapers
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

Reading Science Related Books
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

l - t u

t i* •* \
\ O L )

Informal Gatherings of Peers
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

239

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.20 - Con t i n u e d

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

1.89
(28)

1.72
(123)

1.83
(36)

1.65
(23)

1.82
(98)

2.00
(36)

1.74
(49)

1.88
(168)

1.83
(84)

1.68
(40)

1.69
(172)

1.67
(43)

1.65
(34)

1.72
(140)

1.65
(46)

1.68
(66)

1.67
(225)

1.59
(113)

1.30
(40)

1.36
(178)

1.29
(49)

1.44
(32)

1.33
(147)

1.34
(50)

1.47
(68)

1.39
(235)

1.36
(117)

Independent Research
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High
High
School

College Classes
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

Professional Conferences
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High
High
School

240

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.20 - Con t i n u e d

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

School Sponsored After Hours, Weekend and Sumner Inservices
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High

High School

1.38
(32)

1.64
(148)

1.56
(45)

1.76
(19)

1.69
(113)

1.93
(43)

1.83
(42)

1.93
(168)

2.02
(91)

* Average/(Respondents in Category) (Range of participation
responses were from one to three. A value of one indicated a very
useful activity, a value of two somewhat useful, and a value of
three an activity not useful.)

241

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.21

U S E O F TH E K N O W L E D G E G A I N E D IN S E L E C T E D
P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H A C T I V I T I E S R E L A T I V E TO THE
A S S I G N M E N T L E V E L A N D THE DEG R E E H E L D BY
K - 12 RE S P O N D E N T S

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

Sponsored Travel
*
Secondary

1.68
(25)

1.83
(18)

1.67
(21)

1.79
(73)

1.59
(34)

1.59
(58)

1.33
(6)

1.33
(3)

Elementary

1.78
(18)

1.69
(13)

1.30
(20)

1.59
(44)

1.61
(23)

1.71
(24)

1.00
(2)

1.50
(2)

Middle
Jr. High

1.83
(12)

1.79
(14)

1.73
(11)

1.64
(25)

1.84
(19)

1.55
(29)

1.75
(4)

2.00
(2)

4.* H* O
U
(39)

i err
A• Vd

(37)

1
1*01+
(32)

58
(92)

1.57
(7)

1.75
(4)

Elementary

1.69
(29)

1.69
(29)

1.52
(27)

1.55
(77)

1.68
(28)

1.55
(33)

1.00
(3)

2.00
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

1.72
(18)

1.61
(28)

1.60
(20)

1.52
(61)

1.48
(28)

1.56
(45)

1.33
(6)

2.00
(2)

Independent Travel
1

A

A 4

1*04 1.81
(120) (49)

1.

Reading Magazines and/or Journals
Secondary

1.47
(54)

1.40
(42)

1.54
(41)

1.47 1.33
(130) (53)

1.36
(96)

1.57
(7)

1.50
(4)

Elementary

1.51
(35)

1.52
(33)

1.46
(35)

1.48
(90)

1.43
(30)

1.53
(38)

2.00
(3)

1.33
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

1.55
(20)

1.48
(31)

1.40
(25)

1.54
(67)

1.53
(30)

1.44
(52)

1.33
(6)

1.83
(6)

242

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.21

Category

- Continued

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+15
+30
+18
+30

PhD

Reading Newspapers
Secondary

1.71
(50)

1.52
(42)

1.77
(40)

1.70 1.66
(129) (54)

1.72
(96)

2.14
(7)

1.50
(4)

Elementary

1.68
(34)

1.82
(33)

1.81
(37)

1.79
(90)

1.93
(29)

1.93
(38)

2.67
(3)

1.67
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

1.75
(20)

1.68
(31)

1.58
(24)

1.67
(66)

1.62
(29)

1.64
(47)

1.67
(6)

1.80
(5)

Reading Science Related Books
Secondary

1.51
(47)

1.38
(42)

1.67
(39)

1.53 1.46
(128) (54)

1.47
(94)

1.43
(7)

1.25
(4)

Elementary

1.62
(34)

1.50
(32)

1.50
(36)

1.52
(91)

1.48
(29)

1.67
(36)

1.67
(3)

1.33
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

1.65
(20)

1.50
(30)

1.33
(24)

1.45
(66)

1.53
(30)

1.46
(50)

1.50
(6)

1.50
(6)

Informal Gatherings of Peers
Secondary

1.65
(48)

1.70
(40)

1.61
(38)

1.74 1.73
(124) (51)

