ERIC ED404293: A Case Study of Teacher Empowerment in a Professional Development School. Technical Report 940101.

40 Pages·0.39 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
SP 035 037
ED 404 293
Morris, Vivian Gunn; Nunnery, John A.
AUTHOR
A Case Study of Teacher Empowerment in a Professional
TITLE
Development School. Technical Report 940101.
Memphis State Univ., TN. Center for Research in
INSTITUTION
Educational Policy.
Jan 94
PUB DATE
38p.; For a related document, see ED 368 678.
NOTE
Research/Technical (143)
Reports
PUB TYPE
Tests /Evaluation Instruments (160)
MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
Administrator Attitudes; Case Studies; *College
DESCRIPTORS
School Cooperation; Comparative Analysis; Cooperating
Teachers; Educational Research; Elementary Education;
Elementary School Teachers; Higher Education;
Knowledge Base for Teaching; Mentors; *Participative
Decision Making; *Preservice Teacher Education;
*Professional Development Schools; School
Restructuring; School Role; Self Efficacy; *Teacher
Attitudes; *Teacher Empowerment
Memphis State University TN; Preservice Teachers;
IDENTIFIERS
Teacher Development
ABSTRACT
This study describes the first-year implementation of
a professional development school (PDS) program in an elementary
school and reports the extent to which participation in the PDS
(N=32) perceptions regarding teacher
prograin influenced teachers'
empowerment along four dimensions (mentoring self-efficacy, teaching
self-efficacy, professional knowledge, and collegiality) cited in the
literature. Data generated by a teacher empowerment questionnaire
("Teacher Empowerment Inventory") were compared to data collected
from teachers (N=82) at the other four elementary sites within the
PDS program. Chi-square tests revealed significant differences on
several questionnaire items. Qualitative data were collected (through
interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and examination of
archival materials) and examined relative to the major components of
the PDS program and the four dimensions of teacher empowerment. The
three major components of the PDS model that were examined are:
(1)
(2) school improvement planning,
supervision of practice teachers,
and (3) clinical professor training. These data corroborate some
previous findings of the questionnaire and suggest explanations for
divergent responses. Among the features of the PDS program discussed
(2) training of
(1) practice teacher cohorts;
in this paper are:
experienced teachers as clinical professors who instruct, supervise,
and evaluate preservice teachers; and (3) university liaisons, who
train cooperating teachers and act as members of the
supervision/evaluation team for preservice teachers. (IAH)
***********************************************************************
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
***********************************************************************
A Case Study of Teacher Empowerment
in a
Professional Development School
Vivian Gunn Morris
John A. Nunnery
With the Assistance of
Julius Scipio
Janie Knight
Mala Gopalakrishnan
Rebecca Rinehart
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
g.
O This document has been reproduced as
IJ
received from the person or organization
originating it.
Technical Report
Minor changes have been made to improve
reproduction quality
940101
Points of view or opinions stated in this docu-
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
ment do not necessarily represent official
OERI position or policy.
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."
Center for Research in Educational Policy
College of Education
Memphis State University
\'N
January 1994
0
/NN
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
2
Support for this study was provided by the Center for
Research in Educational
Policy, College of Education, Memphis State
University. The views expressed
herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
the position or policy
of the Center, the College,
or the University. The Center for Research in
Educational Policy is a Center of Excellence for the State
of Tennessee.
Memphis State University
Memphis State University offers equal educational
opportunity to all persons
without regard to race, religion,
sex, creed, color, national origin or disability. The
University does not discriminate
on these bases in recruitment and admission of
students or in the operation of any of its
programs and activities, as specified by
federal laws and regulations. The designated coordinators
for University
compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 and the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990
are the Vice President for Student Affairs and the
Equal Employment Compliance Officer. Information in this
document will be
provided in alternate format upon request.
Memphis State University is an Equal Opportunity /Affirmative
Action University.
It is committed to education of a non-racially identifiable student
body.
3
Abstract
This study describes the first-year implementation
of a Professional Development
Schools (PDS) program in an elementary school
and reports the extent to which
participation in the PDS program influenced
teachers' perceptions regarding teacher
empowerment along four dimensions cited in the literature.
Data generated by a
teacher empowerment questionnaire
were compared to data collected from teachers
at the other four elementary sites within the PDS
program. Chi-square tests
revealed significant differences
on several questionnaire items. Qualitative data
were collected and examined relative to the major
components of the PDS program
and the four dimensions of teacher
empowerment. These data corroborate
some
previous findings of the questionnaire and
suggest explanations for divergent
responses.
