Professional Competencies of Home Economics Teachers in The Middl (TLE)
Professional Competencies of Home Economics Teachers in The Middl (TLE)
Professional Competencies of Home Economics Teachers in The Middl (TLE)
1978
Recommended Citation
Walter, Janelle Marshall, "Professional competencies of home economics teachers in the middle school " (1978). Retrospective Theses
and Dissertations. 6600.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/6600
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Professional competencies of home economics
teachers in the middle school
by
Approved:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
INTRODUCTION 1
REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5
Middle School Growth 6
Middle School; Definition and Purposes 7
Middle School Problems 11
Teacher Preparation for Middle School Teachers 14
Validation of Teacher Competencies 18
Competencies for the Middle School Teacher 20
METHOD OF PROCEDURE 28
Sampling Methods 28
Instrument Development 32
Development of Structured Questionnaire 33
Collection of Data 37
Analysis of Data 40
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 45
Description of the Sample 45
Competency Clusters by Judgment Area 48
Importance Differences by Judgment Area 65
Order Differences by Judgment Area 70
Discussion of Findings 76
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 83
Recommendations for Future Study 86
LITERATURE CITED 88
m
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
APPENDIX A; CORRESPONDENCE TO MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER EDUCATORS
APPENDIX B: CORRESPONDENCE TO STATE DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION
APPENDIX C: CORRESPONDENCE TO PRINCIPALS
APPENDIX D; PRETEST LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND REACTION SHEET
APPENDIX E: COMPETENCIES FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER
QUESTIONNAIRE
APPENDIX F; TRANSMITTAL LETTERS FOR QUESTIONNAIRE
APPENDIX G: FIRST FOLLOW-UP
APPENDIX H; SECOND FOLLOW-UP
APPENDIX I: THIRD FOLLOW-UP
APPENDIX J: PERSONAL NOTE
APPENDIX K: CODING PLAN
APPENDIX L: RANK ORDER MATRICES FOR KENDALL'S W
iv
LIST OF TABLES
Page
Competencies suggested for middle school teachers 22
Categories of middle school teacher behavior 34
Response in sample subgroups 39
Demographic characteristics of respondents 46
Competency cluster: Knowledge of transescents, ALL
judgment 49
Competency cluster: Management of teaching, ALL
judgment 51
Competency cluster: Management of teaching, MID
judgment 53'
INTRODUCTION
(Eichhorn, 1973). Therefore the need for a transitional school occurs one
year earlier than it did when the junior high was established. Dacus
(1963), for example, found that sixth graders are more like seventh
graders in the areas of social, emotional, and physical maturity than they
are like children in elementary school. Hence, sixth grade is more logi
cally placed in the middle school with seventh and eight grades than in
the elementary school. From these ideas came the resolution of middle
school educators to place sixth grade in the middle school with seventh
and eighth and establish a new transitional school designed to meet needs
of early adolescents.
Evidence suggests that the middle school may not be achieving its
goals of providing a transitional school for early adolescents (Kidjaas,
1973). Although many buildings may have the middle school label they are
essentially junior high schools or mini-high school programs. The danger
of this is that student's needs are obscured by the program rather than
being revealed and aided by the program (McGlasson, 1973). Gatewood and
Mills (1975) reported that in many cases there is little difference be
tween middle schools and junior highs, the middle school programs being
more senior high oriented than transitional oriented. The senior high
oriented program emphasized subject matter content and preparation for a
life vocation. This type of program does not meet the varying develop
mental needs of early adolescents and is inappropriate for a transitional
school (McGlasson, 1973).
McGlasson (1973) and Gatewood and Mills (1975) believe the component
missing in inappropriately functioning middle schools is a teacher pre
3
pared specifically for the middle school. Stewart (1975) believes that
the ultimate success or failure of the middle school may depend on whether
teachers can present a student centered curriculum instead of a subject
matter centered curriculum. Stewart does not believe that this can be
achieved by teachers which currently staff today's middle school.
To add to the problem, teacher education programs have never de
veloped to prepare teachers for the middle school. This is compounded by
the fact that not only has middle school teacher preparation not developed
but neither have junior high school teacher education programs developed
because they have both been staffed largely by teachers prepared to teach
in senior highs (McGlasson, 1973). This lack of properly prepared
teachers is cited as a reason the junior high missed its goals and as a
reason for the potential failure of the middle school. Further there is
speculation that not only does the middle school teacher need special
preparation but there may need to be variations because of the subject
matter areas. For example, home economics and industrial education may
differ from science and math teachers, who may differ from English and
social studies teachers. Hence, the need for properly prepared teachers
for the middle school seems an urgent concern if the middle school is to
achieve its goals.
One group from which action is desired is state teacher education
departments. Eight states have responded by adopting a middle school
teacher certification. These certification programs seem to lack require
ments which would cause teacher education programs to change in order to
provide programs for middle school teacher preparation (Walter, 1977).
4
Even though many middle schools exist in all states, teacher education
institutions in states without certification have done little toward de
veloping preparation for middle school teachers. Krinsky and Pumerantz
(1972) and Gatewood and Mills (1975) report that teacher education insti
tutions have been slow in responding to the needs of the middle school and
few institutions offer course work designed to prepare a special teacher
with special competencies for the middle school.
Moreover the problem of teacher preparation for the middle school is
complicated by the lack of research conducted to identify the special
competencies middle school teachers need to possess. Many writers have
speculated from their personal observations on competencies that are
needed by middle school teachers (Georgiady & Romano, 1973; Curtis, 1972).
Little has been done to delineate specific competencies for the various
subject matter areas including the area of home economics. Therefore the
purpose of this study is to identify those competencies which are unique
to middle school teachers, in general, and specifically to home economics
teachers in the middle school.
Specific objectives of this study were:
1. To identify professional competencies needed by middle school subject
matter teachers as well as those needed by home economics middle
school teachers.
2. To compare professional competencies needed by subject matter teachers
and home economics teachers in the middle school as given by teacher
educators, principals, subject matter middle school teachers and
middle school home economics teachers.
5
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Middle schools have been in the educational setting since the early
1950's. Research studies have been concerned with defining and numbering
the middle school but little research has been directed toward teacher
competencies or curriculum for the middle school. The present study was
designed to identify professional competencies needed by subject matter
teachers in the middle school as well as those needed by home economics
middle school teachers and to isolate these competencies from those needed
by all teachers. The review is presented in six sections: 1) middle
school growth; 2) middle school's definition and purposes; 3) middle
school problems; 4) teacher preparation for middle school teachers; 5)
competency validation; and 6) middle school teacher competencies.