1.59
(94)

1.71
(7)

2.00
(4)

Elementary

1.77
(31)

1.76
(29)

1.79
(33)

1.69
(87)

1.81
(27)

1.63
(38)

2.33
(3)

1.67
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

1.77
(20)

1.86
(28)

1.74
(23)

1.67
(64)

1.73
(30)

1.67
(48)

1.33
(6)

1.67
(6)

243

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.21

Category

- Con t i n u e d

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

Independent Research
Secondary

1.79
(33)

1.95
(31)

1.76
(33)

1.87
(89)

1.89
(38)

1.82
(71)

1.71
(7)

2.00
(4)

Elementary

2.00
(20)

1.59
(17)

1.62
(24)

1.85
(66)

1.57
(23)

1.68
(31)

2.67
(3)

2.00
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

1.62
(16)

2.00
(21)

1.62
(13)

1.85
(43)

2.00
(19)

1.87
(38)

1.60
(5)

1.80
(5)

Secondary

1.46
(50)

1.79
(42)

1.62
(37)

1.80 1.52
(123) (53)

1.58
(93)

1.57
(7)

1.75
(4)

Elementary

1.68
(34)

1.80
(30)

1.52
(33)

1.65
(86)

1.77
(30)

1.78
(37)

1.67
(3)

1.67
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

1.68
(19)

1.79
(29)

1.41
(22)

1.80
(64)

1.70
(28)

1.69
(49)

1.33
(6)

1.50
(6)

College Classes

Professional Conferences
Secondary

1.45
(53)

1.38
(42)

1.38
(40)

1.44 1.43
(130) (53)

1.32
(96)

1.43
(7)

1.00
(4)

Elementary

1.45
(33)

1.39
(33)

1.25
(36)

1.37
(92)

1.39
(31)

1.21
(38)

1.00
(3)

1.00
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

1.32
(19)

1.25
(32)

1.48
(23)

1.44
(66)

1.40
(29)

1.31
(52)

1.00
(6)

1.00
(6)

244

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.21

Category

- Continued

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

School Sponsored After Hours, Weekend and Summer Inservices
Secondary

1.91
(32)

1.96
(27)

2.00
(25)

1.85
(92)

2.11
(42)

1.97
(78)

1.86
(7)

1.33
(3)

Elementary

1.55
(29)

1.62
(26)

1.54
(26)

1.50
(80)

1.65
(26)

1.68
(34)

2.50
(2)

1.67
(3)

Middle
Jr. High

1.77
(13)

1.55
(20)

1.75
(20)

1.73
(52)

1.98
(21)

1.74
(42)

1.83
(6)

1.80
(5)

* Average/(Respondents in Category) (Range of participation
responses were from one to three. A value of one indicated a very
useful activity, a value of two somewhat useful, and a value of
three an activity not useful.)

APPENDIX C

T ABLE C.22

PERCEIVED OBSTACLES TO CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL-GROWTH
A C T I V I T Y R E L A T I V E TO G E N D E R / A G E GROUPS

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

Financial Support
*
1.63
(91)

1.61
(242)

1.67
(72)

1.60
(52)

1.62
(313)

1.67
(144)

Category

District
Female

Male

Obtaining

22 - 34
years

Release Time

Female

1.81
(93)

1.70
(243)

1.76
(75)

Male

1.88
tKO\
\— /

1.76

1.87

/01C

\

/ *1 A n \
VA**U/

Family/Personal Responsibilities
Female

2.09
(93)

1.78
(250)

2.20
(74)

Male

1.94
(52)

1.76 '
(316)

2.09
(142)

2.11
(245)

2.18
(73)

Travel Time to Activity
Female

2.25
(93)

246

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.22 - Con t i n u e d

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

Activity Only Offered After School
Fenale

Male

2.27

2.19

2.34

(92)

(243)

(74)

2.29

2.10

2.09

(51)

(314)

(143)

Activity Only Offered on Weekends
Female

Male

2.13

2.02

2.18

(92)

(243)

(74)

2.10

2.04

2.01

(52)

(315)

(143)

A/-»fitrif vr Dn 1tr 0^ f
Female

Male

*yu4. XilQ

UUMtlMVi <9

2.42

2.25

2.33

(91)

(239)

(73)

2.44

2.16

2.04

(52)

(315)

(145)

Relevance of Activity to Your Needs
Female

Male

2.03

1.84

1.83

(88)

(237)

(72)

2.04

1.91

1.96

(49)

(308)

(143)

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.22 - C o n tinued

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

Length of Tine Needed to Complete Activity
Female

2.07
(91)

1.97
(237)

2.10
(73)

Male

2.16
(52)

2.01
(313)

2.08
(143)

* Average/ (Respondents).
(Range of responses were from one to
three. A value of one indicates a major obstacle to continued
professional-growth activity. A value of two indicates a minor
obstacle to continued professional-growth activity. A value of
three indicates no effect upon professional-growth activity.)

