A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the life values of community college faculty and selected demographic variables (i.e., college location, age, teaching experience, highest degree held, and other employment). A stratified random sample of 984 Oregon community college instructors was asked to identify "guiding…

The relationship between the student teaching experience and attitude changes was investigated. Twenty-six student teachers and 41 control-group students responded to a Teaching Attitude Questionnaire both before and after field experience. This questionnaire assessed attitudes toward teaching, levels of anxiety, and imagined feelings as a…

A sample of 116 British teachers completed Musgrove's scale assessing their attitudes toward behavior modification and its use in educational settings. Overall mean scores suggested ambivalence. Among background variables, only prior familiarity with behavior modification influenced teachers' attitudes toward it, confirming Musgrove's findings.…

This report details the findings of two surveys designed to investigate the deployment and impact of support staff who have achieved higher level teaching assistant (HLTA) status in England and to assess the impact or effect they are having in schools, along with interview data collected from nine case-study schools. The study sought to: (1)…

The background, responsibilities, and preparation of teaching assistants (TAs) from a representative group of eight U.S. research institutions were studied in 1986. The questionnaire covered: demographic information about TAs (e.g., academic department, highest level of education, county of origin, gender); teaching responsibilities (e.g.,…

When school systems began to desegregate after Brown v. Board of Education, 80 Per cent of the school population was white and 20 per cent was minority. By 1996, the number of minority students had risen to approximately 35 per cent of the student population, and today it stands at nearly 40 per cent and growing. These students continue to achieve…

School-based assessment of science students' practical skills has two important roles--as a complement to written papers in public examinations and as a catalyst for enriching the science curriculum in schools. This article describes a quantitative study of the concerns chemistry and biology teachers experience as they engage in the process of…

Reduction in the size of classes from Kindergarten to Grade 3 was a major Liberal Party campaign promise in Ontario's 2003 provincial election. It was intended to demonstrate a new government's commitment to improving public education. By the 2008-09 school year, the provincial government's goals had been achieved: over 90% of all primary classes…

The present study contributes to knowledge of the construct validity of the short form of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (and by extension, given their similar content and psychometric properties, to the long form). The authors' research involves: (1) examining the psychometric properties of the TSES on a large sample of elementary, middle,…

As interest in expanding the number of high quality charter schools available to parents and students has grown, policy makers have increased their focus on identifying and providing support to new charter programs that have the potential to improve student outcomes and satisfy parent and student needs. Since 1994, the U.S. Department of Education…

This report summarizes activities of the pilot year (1981-82) of the Louisiana School Effectiveness Study (LSES), a five-year exploration of those factors that make some of Louisiana's schools more effective than others in educating students. The pilot year of the project was conducted in the Caddo Parish School System and accomplished two tasks:…

To test Fuller's self-task-impact theory of teacher concerns, the factor structure of the Teacher Concerns Checklist was replicated with student, beginning and experienced teachers. The levels of concern across the experience categories were compared. Two factors emerged for each concern: (1) self concerns for student and pupil perceptions; (2)…

Data from a survey of 93 faculty women at Eastern Illinois University show that perceptions of sex discrimination still exist. The degree of perceived discrimination, however, is not as high as predicted. Findings also indicate that feelings of discrimination decrease as years of teaching increase, and that women in "masculine" fields…

This article reports results of a comparative study of 332 undergraduate teacher education students and 382 experienced classroom teachers. Teaching beliefs and orientations are compared and contrasted. Also examined are the relationship between years of classroom experience and teachers' opinions and beliefs about teaching. (IAH)

This study investigated teachers' perceptions and practices concerning musical improvisation in the English primary classroom. A questionnaire survey was carried out with participants drawn from primary teachers--both generalists and specialists--working in various regions of England. The findings demonstrate a positive view of teachers'…