Definitions
Departments of education and school districts define the middle
school in several ways. The definition of a middle school varies from
state to state and even from school to school. The middle school is fre
quently defined either by grade levels or by what the school hopes to
achieve. The state departments of Florida, Kentucky, Colorado, and
Minnesota define middle school in terms of grades it contains. Florida
and Colorado define middle school as a school containing grades five to
eight. Kentucky and Minnesota define middle school as a building with
three or four consecutive grades between five and nine. Krinsky and
Pumerantz (1972) define the middle school as a separate intermediate
school that has combined one or more grades from upper elementary with one
or more grades from lower secondary grades. This definition is very
similar to grade level definitions given earlier.
Middle schools are also defined by the basic purpose of the school.
The West Virginia Department of Education (1977) uses such a definition,
as do authors Curtis (1972) and HcGlasson (1973). Basically these defini
tions state that the middle school is a transitional school concerned with
programs which meet needs of emerging adolescents and allow them to move
from elementary to secondary education with maximum success.
The primary emphasis of middle school curriculum is the student. The
student within the middle school will be approximately eleven to thirteen
years old. There will be a combination of youths in late childhood and
early adolescence. Because of the transitional nature of these youths
Eichhorn (1966) coined the term "transescence" in 1965. Transescence is a
9
grades five through ten indicated differences were least between pupils
in grades six and seven. The reason for these changes seems to be that
sixth graders are going through puberty while fifth graders are not
(Eichhorn, 1968). Hence it is believed fifth graders will resemble other
elementary children and sixth graders will resemble early adolescents
found in the junior high school.
Because of the varied growth of transescents and the variance in
growth from pupil to pupil, diversity is average. It is difficult if not
impossible to devise large group instruction that will meet all individual
needs (Gatewood & Dilg, 1975). From these ideas comes the resolution of
middle school educators to place sixth grade in the middle school with
seventh and eighth.
Purposes
What the middle school hopes to be can be exemplified by its goals.
The middle school has several basic goals which seem to be the core of
middle school education in many locations (Gatewood, 1973). They are:
1. Personal development of students.
2. Maintenance of skills established in elementary for continued
learning.
3. Effective use of appropriate knowledge.
To facilitate implementation of the goals of the middle school;
organizational structure has been changed. Some of these changes are
individual progress reports, individualized instruction programs, explora
tory activities in subject matter areas (Gatewood, 1973); flexible group
ing of students (Gatewood & Dilg, 1975); flexible use of staff, facilities
n
The founders of the middle school movement did not have an original
idea with their transitional school. The idea of a transitional school
designed specifically to meet the needs of emerging adolescents had been
the core of the earlier junior high movement. What the founders of the
middle school movement hoped to achieve was a rededication to a transi
tional school, adjusting for earlier maturation of children.
Criticism of junior highs in the I960's centered around the fact that
these schools had lost their transitional orientation and had become mini-
high schools. Examples of activities which contribute to the high school
orientation are departmentalized instruction, interscholastic competition,
and marching bands.
If junior highs have all of the programs and procedures of a high
school, then they are not transitional schools. The student leaves ele
mentary and goes immediately into a high school oriented program.
The middle school hoped to recapture the original concept of function
for the junior high school by preventing the academic and social pattern
of the high school from being forced down on less mature adolescents
(Gerson, 1965). By moving the ninth grade to the high school and the
12
sixth grade to the middle school, it was believed that the transitional
nature of the earlier junior high movement could be recaptured.
Even though the founders of the middle school movement rededicated
themselves to providing a transitional school, there is evidence that the
middle school may be following the way of the junior high school (Midjaas,
1973; McGlasson, 1973). For some schools, the transition from junior high
to middle school has demanded no more than the time required to put up a
new sign. Although the middle school is dedicated to personal-individu
al ized-exploratory education for transescents, many middle schools have
the traditional curriculum of a junior high or a senior high school. This
traditional curriculum implies subject matter centered content, depart
mentalized teaching, large group instruction, and rather sophisticated,
skill oriented extracurricular activities. In many cases the transformed
middle school has surged out to achieve something new and different, but
when crisis situations arise or enthusiasm waned, the traditional form of
education was readopted.
Little difference between middle schools and junior high schools is
frequently observed. Gatewood and Mills (1975) comment that some middle
schools have little uniqueness from junior highs. This development
appears to be the result of the fact that middle schools are administered
like high schools and are taught by teachers unprepared for middle school
teaching.
Support for the belief v/as found by Marshall (1970) who studied
forty-six middle school principals to see if there was a difference in the
way elementary oriented and secondary oriented principals administered
13
their middle school programs. Programs were administered in the same way
irrespective of preparation and showed little evidence that they were
administered specifically to fulfill the needs of transescents.
HcGlasson (1973) and Gatewood and Mills (1975) believe the component
missing in these schools is instruction for personnel specifically de
signed for the middle school's purposes. McGlasson observed that in
structors continue to be largely elementary or secondary teachers. Gate-
wood and Mills (1975) continue that as long as middle schools are staffed
by teachers and principals unprepared for the middle school they will
continue to miss the curriculum and instructional goals of the middle
school.
Stewart (1975) believes the ultimate success or failure of the middle
school hinges upon whether it can be student centered instead of subject
matter centered in its approach to education. The middle school teacher
should be able to mold subject matter to meet students' needs.
While there is agreement that properly prepared teachers are essen
tial to middle school success it is worth noting that the lack of prepara
tion is cited as the reason the junior high missed its goal. McGlasson
(1973) indicated that the junior high ms never able to develop a program
of teacher preparation designed for that level. Teachers in the junior
high were trained for elementary or senior high schools. Senior high
teachers are seen as having a strong subject matter orientation but with
little understanding of individual student interests. Elementary teachers
are praised for their student orientation but lack depth in a subject
matter area (McGlasson, 1973).
14
Blackburn (1973) discusses the kind of teacher that was needed for
junior high teaching. The junior high needed teachers who understood the
goals of the school, desired to teach in the junior high, cared about
helping students develop healthy self-concepts, cared about understanding
pupils, and cared about making content student centered and meaningful.
In every respect these are qualities that are said to be needed by middle
school teachers. Hence the call for action by teacher educators and
supervisors responsible for state certification to insure adequate prepa
ration for middle school teachers and to assist with the attainment of the
goals of the middle school.
pupil gain are changes which take more than one school year to achieve in
students, unsuitability of standardized tests for measuring all desired
objectives, and the unstableness of teacher effects on pupils over time
(Borich & Fenton, 1977). Another issue in the use of pupil gain for
validation of competencies is the problem of measuring higher level objec
tives. While measurement specialists admit problems with accurately
measuring lower level objectives the difficulties increase markedly in
measuring higher level objectives. Hence, it is easier to concentrate
validation efforts on the basis of lower order objectives since methods to
measure higher order objectives are more complex.
This approach is confounded by the difficulty of assessing the quali
ty of teaching performance. Studies of teacher's classroom performance,
as determined by observations, show that teachers vary more from class to
class than from teacher to teacher (Caputo, 1975; Shavelson & Dempsey-
Atwood, 1976). These studies raise basic questions as to what measure and
how many observations are necessary to establish teacher performance.