248

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.23

P E R C E I V E D O B S T A C L E S TO C O N T I N U E D P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T Y R E L A T I V E T O T H E G E N D E R A N D D E G R E E H E L D BY
K -12 R E S P O N D E N T S

Category

District

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

Financial Support
3k
T

Male

1.70
(46)

1.52
(48)

1.45
(42)

1.63 1.67
(164) (69)

1.65 2.00
(136) (9)

1.91
(11)

Female

1.69
(67)

1.50
(56)

1.56
(63)

1.68 1.68
(131) (50)

1.74
(57)

1.50
(6)

2.25
(4)

1.90
(49)

1.81
(42)

1.74 1.70
(164) (69)

1.81 2.00
(135) (10)

1.73
(11)

Obtaining

Release Time

Male

2.02
(46)

o 1/>
A ^tUUXV/

1

cc

+ no
X iU6

•* f*n

X « v v

1 nro
X • Io

1

I t V i /

(69)

(59)

(62)

(133) (50)

(56)

1* 33
(6)

2.55
(3)

on

1

X

on
t0 « 7

i « U O

Family/Personal Responsibilities
Male

2.07
(46)

1.78
(49)

l.81
(42)

l.78 1.86
(165) (70)

1.95 2.10
(133) (10)

2.09
(11)

Female

2.03
(71)

1.75
(59)

2.03
(64)

l.78 2.11
(134) (50)

2.00
(58)

1.86
(7)

2.20
(5)

Travel Time to Activity
Male

2.20
(46)

2.00
(49)

2.14
(42)

2.02 2.14
(165) (69)

2.10 2.30
(133) (10)

2.27
(11)

Female

2.25
(69)

2.19
(59)

2.03
(62)

2.II 2.27
(134) (49)

2.18
(57)

2.14
(7)

2.20
(5)

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.23 - C O N T I N U E D

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

Activity Only Offered After School
Male

2.30
(46)

2.08
(49)

2.17
(42)

2.10 2.23
(163) (69)

2.03 2.30
(134) (10)

2.00
(10)

Female

2.34
(68)

2.17
(59)

2.18
(62)

2.27 2.14
(133) (50)

2.42
(57)

2.17
(6)

2.25
(4)

Activity Only Offered on Weekends
Male

2.26
(46)

1.90
(49)

2.00
(41)

2.12 2.09
(165) (69)

1.91 2.10
(135) (10)

1.91
(11)

Female

2.30
(67)

1.92
(59)

2.15
(62)

2.07 1.98
(134) (50)

2.25
57)

2.00
(6)

2.50
(4)

Activity Only Offered During Summers
Male

2.22
(46)

2.08
(49)

2.19
(42)

2.19 2.16
(165) (70)

2.10 2.00
(135) (10)

2.00
(U)

Female

2.46
(65)

2.19
(59)

2.37
(60)

2.28 2.28
(132) (50)

2.37
(57)

2.17
(6)

2.50
(4)

Relevance of Activity to Your Needs
Male

2.09
(44)

2.04
(47)

1.90
(42)

1.93 1.90
(162) (68)

1.91 2.00
(132) (10)

2.00
(11)

Female

1.97
(65)

1.91
(55)

1.93
(59)

1.90 1.86
(131) (50)

1.77
(56)

1.75
(4)

2.00
(6)

250

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.23

Category

Length of Time

- CONTINUED

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

Needed to Complete Activity

Male

2.13 1.95
(45) (49)

2.07
(42)

2.08 1.94 2.04
2.40
(164) (68) (134) (10)

2.09
(11)

Female

2.13 1.93
(63) (58)

1.94
(62)

2.00 2.20 2.00
(130) (50) (58)

2.25
(4)

2.17
(6)

* Average/ (Respondents). (Range of responses were from one to
three. A value of one indicates a major obstacle to continued
professional-growth activity. A value of two indicates a minor
obstacle to continued professional-growth activity. A value of
three indicates no effect upon professional-growth activity.)