Introduction
In their review of research
on Professional Development Schools, Stallings
and Kowalski (1990) have emphasized the
critical need for longitudinal evaluations
and experiments which explore the effectiveness
of the new PDS models in
undergraduate, graduate, elementary, and secondary
preparation and credentialing.
Stallings and Kowalski argue that research
on this topic must be accomplished
quickly so that the effectiveness of the PDS
models can be validated before
more
traditional student teaching
programs are eliminated.
As a response to this call for research,
a pilot assessment (Morris & Nunnery,
1993) was conducted of teachers in five
elementary Professional Development
Schools affiliated with Memphis State University's
College of Education. The
purpose of that assessment was "to determine the extent
to which Memphis State
University's (MSU) Professional Development
School (PDS) model influenced
teachers' perceptions of their empowerment along
dimensions cited in the
literature as meaning teacher empowerment" (Morris
& Nunnery, 1993). Four
dimensions of teacher empowerment
were identified and assessed in the pilot
study: (a) mentoring self- efficacy, (b) teaching
self-efficacy, (c) professional
knowledge, and (d) collegiality.
Instrumentation used in the pilot assessment
was a modified form of the
Teacher Empowerment Inventory (TEI; Butler, Etheridge,
James, & Ellis, 1989). Data
were collected from 140 of the 190 teachers in the five elementary schools
participating in the MSU program. Analyses of the
teachers' responses indicated
that teachers had experienced
empowerment within all four dimensions.
2
Conclusions were drawn that these increases in
empowerment could be traced to
the three major components of the MSU
Professional Development School
model:
"(a) supervision of practice teachers, (b)
school improvement planning, and
(c)
clinical professor training" (Morris &
Nunnery, 1993).
The present study is an outgrowth of
that pilot assessment. The
purpose of
this study is to provide greater insight
into how empowerment unfolded
in one of
the five schools included in the initial
assessment.
Methodology
Setting and Participants
One site within MSU's Professional Development
Schools program was
selected for extensive qualitative data
collection. This school (Friar Tuck
Elementary) was selected because the primary
investigator for the present study also
served as university liaison to the school
and therefore had access to
a variety of
qualitative data resources. Friar Tuck
Elementary School is a K-6 school located
in a
middle-sized city in the Southeastern
United States. The school population of
approximately 650 children is predominantly
African-American from low-income
families. Students generally rank below
citywide and statewide median
scores on
achievement tests.
Procedures
In addition to quantitative study of
a questionnaire, several qualitative
methods were used including participant
observation, in-depth interviews, focus
groups, and examination of archival materials. The principal
researcher, in her role
as university liaison assigned to the school
on a half-time basis, also kept a log of
3
experiences and impressions throughout the eight-month period of data
collection.
Interviews
Nine teachers and one administrator
were interviewed individually. In-
depth one-hour interviews were scheduled at the Friar Tuck School,
either in the
teacher's classroom or in an available conference
room. Interviewers were college
faculty or graduate students familiar with qualitative methodology.
Notes were
taken, and tape recorders were used to record all interview
sessions.
Information
obtained during each interview included: (a) demographic data
on the interviewee,
(b) the interviewee's definition of
a Professional Development School, and (c) the
interviewee's comments on working with practice teachers, the
decision-making
process at Friar Tuck School, school improvement planning, clinical professor
training, and the value of the PDS program for teachers and students.
Interviewers
attended a debriefing session to share initial impressions and
to collaborate on the
development of questions to be pursued for further clarification in the
focus group
sessions.
An interview with the developer of the PDS model
at MSU was also
conducted so that additional background information
on the program could be
obtained.
Focus Groups
The entire faculty of 35 participated in three focus
groups. Moderators, who
had been briefed on procedures and guidelines for the focus
groups, obtained
information on the faculty's definition of
a Professional Development School and
their perceptions of working with practice teachers, the decision making
process at
4
7
their school, school improvement planning, clinical professor
training, and the
value of the PDS program to teachers and students.
In a debriefing sessions, moderators shared initial
impressions gained from
the field study.
Field notes were transcribed and organized along
major program
components and other prominent issues that emerged during the interviews
and
focus group sessions.
