Date of Award

12-1985

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Uldis Smidchens

Second Advisor

Dr. Robert Docking

Third Advisor

Dr. Richard Munsterman

Abstract

In this study, the relationship between continuing education for the teacher and that teacher's effectiveness as measured by an achievement test and an evaluative measure completed by the teacher's students is investigated. The importance that number of hours, currentness, and subject area has upon any relationship with effectiveness, and the relationship between motivation for entry into and satisfaction with graduate/postgraduate work are also studied.

Data necessary to test these relationships were obtained from two sources: a survey of mathematics teachers in Macomb County, Michigan, and the results from two student instruments randomly administered to the classes of those teachers volunteering continued participation.

Support for the hypothesized higher degree of effectiveness for teachers recently enrolled in a continuing education program is demonstrated by the achievement test results and two of the six characteristics of the evaluative instrument: teacher subject matter orientation and the teacher's ability to motivate students. Furthermore, this last characteristic is additionally affected if the graduate study corresponds to the subject matter taught by the teacher.

There is minimal support for the hypothesis that the degree of participation in a graduate program and teacher effectiveness are not related. A similar lack of support for the relationship between the currentness of such study and that teacher's effectiveness is demonstrated. Instead, it appears that participation or lack of participation in graduate education rather than the degree, subject area, or currentness of that participation has an influential effect on teacher effectiveness.

There is support for a hypothesized relationship between motivators for entry into and satisfaction with the continuing education program: the more intrinsic the motivators the greater the degree of satisfaction. The degree of intrincity for motivators is found to have no relationship to the recentness of the graduate experience. In fact, the motivation scores are skewed extrinsically.

Limitations and remedies for these limitations are included accompanying suggestions for future studies.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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