For these reasons many researchers have abandoned the pupil perform
ance approach and adopted identification of teacher behaviors based on
expert opinion. It is suggested that what the teacher does in a classroom
is more pertinent to competence than pupil growth (Soar, 1977).
The teacher appears to be more fairly evaluated if the judgment
is made on what he does rather than on outcome of what he does.
The first is under his control and the second is not (Soar,
1977, p. 168).
Validation by expert opinion actually involves two steps in the
identification of teacher behaviors or competencies. The first stage
involves identification of competencies by experts in the field and having
20
Understands the intellectual Georgiady & Romano (1973) Intel 1ectual (Harvey, 1970)
development process of transes- Can instruct in basic learning Accepts wide range of mental
cent students and organizes skills. ability. Accepts irregular
his teaching according to that mental growth between girls and
process. Provide exploratory studies. boys.
Understands the physical de Gatewood & Dilg (1975) Johnson (1965)
velopment process of transes- Recognizes and understands stu
cent students and organizes Conducts learning with concrete
dent needs, interests, back operations.
his teaching according to that ground, motivations, goals as
process. well as stresses, strains, frus Involve students in writing
r\D
trations, and fears. definitions, identify assump
Understands socio-emotional tions, see cause and effect,
development process of transes- Strive to understand the student and learn to generalize.
cent student and organizes his by learning of transescent physi
teaching according to that cal, mental, and social develop Physical (Midjaas, 1973)
process. ment.
Understands the appropriateness
Curtis (1972) of intramural and individual
athletics.
Recognition of variability among
adolescents. Socio-emotional (Baldwin, 1973)
Understands the psychology of
adolescence.
28
METHOD OF PROCEDURE
The increase in the number of middle schools over the past decade
suggests that it appears to be a somewhat permanent educational institu
tion. While middle schools exist there is evidence to indicate that they
are not fulfilling their purpose. One of the main reasons cited for this
failure is the lack of teachers prepared to teach in middle schools. A
part of this problem is the lack of information about the competencies
needed by middle school teachers and this is the purpose of the study.
Specific objectives follow.
Sampling Methods
Two samples were used in this study. The first was a deliberate
sample which consisted of experts who suggested competencies for middle
school teachers. The second was a deliberate sample composed of teacher
educators, principals/administrators, general middle school classroom
29
teachers and middle school home economics teachers who were used to
validate the competencies.
Obtainment of experts for competency identification
The first sample was composed of teacher educators who were believed
to be leaders of the middle school movement. The initial teacher educa
tors were found by surveying the literature to identify educators who
wrote about and/or were involved in research dealing with the middle
school. Nineteen leaders were identified.
These individuals were selected because they lead the middle school
movement through their research, writing, teaching and leadership roles.
Their participation in teaching at the college level singles them out as
individuals familiar with the ideal middle school. These leaders partici
pated in the study in two ways. First, they were asked to identify be
haviors unique to middle school teachers. Second, they identified other
qualified middle school educators who could participate in validation of
competencies.
Their first contribution was that of identifying behaviors or compe
tencies unique to the middle school teacher. They were mailed a form with
five categories of teaching behavior. Each was asked to identify teach
ing behaviors within these categories which they believed were unique to
middle school teaching. The correspondence that was mailed to middle
school leaders appears in Appendix A. Thirteen of the nineteen teacher
educators responded and supplied behaviors which they believed were
unique to middle school teachers. These statements were used further in
instrument development.
30
Instrument Development
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Collection of Data
The sample of 136 was divided into two groups. The first was the
group of 29 educators previously contacted who had agreed to participate
in the study. They were mailed a questionnaire and a letter which re-
familiarized them with the project, a reminder of their commitment to
participate, and the questionnaire. This correspondence appears in
Appendix F.
Participants who had been recommended by other educators were mailed
a questionnaire and a transmittal letter (Appendix F). Included in this
letter v;as a mention of the individual who had recommended them. A
stamped addressed envelope was provided for questionnaire return.
After two weeks time 51 of the 136 sample members had responded. One
was returned because of incorrect address. One response to the first
mailing was a letter which indicated the participant lacked time to com
plete the questionnaire.
First follow-up
The 75 remaining members of the sample were mailed a post card which
reminded them of the questionnaire and the need for their response. This
mailing appears in Appendix G. Ten usable questionnaires were returned
after the first follow-up. One questionnaire was returned partially
completed.
Second follow-up
The second follow-up was a combination of post cards and phone calls.
It occurred two weeks after the first follow-up. All home economics
teachers were telephoned because of the limited sample number. Each was
38
they planned to return the questionnaire, 3) that they had lost the ques
tionnaire, or 4) that they would be unable to complete the questionnaire.
Nine post cards were returned. Two individuals said they had re
turned their questionnaires but they were not received. Three commented
that they would be unable to return the questionnaire.
The three home economics teachers who had not responded at this time
were not sent the post card. They were sent the letter, another question
naire and a personal note encouraging them to participate. One of these
individuals returned their questionnaire at this time.
Fourteen questionnaires in all were returned after the third follow-
up.
Because one person in the initial invited sample had an incorrect
address and the correct address could not be obtained the final invited
sample was considered to be 135. The accepting sample was 104 and the
data producing sample was 98. Responses in each of the subgroups are
shown in Table 3.
Analysis of Data
teacher educators
principal/administrators
subject matter teachers in the middle school (excluding home eco
nomics teachers)
home economics teachers in the middle school
Hence, a total of 12 within group correlation matrices were calculated.
Three 58 x 58 pooled within group matrices were also computed pooling the
above subgroups. The three matrices were based on the three types of
judgments, i.e., ALL, MID, HEC.
In the calculation of the matrices, items were reordered from ques
tionnaire format into the major categories by which they were written.
For example, all items from the category "Knowledge of the Transescent"
were listed together and became the first 10 variables in the analysis.
Identification of clusters
Each of the 12 within group matrices as well as the three pooled
within group matrices was inspected to determine clusters of items.
Clusters were formed using the criterion of a correlation coefficient of
>0.42.
five matrices to determine which were general clusters for all. This was
repeated for middle school teachers in general and for all teachers.
Sameness of clusters among the within group matrices and the asso
ciated pooled within group matrix was necessary in order to justify the
use of the cluster for each sample group. Sameness of cluster organiza
tion suggested that each sample group was responding in- similar ways.
Identification of high mean clusters
Once clusters were formed, items within the clusters with the highest
means were identified. Items in the cluster with the highest means were
identified by arraying the overall mean of items from high to low and
inspecting the array for a natural break in the mean scores.
Reliability
Reliability of clusters was calculated using an alpha coefficient.
The alpha coefficient is a method of estimating the internal
consistency of the cluster following one administration of the question
naire.