Other Data Sources
Other sources of data included the description of the
Memphis State
University PDS model, the workshop schedule for the
year, the school
improvement plan completed by the faculty, school improvement
reports
completed by small groups of faculty,
a video-tape presentation made at the first
annual end-of-year meeting of PDS sites, and thank-you
notes written to the
university liaison by children at the school.
Instrumentation
Data collected in the 1993 administration of the Teacher
Empowerment
Inventory (TEI; Butler, Etheridge, James, & Ellis, 1989)
were examined. The
inventory consists of 38 items, which are phrases that complete the
stem: "As a
result of my school's participation in the Professional Development
Schools
program, I .
." These items, which are grouped into the four
empowerment
.
dimensions, solicit response on a five-point Likert-type scale, within which
1 =
Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3
= Neutral, 4 = Agree, and 5 = Strongly Disagree.
One item not included in any of the four dimensions is
an item concerning decision
making in the school. In addition to these inventory
items which were analyzed in
5
8
the pilot assessment (Morris & Nunnery, 1993),
demographic items from the
instrument were examined to obtain respondents'
sex, ethnic group, educational
attainment, years of teaching experience,
years teaching in their present school, and
cooperating teacher status.
Findings and Interpretation
Analyses
Once field notes from individual interviews, focus
groups, and other data
sources were transcribed and compiled, information
was organized along (a) major
program components, (b) empowerment dimensions, and (c) other
prominent
issues that emerged. Generalizations reported here
should not be taken as true of
any particular teacher or administrator. Because the findings
are offered as broad
patterns of perceptions or impressions that emerged from the
questionnaires,
interviews, and group discussions, individual exceptions
to any or all of these
findings are expected.
Based on data reported in the TEI, frequencies
were calculated for each
demographic item in order to generate
a description of the subjects participating in
the study. The percentage of agreement for each
inventory item was calculated for
Friar Tuck teachers and for the comparison-group teachers
from the other four sites;
percentage of agreement was based upon the proportion of teachers
in each group
who responded "Agree" or "Strongly Agree."
Chi-square statistics were calculated
for each item.
Demographic Characteristics of Questionnaire
Respondents
The Friar Tuck sample consisted of 32 teachers,
whereas the comparison
6
group consisted of 82 teachers in the four other PDS
elementary schools. The Friar
Tuck sample was found to be
more ethnically diverse, less highly educated, and
less
predominantly female, and Friar Tuck School
was found to have a smaller
proportion of teachers serving
as cooperating teachers in the program. Nearly equal
proportions of both groups had previous
experience as cooperating teachers,
but
comparison teachers had
more years of experience and more tenure
at their
respective schools. The following demographic
characteristics were found:
* 81% (n=26) of Friar Tuck respondents
were female; 99% ( =80) of
comparison teachers
* 78% (n=25) of Friar Tuck respondents
had never served
as
cooperating teachers, versus 77% (n=63) of
comparison teachers
* During the 1992-93 school
year, 47% (n=15) served as cooperating
teachers, versus 62% (n=51) of comparison
teachers
* Among Friar Tuck teachers, 50% (n=16)
had attained Bachelor's
degrees, 34% (n=11) had attained Master's
degrees, and 16% (n=5) had
completed 30 or more graduate hours beyond
the Master's degree;
corresponding percentages for comparison
teachers were 27% (n=22)
Bachelor's
46% Master's (n=38), 23% (n=19)
,
Master's +30 hours, and
2% (n=2) Doctorate.
* Among Friar Tuck teachers, 50% (n=16)
were Caucasian, 46% (r1=14)
were African-American, 2% (n=1) were Hispanic, and
2% (n=1) were
Native American in ethnicity; corresponding
percentages for
comparison teachers were 66% (n=53) Caucasian,
29% (n=23) African-
American, 3% (n=2) Asian-American, 1%
(n=1) Native American,
and 1% ( =1) Hispanic.
* Friar Tuck teachers
were somewhat less experienced than teachers in
the comparison group: 56% of Friar Tuck
teachers had eleven or
more years of experience, whereas 75% of comparison
teachers had
eleven or more years of experience
* Friar Tuck teachers had less
tenure at their respective school than did
comparison teachers: 37% of comparison teachers
had eleven or more
years of experience at their school versus 19% of Friar
Tuck teachers.
Three Major Program Components
One conclusion of the pilot assessment
was that the three major components
of the MSU model contributed
to teachers' empowerment (Morris & Nunnery,
7
10