Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
EdD Program in Organizational Leadership
Advisor
Barbara Gerard
Committee Member
Mary Ann Ratliff
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Committee Member
Claudia Santin
Keywords
block scheduling, classroom discipline referrals, classroom management, contextualized induction programs, cost-effective programs, inservice teacher education, instructional models, internships, new teacher induction, peer observation, peer support, performance-based instruction, pilot programs, professional support, reflective practice, school administration, secondary schools, student discipline, teacher orientation, teacher support programs, teaming, veteran teacher observations, Woodbridge High School
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to develop an effective new teacher induction program that would address the large number of discipline incidents referred to the administration by the new teachers at Woodbridge High School. The administrators were concerned that these excessive discipline incidents were an indication of a lack of class management strategies displayed by the new teachers. Initial comparisons of student discipline data supported the existence of this problem. The block schedule implemented at Woodbridge High School magnified these discipline problems.
The writer utilized development methodology to produce and validated a supplemental new teacher induction process that attended to this issue. Evaluation methodology was used to determine the effectiveness of the Pilot program. Teaming was used to provide professional support and evaluation of these new strategies. The developed process utilized a performance-based instruction model to provide structured observations, reflection, and peer support for the new teachers.
An analysis of the results showed that a cost-effective, schedule embedded induction model that included reducing new teachers course load, peer observation, reflective practice, and veteran teacher observations would most likely have positive effects on the classroom management displayed by the new teacher participants, measured as a function of their classroom discipline referrals. The results also showed that effective induction programs should be contextual in delivery and specific to the particular school setting.