Identification of independent items
Those items with high mean scores (generally greater than 425) which
did not fall into the clusters were identified. Because these items had
high means it was believed they were important and were studied inde
pendently from the clusters=
Analysis of variance
One way analyses of variance were computed to study whether mean
scores of clusters differed by respondent type for each judgment area.
Sources of variance were teacher educators, principal/administrator,
43
W = s
ÏY kf - N)
Principal/ Home
Total Teacher adminis- General economics
Characteristics sample educators trators teachers teachers
Percentage of
the total sample 1 00% 21% 31% 30% 16%
Sex
Male 60% 85% 77% 56%
Female 40% 15% 23% 44% 100%
Degree preparation
B.S. (+ hours) 22% 40% 62%
M.S. (+ hours) 50% 10% 74% 59% 38%
Ph.D. (+ hours) 28% 90% 26% - -
Public school
experience
1-2 years 2% 3% 6%
3-4 years 11% 14% 10% 10% 13%
5-6 years 23% 29% 13% 27% 25%
7-8 years 11% 14% 12% 13%
9 or more years 53% 43% 65% 47% 56%
Experience in the
middle school
0 years 2% 5% 3%
1 year or less 5% 10% 3% 13%
2-3 years 27% 19% 19% 40% 25%
4-5 years 16% 19% 13% 17% 19%
5 or more years 50% 47% 65% 40% 43%
Table 4. (Continued)
Principal/ Home
Total Teacher adminis General economics
Characteristics sample educators trators teachers teachers
+ workshop 3% ——
Ti 3% ——
CO
ro
7-8 credits 22% 23% 17% 12%
OC
OC
+ workshop 14% 19% 4%
degree. While general teachers held the B.S. and M.S. degrees, the larger
percentage had M.S. degrees (59%). The majority of home economics teach
ers in the sample held the B.S. degree (62%) with only 38% holding a M.S.
degree.
The sample was composed of educators who had both public school and
middle school teaching experience. Fifty-three percent of the total sam
ple had 9 or more years experience in public school teaching. One middle
school teacher and one home economics teacher had less than 1 years in
public school teaching.
Fifty percent of the total sample had more than five years experience
in middle school teaching. Ninety-three percent of the total sample had
from two to five or more years teaching experience in middle schools.
Eighty-six percent of the sample had some type of special middle
school preparation. Fourteen members of the sample (4 home economics
teachers, 4 general teachers, 4 principal/administrators, and 2 teacher
educators) had no special middle school preparation.
48
Clusters of items which resulted from the cluster analysis are pre
sented for ALL teachers, MID-middle school teachers, and HEC-home eco
nomics teachers.
Competency clusters for ALL teachers
Two clusters of competencies were identified in the pooled within
correlation matrix as essential for ALL teachers. The first cluster was
very similar to the category "Knowledge of the Transescent" which appeared
in the questionnaire. The competencies in this cluster dealt with under
standing transescent development and the implementation of middle school
philosophy which accommodates transescent developmental needs. Hence,
this cluster was labeled "Knowledge of the Transescent" and these items
are shown in Table 5. All four within group matrices supported this
49
Item
1. Uses transescent's intellectual characteristics when planning the
organization of teaching in the middle school.
2. Applies concepts related to growth needs and interests of transes
cents in curriculum and instructional decisions.
30. Performs teaching responsibilities based on philosophy and goals of
the middle school.
51. Organizes curriculum and learning experiences to help transescents
achieve developmental tasks.
Additional Items Supported by Three Within Group Matrices
5. Displays a sincere interest in transescents.
13. Uses transescent's physical characteristics when planning the
organization of teaching in the middle school.
16. Accepts the variety of behavior typical of middle school students.
43. Uses transescents' socio-emotional characteristics when planning the
organization of teaching in the middle school.
55. Related middle school philosophy to the development of curriculum and
instructional materials for that school.
activities. These items all cluster into one large group, perhaps imply
ing the interrelatedness of one behavior upon another. The items in this
cluster are shown in Table 6. All four within group matrices supported
the use of the second cluster. The reliability for this cluster is .96.
Competency clusters for middle school teachers
One large cluster of 42 items was identified from the 58 x 58 pooled
within matrix for MID judgments. All four of the MID within group corre
lation matrices support this one large cluster. All sample subgroups
perceive the middle school teacher in a similar way. The reliability of
this cluster was .97.
This Management of Teaching Cluster concerns teaching behaviors which
deal with the planning, implementing and evaluating of learning activi
ties. Another characteristic of this cluster is the inclusion of various
competencies which deal with the transescent and the middle school. The
middle school teacher is judged as integrating knowledge of transescents
into all other teaching behaviors. Hence, the MID Management of Teaching
cluster differs from the ALL Management of Teaching cluster because the
MID cluster includes competencies related to transescents and the middle
school which were not included in the ALL cluster.
Competency clusters for home economics middle school teachers
One large cluster was identified for home economics teachers in the
middle school. The four HEC within group correlation matrices support the
findings from the pooled within correlation matrix. The one big cluster,
the Management of Teaching, is supported by all the sample subgroups.
51
Item
3. Utilizes a variety of learning activities in daily plans, including
brainstorming, buzz groups, projects and lab experiences.
4. Exhibits concern for students by listening and/or emphathizing with
them.3
7. Selects evaluation techniques appropriate to curricular objectives in
the affective domain.
8. Implements appropriate learning experiences to achieve instructional
objectives.a
9. Discovers resources for the classroom.
10, Utilizes value clarification and other effective teaching techniques
to help students develop personal value systems.
12. Cooperates in curricular planning and revision.
14. Conducts learning experiences for different learner levels.®
15. Recognizes his/her personal value system.
17. Evaluates the teaching situation and selects the grouping techniques
most appropriate for the situation, large group instruction (100+
students), small group instruction (15-25 students), or independent
study.
18. Uses questioning techniques skillfully to achieve higher order think
ing processes in students.
19. Can move from one type of grouping situation to another smoothly.
20. Allows students to accomplish personal goals based on the students'
own value system.
21. Establishes communication between the classroom and community.
22. Prepares learning experiences for different learner levels.^
23. Encourages logical, independent decision making on the part of stu
dents.
24. Functions effectively in various organizational and staffing situa
tions, such as team teaching, differentiated staffing and multi-age
groupings.
25. Selects evaluation techniques appropriate to curricular objectives in
the psychomotor domain.
^Indicates an item with a high mean score and which v;as used in the
cluster representing most important items in ALL judgment.
52
Table 6. (Continued)
Item
26. Uses cooperative management principles when delegating responsibili
ties concerning care of the room.
27. Provides for hands on learning experiences.
28. Maintains a two-way communication with parents.&
31. Comprehends the interrelationship between one's personal value system
and interactions with students in the classroom.
32. Incorporates the principles of transfer of learning in interdiscipli
nary teaching.
