Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Mary Ann Ratliff
Committee Member
Peter K. Mills
Committee Member
Maryellen Maher
Keywords
attitudes, classroom instruction, collaboration, common planning time, effectiveness, elementary schools, implementation, instructional planning, Interdisciplinary Team Audit, meeting times, North Mulberry Elementary School, perceptions, planning time, positive work climate, student attitudes, surveys, Teacher Efficacy Scale, teacher attitudes, teacher collaboration, teacher efficacy, teacher performance, teacher perceptions, teachers, team effectiveness, work climate
Abstract
The problem addressed in this study is the limited common planning time available to teachers at North Mulberry Elementary School. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of common planning time on teacher performance in the classroom at North Mulberry Elementary School. This dissertation report considered the following research questions: (a) What is the effect of common planning time on teacher collaboration, (b) what is the effect of common planning time on the team effectiveness, (c) what is the effect of common planning time on work climate, (d) what is the effect of common planning time on teacher attitudes, (e) what is the effect of common planning time on student attitudes and (f) what is the effect of common planning time on classroom instruction?
The impact of teacher collaboration, team effectiveness, classroom instruction, and student attitudes was measured using the Interdisciplinary Team Audit (Presko, 1998), and teacher attitudes and perceptions were measured using the Teacher Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001). Each teaching team logged meeting times and discussions. At the end of the 15-week implementation period, the writer met with each team to complete the surveys. The data from the surveys was then analyzed and graphed to determine the effects of common planning time.
The study produced significant information concerning the effectiveness of common planning time as a strategy to improve teacher collaboration and team effectiveness. The results showed that teachers who engage in frequent interactions had a more positive work climate than teachers who did not. This study also indicated that the teachers who participated in frequent common planning time had higher perceptions of personal teacher efficacy and more positive perceptions in their working environment. Furthermore, the results showed that common planning time had a positive effect on teacher collaboration.