251

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.24
PER C E I V E D OB S T A C L E S T O C O N T I N U E D P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T Y R E L A T I V E TO A S S I G N M E N T L E V E L / A G E GROUPS

Category

22 - 34
years

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

1.60
(177)

1.69
(49)

1.61
(149)

1.65
(52)

1.63
(229)

1.66
(115)

1.76
(41)

1.76
(179)

1.98
(50)

1 on
4 • USJ

1 /*f>
X •uo

iiOl

(35)

(148)

(52)

1.91
(69)

l.74
(232)

1.78
(116)

1.85
(41)

l. 86
(180)

2.24
(50)

2.11
(35)

l.72
(I5l)

2.10
(52)

2.10
(69)

l.72
(235)

2.10
(114)

District

Financial Support
*
Elementary
1.71
(41)
Middle
1.65
Jr. High
(34)
High
1.54
School
(68)

Obtaining
Elementary

Release Time

Middle
T«*

u i •

U4

114511

High
School

Family/Personal Responsibilities
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High
High
School

252

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.24 - Continued

Category

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

2.17
(41)

2.16
(177)

2.30
(49)

2.31
(35)

2.06
(149)

2.27
(52)

2.13
(69)

2.06
(232)

2.04
(116)

2.17
(41)

2.15
(178)

2.37
(49)

2.43
(35)

2.08
(147)

2.13
(52)

2.27
(67)

2.17
(232)

2.11
(116)

1.88
(41)

1.97
(178)

2.18
(49)

2.14
(35)

1.96
(148)

2.08
(52)

2.25
(68)

2.13
(232)

2.02
(116)

22 - 34
years

Travel Time to Activity
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High
High
School

Activity Only Offered After School
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High
it;
11x511

School

Activity Only Offered on Weekends
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High
High
School

253

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.24 - Con t i n u e d

Category

35 - 47
years

48 - 65
years

2.40
(40)

2.20
(175)

2.35
(49)

2.37
(35)

2.21
(148)

2.10
(52)

2.47
(68)

2.19
(231)

2.07
(117)

1,93
(40)

1.79
(177)

2.03
(47)

2.00
(31)

1.93
(142)

1.98
(52)

2.12

1.92

1.84

22 - 34
years

Activity Only Offered During Summers
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High
High
School

Relevance of Activity to Your Needs
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High
High
School

tcc\

/
\
VLitdV/

/*«*/* I
Viio/

Length of Time Needed to Complete Activity
Elementary
Middle
Jr. High
High
School

2.07
(41)

2.01
(173)

2.17
(48)

2.09
(35)

2.01
(148)

2.06
(51)

2.13
(67)

1.98
(229)

2.07
(U7)

* Average/ (Respondents).
(Range of responses were from one to
three. A value of one indicates a major obstacle to continued
professional-growth activity. A value of two indicates a minor
obstacle to continued professional-growth activity. A value of
three indicates no effect upon professional-growth activity.)

254

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.25

P E R C E I V E D O B S T A C L E S TO C O N T I N U E D P R O F E S S I O N A L - G R O W T H
A C T I V I T Y R E L A T I V E T O THE A S S I G N M E N T LEVEL AN D DE G R E E
H E L D BY K - 12 R E S P O N D E N T S

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

Financial Support
*
Secondary
1.60 1.46
(52) (41)

PhD

District

Elementary

1.66
(41)

1.57 1.70
(125) (53)

1.67
(96)

2.17
(6)

2.33
(3)

1.82
(34)

1.41
(32)

1.50
(36)

1.70
(92)

1.63
(30)

1.69
(39)

1.00
(2)

2.00
(3)

1.57
(21)

1.72
(29)

1.36
(25)

1.69
(67)

1.61
(31)

1.64
(53)

1.71
(7)

1.67
(6)

Middle/Jr.High

Obtaining

Release Time

Secondary

1.93
(53)

1.74
(42)

1.90
(41)

1.72 1.66
(129) (53)

1.76
(95)

2.17
(6)

2.33
(3)

Elementary

1.86
(36)

1.70
(33)

1.72
(36)

1.89
(90)

1.77
(30)

1.77
(39)

1.33
(3)

1.67
(3)

1.95
(21)

1.87
(31)

1.62
(24)

1.73
(67)

1.58
(31)

1.73
(52)

1.57
(7)

1.33
(6)

Middle/Jr. High

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.25

Category

- Continued

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

Family/Personal Responsibilities
Secondary

2.06
(54)

1.71
(42)

1.95
(41)

1.80 1.94
(128) (54)

1.91
(93)

2.14
(7)

1.75
(4)

Elementary

2.06
(35)