33. Develops instructional objectives appropriate to the needs of stu
dents.a
34. Encourages self-disciplined behavior by requiring students to accept
responsibility for their own actions.
35. Interprets school's philosophy and goals to parents and the communi
ty.
37. Uses teaching methods which facilitate critical thinking such as
problem solving or discovery learning.
38. Uses learning principles in the development of instructional objec
tives.&
40. Facilitates positive self-concept development of students through
successful experiences.
41. Selects evaluation techniques appropriate to curricular objectives
in the cognitive domain.
42. Selects appropriate learning experiences for the students by analyz
ing learning patterns of individual students.
44. Encourages multidisci pli nary instruction by facilitating transfer of
learning from one subject area to another.
45. Promotes interdisciplinary instruction through interaction with peers
in different subject matter areas.
47. Involves students in establishing groups-using principles of group
dynamics.
48. Encourages student participation in planning and use of materials,
equipment and time.
49. Applies test construction principles to the development of teacher-
made tests.
50. Handles disruptive behavior in a positive and consistent behavior.^
53. Implements evaluation techniques appropriate for curriculum objec
tives.a
53
Table 5. (Continued)
Item
54. Utilizes self-evaluation techniques to improve instructional methods.
56. Varies type and pace of classroom activities.
57. Builds learning experiences for students based upon learning skills
(reading, math) obtained in elementary grades.
58. Works cooperatively with peers, consultants, resource persons, and
paraprofessionals.a
Item
3. Utilizes a variety of learning activities in daily plans, including
brainstorming, buzz groups, projects, and lab experiences.
6. Engages students in cooperative decision making process.
7. Selects evaluation techniques appropriate to curricular objectives in
the affective domain.
8. Implements appropriate learning experiences to achieve instructional
objectives.a
9. Discovers resources for the classroom.&
10. Utilizes value clarification and other effective teaching techniques
to help students develop personal value systems.
12. Cooperates in curricular planning and revision.&
18. Uses questioning techniques skillfully to achieve higher order think
ing processes in students.®
19. Can move from one type of grouping situation to another smoothly.
20. Allows students to accomplish personal goals based on the students'
own value system.
21. Establishes communication between the classroom and community.
22. Prepares learning experiences for different learner levels.^
23. Encourages logical, independent decision making on the part of
students.
^Indicates an item with a high mean score and which is used in the
cluster representing most important items in MID judgments.
54
Table 7. (Continued)
Item
24. Functions effectively in various organizational and staffing situa
tions, such as team teaching, differentiated staffing and multi-age
groupings.
25. Selects evaluation techniques appropriate to curricular objectives in
the psychomotor domain.
26. Uses cooperative management principles when delegating responsibility
concerning care of the room.
27. Provides for "hands-on" learning experiences.
28. Maintains a two-way communication with parents.®
30. Performs teaching responsibilities based on philosophy and goals of
the middle school
31. Comprehends the interrelationship between one's personal value system
and interactions with students in the classroom.
32. Incorporates the principles of transfer of learning in interdiscipli
nary teaching.
33. Develops instructional objectives appropriate to the needs of stu
dents.°
34. Encourages self-disciplined behavior by requiring students to accept
responsibility for their own actions.&
35. Interprets school's philosophy and goals to parents and the communi
ty.
37. Uses teaching methods which facilitate critical thinking such as
problem solving or discovery learning.
38. Uses learning principles in the development of instructional objec
tives.^
40. Facilitates positive self-concept development of students through
successful experiences.3
41. Selects evaluation techniques appropriate to curricular objectives in
the cognitive domain.
42. Selects appropriate learning experiences for the students by analyz
ing learning patterns of individual students.
43. Uses transescent's socio-emotional characteristics when planning the
organization of teaching in the middle school.®
44. Encourages multidisciplinary instruction by facilitating transfer of
learning from one subject area to another.
46. Promotes interdisciplinary instruction through interaction with peers
in different subject matter areas.
55
Table 7. (Continued)
Item
47. Involves students in establishing groups using principles of group
dynamics.
48. Encourages student participation in planning and use of materials,
dquipment, and time.
49. Applies test construction principles to the development of teacher-
made tests.
50. Handles disruptive behavior in a positive and consistent manner.^
51. Organizes curriculum and learning experiences to help transescents
achieve developmental tasks.&
53. Implements evaluation techniques appropriate for curriculum objec
tives.
54. Utilizes self-evaluation techniques to improve instructional
methods.a
55. Relates middle school philosophy to the development of curriculum and
instructional materials for that school.&
56. Varies type and pace of classroom activities.a
57. Builds learning experiences for students based upon learning skills
(reading, math) obtained in elementary grades.a
58. Works cooperatively with peers, consultants, resource persons, and
paraprofessionals.a
This is similar to the cluster identified for middle school teachers and
appears in Table 8. The reliability of this cluster is .97.
Judgments made for home economics teachers in the middle school
indicates that this teacher integrates understanding of the transescent
into all other teacher behaviors. Likewise, all teaching competencies
related to planning, implementing and evaluating are integrated with each
other in the teachers' total behavior.
56
Item
3. Utilizes a variety of learning activities in daily plans, including
brainstorming, buzz groups, projects and lab experiences.&
6. Engages students in cooperative decision making processes.
7. Selects evaluation techniques appropriate to curricular objectives in
the effective domain.
8. Implements appropriate learning experiences to achieve instructional
objectives.a
9. Discovers resources for the classroom.^
12. Cooperates in curricular planning and revision.
13. Uses transescent's physical characteristics when planning the organi
zation of teaching in the middle school.&
14. Conducts learning experiences for different learner levels.&
17. Evaluates the teaching situation and selects the grouping techniques
most appropriate for the situation, large group instruction (100+
students), small group instruction (15-25 students), or independent
study.
18. Uses questioning techniques skillfully to achieve higher order think
ing processes in students.
19. Can move from one type of grouping situation to another smoothly.
20. Allows students to accomplish personal goals based on the students'
own value system.
21. Establishes communication between the classroom and community.
22. Prepares learning experiences for different learner levels.^
23. Encourages logical, independent decision making on the part of
students.
25. Selects evaluation techniques appropriate to curricular objectives in
the psychomotor domain.
26. Uses cooperative management principles when delegating responsibili
ties concerning care of the room.
27. Provides for "hands-on" learning experiences.
28. Maintains a two-way communication with parents.®
30. Performs teaching responsibilities based on philosophy and goals of
the middle school.a
Table 8. (Continued)
Item
31. Comprehends the interrelationship between one's personal value system
and interactions with students in the classroom.
32. Incorporates the principles of transfer of learning in interdiscipli
nary teaching.
33. Develops instructional objectives appropriate to the needs of stu
dents.&
34. Encourages self-disciplined behavior by requiring students to accept
responsibility for their own actions.&
35. Interprets school's philosophy and goals to parents and the communi
ty.
