Teachers in Exemplary Programs: How Do They Compare?

N

89

National Science Foundation, Washington, DC.

Practitioners

Elementary School Science; Elementary Secondary Education; Performance Factors; Science Course Improvement Projects; Science Education; Science Instruction; Science Materials; Science Teachers; Secondary School Science; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Characteristics; Teacher Education; Teaching Methods

Questionnaires with over 400 items were administered to key teachers of the 1982 Search for Excellence in Science Education programs. It was hoped to compare the characteristics of teachers of exemplary programs with those possessed by teachers in general. Results are presented under the following headings: (1) qualifications of science teachers; (2) factors affecting instruction; (3) teacher knowledge and attitudes toward science; (4) instructional techniques and classroom activities; (5) sources of information concerning new developments in education and science; and (6) experience with selected federally funded science materials. Results indicate that key teachers of exemplary programs when compared to teachers in general are older, have more teaching experience, and are more likely to have graduate degrees and recent experience with college credit courses. They are more likely to find other teachers, inservice programs, professional organization meetings, and journals as sources of information. In addition to rating themselves as "very well qualified," they cite few problems with materials, facilities, or space. Their curricula tend to be locally developed, and they use more hands-on manipulatives and laboratories and lecture less than teachers in general. It is suggested that these and other findings provide the rudimentary elements to start the process of designing a model of excellence in science education. (Forty-one data tables are included in appendices.) (JN)

1984

ED244791