1.82
(33)

1.81
(37)

1.82
(92)

2.10
(30)

2.08
(39)

2.33
(3)

3.00
(3)

2.10
(21)

1.80
(30)

2.08
(25)

1.69
(68)

1.89
(31)

1.91
(54)

1.71
(7)

2.17
(6)

2.30
(53)

2.00
(42)

2.12
(41)

1.99 2.15
(128) (52)

2.03
(95)

2.00
(7)

1.75
(4)

A

O

O
U

n

A

A

id • ±o

• \J

id* idO

id* O I

id * itV

if VI

id * u

(34)

(33)

(36)

(92)

(30)

(37)

(3)

(3)

2.19
(21)

2.17
(30)

2.08
(24)

2.03
(68)

2.21
(31)

2.23
(53)

2.29
(7)

2.33
(6)

Middle/Jr.High

Travel Time to Activity
Secondary

17 1 />i n « r > + «

Jf

1 C
it/

1 C

A A
\J

n n

A

A PT

A

A A

A «

A ft
t

Middle/Jr.High

Activity Only Offered After School
Secondary

2.33
(52)

2.12
(42)

2.17
(41)

2.10 2.28
(128) (53)

2.15
(95)

2.17
(6)

2.33
(3)

Elementary

2.26
(35)

2.09
(33)

2.11
(36)

2.27
(90)

2.13
(30)

2.13
(39)

2.33
(3)

2.67
(3)

2.38
(21)

2.13
(30)

2.25
(24)

2.09
(67)

2.13
(31)

2.13
(52)

2.29
(7)

1.83
(6)

Middle/Jr.High

256

APPENDIX C

T ABLE C.25 - Continued

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

Activity Only Offered on Weekends
Secondary

2.31
(52)

1.90
(42)

2.12
(40)

2.12 2.23
(129) (53)

2.07
(96)

1.83
(6)

2.33
(3)

Elementary

2.09
(34)

1.79
(33)

1.94
(36)

2.05
(91)

1.87
(30)

2.05
(39)

2.00
(3)

2.67
(3)

2.43
(21)

1.97
(30)

2.17
(24)

2.01
(68)

1.90
(31)

1.87
(52)

2.29
(7)

1.67
(6)

Middle/Jr.High

Activity Only Offered During Summers
Secondary

2.33
(51)

2.02
(42)

2.22
(41)

2.21 2.24
(128) (54)

2.20
(96)

1.83
(6)

2.33
(3)

Elementary

2.27

2.24
/o o \

2.24

2.27

M A N

\oo/

/ A «N
VO*/

/ A/> V

2.52
(21)

2.13
(30)

2.42
(24)

2.14
(68)

\OOf

2.33

/ rtA N

/ A/
>%
von/

1.67
MN
N«i/

2.67

\ou/

2.29
(31)

2.02
(52)

2.43
(7)

2.00
(6)

2.17

/**\

Middle/Jr.High

Relevance of Activity to Your Needs
Secondary

2.10
(50)

1.98
(41)

1.88
(41)

1.96 1.83
(126) (53)

1.88
(93)

1.67
(6)

2.00
(3)

Elementary

1.86
(35)

1.77
(31)

1.97
(34)

1.92
(90)

1.77
(30)

1.69
(39)

2.33
(3)

2.00
(3)

2.11
(18)

2.15
(27)

1.91
(23)

1.85
(67)

2.03
(30)

1.92
(51)

2.14
(7)

1.50
(6)

Middle/Jr.High

257

APPENDIX C

T A B L E C.25 - C o n t i n u e d

Category

BA/BS BA/BS BA/BS MA/MS MA/MS MA/MS EdS
+18
+30
+15
+30

PhD

Length of Time Needed to Complete Activity
Secondary

2.12
(50)

1.82
(42)

2.05
(41)

2.01 2.06
(129) (52)

2.03
(95)

2.33
(6)

2.33
(3)

Elementary

2.09
(32)

2.00
(33)

2.00
(36)

2.03
(87)

2.10
(39)

2.33
(3)

2.33
(3)

2.07
(30)

Middle/Jr.High
2.19
(21)

2.03 1.83
(29) (24)

2.10
(67)

2.00
(31)

1.94 2.29
(53) (7)

2.00
(6)

* Average/ (Respondents).
(Range of responses were from one to
three. A value of one indicates a major obstacle to continued
professional-growth activity. A value of two indicates a minor
obstacle to continued professional-growth activity. A value of
three indicates no effect upon professional-growth activity.)

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