37. Uses teaching methods which facilitate critical thinking such as
problem solving and discovery learning.
38. Uses learning principles in the development of instructional objec
tives.^
39. Provides frequent feedback to students on learning progress.
40. Facilitates positive self-concept development of students through
successful experiences.3
41. Selects evaluation techniques appropriate to curricular objectives in
the cognitive domain.
42. Selects appropriate learning experiences for the students by analyz
ing learning patterns of individual students.
43. Uses transescent's socio-emotional characteristics when planning the
organization of teaching in the middle school."
44. Encourages multidisci pli nary instruction by facilitating transfer of
learning from one subject area to another.
46. Promotes interdisciplinary instruction through interaction with peers
in different subject matter areas.
47. Involves students in establishing groups using principles of group
dynamics.
48. Encourages student participation in planning and use of materials,
equipment, and time.
49. Applies test construction principles to the development of teacher-
made tests.
50. Handles disruptive behavior in a positive and consistent manner.
51. Organizes curriculum and learning experiences to help transescents
achieve developmental tasks.^
58
Table 8. (Continued)
Item
53. Implements evaluation techniques appropriate for curriculum objec
tives.&
54. Utilizes self-evaluation techniques to improve instructional
methods.3
55. Relates middle school philosophy to the development of curriculum
and instructional materials for that school.^
56. Varies type and pace of classroom activities.^
57. Builds learning experiences for students based upon learning skills
(reading, math) obtained in elementary grades.
58. Works cooperatively with peers, consultants, resource persons, and
paraprofessionals.a
ALL 42 NA® 38 38 4, 15
MID 42 38 NA^ 41 None
HEC 44 33 41 NA^ 13, 39
Note: Management of Teaching cluster
^Not applicable.
items in common to all grade levels are competencies which are important
for all levels of teaching and not unique to middle school teaching.
In high mean clusters there are seven items in common to all grade
levels. These common competencies deal with planning activities to accom
plish objectives, accommodating different learner levels and needs, com
municating with parents, and cooperating with other educators in the
school program. These are basic teacher behaviors which are perceived to
be part of all teachers functioning, regardless of teaching level.
In the MID high mean cluster 19 items were designated as important
for middle school teachers. Seven of these items are items which are com
mon to all teachers. Hence, twelve of the competencies in the MID high
mean cluster are unique to middle school teaching. These are listed in
Table 11. These competencies deal with providing educational experiences
based upon middle school philosophy and goals, transescent developmental
needs, learning skills achieved in elementary grades, and behaviors which
would accommodate these competencies, i.e., varying activities, building
positive self-concept, allowing for self-discipline. Also important to
middle school functioning is the ability to plan, implement educational
experiences, and conduct self-evaluation on these experiences.
Nine of these competencies are shared by home economics middle school
teachers. These are indicated in Table 11. These nine competencies con
ceivably can be the core competencies for middle school teachers, irre
spective of subject area taught. Three of the competencies (12, 18, 57)
perceived important for middle school teachers in general are not per
ceived to be important for home economics teachers.
63
It was not perceived important for the home economics teacher in the
middle school to be able to participate in curriculum development, to
exhibit questioning skills, or build on learning skills established in
elementary school. Three competencies which were preceived to be unique
to home economics middle school teaching are:
64
Means®
Judgment area F ratio TEb P/AC GTd HECe
ALL
Knowledge of the
Transescent .55 226 247 210 244
Management of
Teaching .94 386 377 362 366
CO
CO
High Mean Cluster 1.32 419 418 403
MID
Management of
Teaching .62 410 404 393 395
High Mean Cluster .55 425 423 410 415
HEC
Management of
Teaching 1.30 411 402 385 406
High Mean Cluster 1.26 424 422 404 426
ALL judgments clustered items into two clusters. The first cluster,
Knowledge of the Transescent, had means from 210 to 247. Although this
emerged as a cluster and was supported by all four respondent groups, its
degree of importance is questioned because of the lower mean score. A
reason for this could be that understanding the transescent is really not
67
Means^
Judgment area F ratio TEb P/AC GTd HECe
MID
Item 1 2.51 452 444 419 450
Item 2 2.59 457 444 422 425
Item 5 2.20 454 457 434 433
Item 13 3.43* 446 430 383 416
Item 14 1.07 416 443 439 433
Item 4 .51 442 437 427 425
HEC
Item 1 1.70 413 424 384 434
"k
Item 2 3.26 431 429 405 466
Item 5 .51 446 434 425 422
Item 4 1.37 431 436 410 443
2 < .05.
While the ANOV indicated that there v/as no difference between re
spondent groups in the level of importance placed on these competencies,
ranking them indicates that the ordering of items in the ALL high mean
cluster differs by subgroups. Those in teacher education curriculum
planning might then be aware that different groups of educators perceive
the order of competency importance in different ways. This might need to
be allowed for before teacher educators assume their own perceptions as
universal.
ALL judgments-items with high means
Eleven items with highest means were identified from among all 58 of
the means in the ALL judgments and Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance
was computed. The ranking of these items appear in Appendix L. Kendall's
W appears in Table 14, and items identified with high means are identified
in Table 15. Rankings on ALL teachers had a H = .61 which was beyond the
72
Table 15. Items with high mean score by judgment area(58 items)
Judgment area
ALL MID HEC
Item numbers
4 1 1
8 2 2
22 4 3
28 5 4
33 8 5
38 12 8
39 13 13
40 14 14
50 22 22
53 28 27
54 30 30
33 33
34 34
38 38
40 40
43 43
50 50
51 51
53 55
55 55
56
was .37. At the .05 significance level of the chi square distribution
this was not significant. This indicates that ranking on home economics
teachers was different from one subgroup to another. Perceptions about
competencies important for the home economics teachers in the middle
school differ between, for example, teacher educators and middle school
teachers in general.
Although the analysis of variance indicated no difference between
respondent groups on the level of importance (as indicated by means),
there is a difference in the order in which each respondent group places
them. Perceptions about home economics teachers functioning and impor
tance of competencies to that functioning vary. Perhaps misconceptions
about home economics teachers still exist causing respondent groups to
perceive this teacher differently from the general subject matter teacher.
HEC judgment, items with high means
Twenty high mean items were identified in the HEC judgments from the
overall means. Kendall's W and significance figures appear in Table 14.
The W for HEC judgments was .39. A test of significance showed the rank
ings in the subgroups to be nonsignificant and therefore independent of
one another. Hence, the function of the home economics teacher is per
ceived in significantly different ways by the four subgroups of this
sample for items with high means.
The rankings of HEC high mean cluster and items with high means were
consistently dissimilar between respondent groups. Both rankings showed
subgroups perceived importance of competencies in different orders. All
sample subgroups were in agreement on the level of importance of items but
in disagreement as to the order of most important for HEC teachers.
