Teacher Reported Preparedness: A Study of One Midwest Metropolitan School District

Abstract

The ultimate purpose of school lies in the success and achievement of its students. Therefore, efforts must be made to continuously improve achievement for every student. What the teacher knows and can do in the classroom is the most powerful factor in increasing a student’s achievement (Cunningham & Allington, 2003; Darling-Hammond, 2000; Jackson, 2009; Marzano, 2007). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher certification route and teacher reported preparedness in one Midwest metropolitan school district and to determine whether differences exist between teacher samples based on their years of teaching experience. New and experienced teachers’ self-identified professional preparation in the areas of: (a) classroom management or discipline situations, (b) use of a variety of instructional strategies, (c) knowledge of subject of matter, (d) usage of computers in classroom instruction, (e) assessment of students, and (f) selection and adaptation of curriculum and instruction materials. The major construct of the research pertaining to the study is teachers’ perceptions of their own preparedness in public school classrooms in one Midwestern metropolitan school district. This study examined two hypotheses related to teacher preparation. The first hypothesis, teacher experience has a positive effect on new teacher preparation. The second hypothesis, teacher certification type has a positive effect on teacher reported preparedness of experienced teachers. In this study, the researcher utilized selected questions from the 2007-2008 Public School Teacher Questionnaire, developed by the National Center for Education Research for use in the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). Using a quantitative survey design methodology, 1,422 teachers in one Midwest metropolitan school district were invited to participate in this study by completing the online survey. Respondents were asked to rate their level of preparedness in six teaching areas. The study yielded a response rate of 272 teachers. Data analysis procedures included descriptive statistics and MANOVAs. Study findings indicated that years of experience and teacher certification route have an effect on teacher perceived preparedness. Multiple statistical tests (crosstabulations, MANOVAs, and univariate follow-ups) showed interactions between teaching experience and certification route with three of the six teacher preparedness variables (knowledge of content, assessment of students, and selection and adaptation of curriculum and instructional materials). In all three areas alternatively certified, new teachers reported the least preparation in all three areas. Overall, new teachers reported less preparedness than experienced teachers regardless of their certification route. However, experienced teachers (traditional and alternatively certified) reported similar feelings of preparedness in two of the variables (knowledge of content and selection/adaptation of curriculum and instructional materials). Conclusively, experienced teachers regardless of certification route reported feeling more prepared in all three of the teacher preparedness variables