Publication Date

1965

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Burnett, Richard W.||Belnap, Ralph A.

Degree Name

M.S. (Master of Science)

Legacy Department

Department of Education

LCSH

Teachers--In-service training

Abstract

Problem: The purpose of this study was to determine If handout materials, accompanied by reaction questionnaires, would influence teachers' attitudes and classroom practices. Procedure: The writer found in the current literature on in-service training that teachers consider the reading of professional literature to be of value to them, that teachers want to share their ideas with each other, and that teachers want help with teaching reading. There is also evidence in the literature that a shortage of available time hinders teachers from participating in in-service activities, one study has shown that the smaller schools have the least amount of in-service training activities. The use of spirit-duplicated hand-out materials, which are adapted from professional literature and accompanied by anonymous reaction questionnaires, the cumulative results of which are shared with the participants, was designed for the small school as an inexpensive, appealing, convenient, and time-saving in-service training program for teachers. Selected portions of the "Reading Institute Extension Service," published by Science Research Associates, were spirit-duplicated, arranged into four units, and distributed to six teachers of grades 4-8 at the Huntley Grade School, Huntley Illinois, during the 1961-62 school year. Each of the four units was accompanied by a reaction questionnaire, which the teachers were asked to complete anonymously, after reading the hand-out material, and to return to a box in the office. The results of the teachers' reactions were tallied, and this information was distributed to the teachers. A questionnaire was designed by the writer to determine the teachers' opinions and classroom practices which might be changed by the hand-out material. The teachers were asked to complete this questionnaire before any hand-out material was distributed, and again eight weeks later, following the last unit. The pre- and post-testing was used to assess whether or not any change had occurred in the teachers' opinions and classroom practices as a result of reading the hand-out material. Findings and Conclusions: The results of the reaction questionnaires and the pre- and the post-testing caused the writer to draw the following conclusions: 1. The majority of the teachers read the hand-out material. 2. Of the teachers that read the hand-out material, all completed the reaction questionnaires. 3. Of the teachers that read the hand-out material, all said it had been of value to them. 4. Some teachers recognized the need to change their classroom practices as a result of reading the hand-out material. 5. Some teachers disagreed with the hand-out material. 6. Some teachers changed their opinions to agree with the hand-out material as a result of this in-service training method. 7. Specific areas which needed further clarification and study by the teachers were uncovered by the reaction questionnaires. 8. No changes in the teachers' classroom practices were found. 9. The change of opinion and the expressed awareness of the need to change classroom practices brought about by this method of in-service training of teachers, stimulated some teachers to do further study and experimentation in the classroom.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references.

Extent

vii, 115 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

Download

Share

COinS