76
Discussion of Findings
Teaching behaviors in this study were not perceived in the six cate
gories from which competency statements were originally developed. The
categories used were those verified in a study by Manatt et al. (1976) and
were: teaching techniques, interpersonal relations, motivational tech
niques, relations with parents and professionals, and knowledge of the
transescent. Perceptions from middle school educators in this study
indicate that there are two clusters of behaviors for ALL teachers and one
cluster for MID and HEC teachers.
The unique cluster for ALL teachers is the Knowledge of the Transes
cent cluster. The cluster includes competencies relating to understanding
transescents and the middle school. Because the transescent related items
form a separate cluster for ALL teachers, it seems understanding transes
cents is a separate behavior from other teaching behaviors.
The common cluster for ALL, MID, and HEC judgments was the Management
of Teaching cluster. The MID and HEC clusters differ slightly from the
ALL cluster due to the inclusion of competencies dealing with the transes
cent and the middle school. Home economics teachers and general subject
matter teachers are both perceived to integrate understanding of the
transescent with all other teaching behaviors. The similarity of MID and
77
Management of Teaching cluster for MID and HEC judgment areas showed
higher means than for the ALL judgment areas. This indicated a greater
degree of importance for these competencies to MID and HEC teachers than
ALL teachers.
High mean clusters identified competencies which were most important
in the three judgment areas. Seven competencies were found to be impor
tant for all teachers. Twelve competencies were identified to be uniquely
important for middle school teachers and three were identified important
only for home economics teachers.
In interpreting competency statements it should be remembered find
ings are based on respondents' judgments. Respondents were selected to
represent middle school educators well-grounded in middle school philoso
phy. While there is no empirical data to validate findings the study does
provide guidelines to middle school educators for competencies needed by
middle school teachers.
LITERATURE CITED
Gatewood, Thomas E. What research says about the middle school. Educa
tional Leadership, 1973, 31, 221-224.
Gatewood, Thomas. Junior high or middle school teacher competencies,
sample list of general competencies. Unpublished manuscript, 1977.
(Available from Department of Secondary Education, Central Michigan
University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan)
Gatewood, Thomas & Dilg, Charles. The Middle School He Need (#511-75050).
Washington, D.C.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Develop
ment, 1975.
Gatewood, Thomas E. & Mills, Robert C. Teacher educations most neglected
area: Middle school teacher preparation. Contemporary Education,
1975, 46, 253-258.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I
94
Department of
Home Economics Education
166 LeBaron Hall
Ames, Iowa 50011
IOWA STATE
UNIVERSITY Telephone 515-294-6444
Growth of the middle school movement and its implications for serving the
needs of early adolescents is a concern of educators shared by the Home
Economics Education Department at Iowa State University. The Department
has undertaken research dealing with the middle school and how we might
better serve this age individual.
Presently underway is a study to identify, from a general education point
of view, the characteristics of effective middle school teachers. This
research, part of a larger project, is being carried out by a research
assistant, Janelle Marshall, under the direction and guidance of faculty
of this department.
You have been identified as a leader in the middle school movement, and we
would assume, one who has had contact with the middle school and its
teachers. We are soliciting your partipation in this study. There are
two ways we would like you to be involved.
First, we would like you to be a participant in our study. That is, in
the future we will be asking you to help us identify the characteristics
of the effective middle school teacher.
Secondly, we would like you to identify other individuals who would be
qualified to participate in the study. Would you please return the form
with the names of individuals whose educational background would qualify
them to be part of this study?
A stamped, addressed envelope is enclosed for your convenience. This in
formation will aid us as we strive to better prepare teachers to serve the
needs of the middle school. Thank you for your assistance.
I wish to express my thanks to you for returning the form listing other
middle school leaders and for indicating that you will be a participant in
the middle school study.
There are many citings in the literature concerning the need for teachers
prepared to teach in the middle school. Also of concern is the delinea
tion of specific skills and characteristics peculiar to middle school
teachers. It is the latter problem we are studying.
Because of the exploratory nature of research in this area, I have en
closed an open ended form for your response. Will you complete this form
from the perspective of your background and experience with effective
middle school teachers?
The school year is rapidly drawing to a close and I am making a demand on
your time when you least have it. However, if you would complete and re
turn this form in the envelope provided before the end of May, I would be
most appreciative.
If you would like to receive the results of this study, please indicate
this on the bottom of the enclosed form.
Thank you again,
Janelle Marshall
Graduate Assistant
Home Economics Education
Enclosure
A personal note about the investigator (Appendix J) was included with this
mailing.
97
Name of contributor
Under each of the following headings list those teacher characteristics,
skills or behaviors that are peculiar and essential to middle school
teachers.
Types of teaching techniques which are productive in the middle school.
(For example: explains things well, uses probing questions)
page 2
Motivational techniques appropriate for the early adolescent. (For
example; enthusiasms, exciting vibrant person)
Please indicate whether or not you would like results of this study and
where they should be sent to.
YES NO
99
Growth of the middle school movement and its implications for serving the
needs of early adolescents is a concern of educators shared by the Home
Economics Education Department at Iowa State University. The department
has undertaken research dealing with the middle school and how we might
better serve this age individual.
Presently underway is a study to identify, from a general education point
of view, the characteristics of effective middle school teachers. This
research, part of a larger project, is being carried out by a research
assistant, Janelle Marshall, under the direction and guidance of this de
partment.
Your state department of education has information that would be very
helpful in facilitating this study. Will you please provide us with the
following information?
Certification requirements for middle school endorsement in your
state (any and all information would be appreciated, be it list of
competencies, statement of professional skills, or whatever).
List of teacher education institutions that meet middle school
certification requirements, within your state.
Name of an effective middle school in your state, name and address
of the principal.
A stamped, addressed envelope is enclosed for your convenience. This in
formation will aid us as we strive to better prepare teachers to serve the
needs of the middle school. Thank you for your assistance.
Department of
Home Economies Education
166 LeBaron Hall
Ames, Iowa 50011
IOWA STATE
UNIVERSITY Telephone 515-294-6444
Growth of the middle school movement and its implications for serving the
needs of early adolescents is a concern of educators shared by the Home
Economics Education Department at Iowa State University. Presently under
way in the Department is a study to identify the characteristics of effec
tive middle school teachers.
You have been identified by your state department as a principal familiar
with the middle school's programs and teachers. Because of your famili
arity with the middle school we hope you will be willing to be a partici
pant in our study. Around October 15 you will be asked to respond to a
questionnaire identifying the characteristics of an effective middle
school teacher.
We also wish to solicit your aid in the identification of effective middle
school teachers who might also respond. We believe that as a result of
your professional experience you will be able to name several home eco
nomics teachers or other subject matter area teachers within your district
or in areas close to you that would be appropriate for our study. There
fore, we would appreciate it if you would supply us with their names and
addresses by using the attached form.
