Evaluating student teaching experiences at urban and suburban field sites: Relationship to teacher efficacy, preparedness, and commitment
Genre
Thesis/DissertationDate
2009Author
Russell-McKenzie, ElisabethAdvisor
DuCette, Joseph P.Committee member
Davis, James Earl, 1960-Walker, Thomas J.
Department
Educational PsychologySubject
Education, Teacher TrainingEducation, Educational Psychology
Bandura
Field Experiences
Preservice Teachers
Teacher Commitment
Teacher Efficacy
Urban Teaching
Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12613/2285Metadata
Show full item recordDOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/2267Abstract
Preparedness, efficacy, and commitment to a teaching career are important products of the teacher preparation process. Yet research on how the context of field experiences influences the development of these products is limited. The purpose of this study is firstly to confirm the existence of hypothesized differences between urban and suburban field placements and secondly to investigate the relationship between individual components of these contextualized field experiences and the outcomes of preparedness, efficacy, and commitment. Field experiences are examined through the lens of Bandura's (1997) sources of teacher efficacy belief development (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, emotional arousal) and their interactions with student teaching contextual influences. The results suggest that urban-based student teachers have a qualitatively different experience from their suburban-based counterparts. Although the study did not find significant differences in resultant teacher efficacy, or preparedness for assuming fulltime teaching responsibilities, urban-based teachers report less long-term teaching commitment, but are more likely to be seeking an initial placement in an urban school. Regression analyses were performed to identify those components of the field experience and individual student characteristics that predict preparedness, efficacy and commitment. Location and on-site school contextual variables (school climate, school poverty) play an integral role in prediction of teaching efficacy. While long-term teaching commitment was most strongly predicted by emotional interpretations of the experience (satisfaction, stress, confidence) together with feeling supported by the field supervisor, intentions regarding teaching location were more dependent on support and encouragement received from mentor teachers in those locations, and viewing the mentor as a good career model. The findings of this study have important implications for teacher training since the results confirm that student teachers have very different experiences based on field site location and that these experiences do contribute differentially to the development of preparedness, efficacy and commitment.ADA compliance
For Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation, including help with reading this content, please contact scholarshare@temple.eduCollections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Cultivating Teacher Leadership in Public Secondary Schools: Encouraging the Leadership Potential in All TeachersTeacher leaders are people who lead by example and, in this school, most are not afraid to speak up even if it is not politically correct. Teacher leaders are selfless people who are looking out for what is best for all, especially the students. They are risk takers. With the introduction of technology and accountability measures, education appears to have changed more in the first seventeen years of the 21st century then in the entire prior 100 years of our nation. The knowledge and skills required by school administrators has greatly expanded. To that end, it seems most appropriate that schools are lead not only by a principal, but also by the teachers. The collective knowledge of a group of professionals is stronger than the knowledge of one individual person. Teacher leadership appears as a natural concept to utilize in order to achieve successful school reform and to increase the use of technology as an instructional tool. This study focuses on the specific actions of building principals in public secondary schools which will cultivate and nurture the leadership potential in teachers. A qualitative study, this research involved a multi-case study approach and focused on three public secondary schools spanning two Pennsylvania counties. Ninety-four surveys were conducted of professional employees. Of those, three building principals and seven of their teachers were selected to be observed and interviewed. While teacher leadership requires active steps be taken by both teachers and principals, this research centered on what the principal needs to do in order to nurture teachers to be leaders within their schools. A culture of trust and collaboration is essential, as is a shared vision of where the school is headed.
-
New Teacher Induction: A multi-case study of the role support plays in the professional learning of teacher residentsA substantial body of literature has examined teacher induction programs. Previous research has highlighted program characteristics, associated activities, and the impact on issues such as retention and student achievement. However, little research has examined the potential for induction activities to go beyond meeting the most basic short-term needs of novices and instead create the meaningful learning opportunities that lead to sustained growth. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis, this multi-case study describes the induction experiences of five second-year middle-grades STEM teachers prepared in an urban teacher residency program. Participants completed a two-year induction program, during which they received induction support from their school, district, and residency program. This research describes the induction supports (e.g., mentoring, professional development, formal induction course, and action research group) available to the participants and the utility ascribed to each of these supports by the teachers. Using Cochran-Smith and Lytle’s theories of teacher learning (1999; 2001) as the theoretical framework, the research examines how induction supports facilitate pathways to teacher learning. Additionally, this framework serves to identity how different induction supports position teachers along the continuum from users to generators of knowledge. The individual cases underscore that participants had access to induction supports that created opportunities for them to be users, co-creators, and generators of knowledge. The participants did report some appreciation for these latter approaches and a positive impact on their practice and growth; however, the participants ultimately favored supports that were more prescriptive. While these supports did not necessarily contribute to their growth, they met their needs at the time and, ultimately, that is what mattered most.
-
TEACHER PREPARATION IN A VIRTUAL K-12 CONTEXT: THE PERCEPTIONS OF SCHOOL LEADERS CONCERNING TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTEnrollment in cyber schools has increased steadily from their inception in 1996 through 2019. Despite this increase there is a limited understanding of how to train teachers to teach in virtual classrooms. Most virtual professional development is created and delivered by leaders of cyber schools. Therefore, to contribute to the literature on teacher training for online schools, this dissertation explores what school leaders of a cyber school perceive about the skills required to teach online and how they address these skills through the preparation and ongoing development of their new and veteran teachers. All 30 members of the focal school’s leadership team were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire, and additionally, they were invited to participate in an interview. The data were analyzed via frequency calculations and coding. Conclusions were focused on the knowledge gaps of new teachers, what defines a successful professional development experience, the state of teacher training at cyber schools, and the extent school leaders are involved with the creation of professional development at their school. I found that the knowledge gaps of new teachers depend on their prior teaching experiences, with the teachers who have more experience in brick-and-mortar schools having the most gaps. The most effective professional development activities were characterized to be engaging, relevant, timely, and a good example of what teachers should do in their own classrooms. The focal school uses several forms of professional development to meet the needs of new teachers: an in-person onboarding, induction, and mentorship. At the focal school, veteran teachers are provided with grade-level weekly workshops and a content-level professional learning community. Involvement in the creation of professional development is dependent on an individual’s title and role.