A stamped, addressed envelope is enclosed for your convenience. Could we
have your response within the next few days? This information will aid us
as we strive to better prepare teachers to serve the needs of the middle
school. Thank you for your assistance.
Janelle Marshall
Home Economics Education Department
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011
Name Name
Position Position
Address Address
Name Name
Position Position
Address Address
Name of contributor
Check one of the following statements:
I will be willing to respond to your questionnaire.
I will be unable to participate in your study.
104
Department of
Home Economics Education
l66LeBaron Hall
Ames. lowaSQQll
IOWA STATE
UNIVERSITY Telephone 515-294-6444
JM/kh
107
REACTION SHEET
Please complete this reaction sheet immediately after you finish the
questionnaire. Thank you for your help.
How much time did it take to complete the questionnaire?
Were you able to understand the directions? If not, indicate what was
unclear.
Did you understand the three judgments you were asked to make? If not,
what was confusing?
Was it possible for you to make the three judgments? If not, please
specify the problem.
Was the use of the 1-99 scale difficult? If yes, can you specify the
problem?
Were there any statements that were unclear? Indicate the item on the
questionnaire and indicate the problem area in the item.
Please provide any other suggestions you have concerning the questionnaire
which would make it easier for teachers and principals to respond.
108
DIRECTIONS:
Indicate the extent to which each competency statement is essential for
teachers by selecting a number from 1 to 99-
The following scale may help you keep these directions in mind.
2
EXAMPLE: The effective teacher will relate profes ALL MID EEC
sional beliefs to decision making in the classroom. ?o 80 99
Explanation: The response to this statement indi
cates that the participant was uncertain about how
essential the competency is for all teachers; sees
the competency as essential for middle school teachers,
and even more essential for home economics teachers in
the middle school.
Scale:
1 1Ô 20 3^ go 70"^ Bo 9^ W
The effective teacher . . . ALL MID EEC
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
Thank you for your help. Your responses will greatly aid the validation
of competencies for middle school teachers.
Ill
Department of
Home Economics Education
166 LeBaron Hall
Thank you for your suggestions of names of effective middle school teach
ers. Your help has greatly aided the progress of our study to identify
professional competencies for all subject matter teachers in the middle
school as well as those needed for home economics teachers. Home eco
nomics educators believe the content of home economics is appropriate to
meeting the developmental needs of transescents and we believe it is im
portant that home economics teachers be prepared to function effectively
in the middle school.
A questionnaire is enclosed concerning the competencies for effective
middle school teachers. As a participant in the study you are to respond
to each item on the questionnaire based on your own observations of middle
school teachers. Please complete the demographic information sheet which
accompanies the questionnaire; this will provide us with descriptive data
about the sample. Please return the questionnaire by November 21, 1977.
It should take you about 45 minutes to finish the questionnaire. No
further participation will be requested from you.
Your response will be confidential and will remain anonymous. Your return
address, including your name, has been indicated on the return envelope so
that we can determine who has returned the questionnaire. If you would
like to have a copy of the results of this study please indicate this on
the questionnaire's last page.
A stamped, addressed envelope is enclosed for your convenience. This
information will aid us as we strive to better prepare teachers to serve
the needs of the middle school. Thank you for your assistance.
Growth of the middle school movement and its implications for serving the
needs of early adolescents is a concern of educators shared by the Home
Economics Department at Iowa State University. Presently underway in the
Department is study to identify the competencies needed by effective
middle school teachers.
The goals of the middle school emphasize meeting developmental tasks of
learners. Home economics educators believe home economics provides con
tent which allows the student to achieve these tasks. Because of the
appropriateness of home economics content to fulfilling goals of the
middle school, it is important that home economics teachers be prepared
to effectively function in the middle school. The purpose of this re
search project is to identify professional competencies for all subject
matter teachers in the middle school, and specifically those needed for
home economics teachers.
You have been identified by as an educator familiar with
the middle school's programs and teachers. Because of your familiarity
with the middle school we hope you will be willing to be a participant
in our study.
As a participant in our study please respond to each item on the question
naire based on your own observations of middle school teachers and the
demographic information sheet which accompanies the questionnaire. These
data will provide us with descriptive data about the sample. It should
take you about 45 minutes to finish the questionnaire. Please return the
questionnaire by November 21, 1977.
Your responses will be kept completely confidential and will remain
anonymous. Your return address, including your name, has been indicated
on the return envelope so that we can determine who has returned the
questionnaire. If you would like to have a copy of the results of this
study please indicate this on the questionnaire's last page.
114
Dear
WC NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!
Recently we requested your cooperation in a study being done at
Iowa State University. The purpose of the study is to validate
competencies for middle school teachers in general, and spe
cifically for home economics teachers in the middle school.
To obtain a true picture of competencies needed, it is extremely
important that we include your reactions in this study. Please
respond to the questionnaire previously mailed to you by December
5. If you have already responded, please disregard this request.
Sincerely,
Janelle Marshall, 173 LeBaron Hall, I.S.U., Ames, lA 50011
117
CHECK ONE:
1. I have responded to the questionnaire. Competencies for
Middle School Teachers and mailed it on
2. I expect to respond to the questionnaire on
(date) and will mail it immediately.
3. I have misplaced or did not receive the materials.
Please mail the questionnaire. Competencies for Middle
School Teachers.
My name and address is
119
Department of
Home Economics Education
166 LeBaron Hull
IOWA STATE
UNIVERSITY January 3, 1978 Telephone si 5-294-6444
Hi ! ! ! Remember me???
I've been corresponding with yox for
several weeks.
Yox do realize how important yox are to this research project? Withoxt
yoxr responses to the qxestionnaire oxr resxlts will be incomplete. You
might not think one person can make that mxch difference. Bxt. yox will
notice how crxcial one letter of the alphabet can be if i t is eliminated.
We have eliminated the letter "u" becaxse we have not received yoxr
qxestionnaire. See what a difference eliminating a "u" can prodxce in
written commxnication?
Sincerely,
Janelle Marshall
Graduate Assistant
121
CHECK ONE:
1. I have responded to the questionnaire, Competencies
for Middle School Teachers, and mailed it on
2. I will be able to respond to the questionnaire on
(date) and mail it immediately.
3. I have misplaced the questionnaire or did not receive
it. Send another questionnaire to
C(yyi<i^
0-H1&' u>)
123
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124
Demographic Data
ALL judgments
Items
Group 4 8 14 22 28 33 38 50 53 58
1 7 1 8 4 6 2 5 3 9 10
2 5 1 2 9 7 3 10 4 8 6
3 7 4 2 9 10 8 6 1 5 3
4 3 1 10 5 7 2 9 4 8 6
MID judgments
Items
Group 8 9 12 18 22 28 30 33 34 3840 43 50 51 54 55 56 57 58
1 6 16 14 19 9 13 5 10 12 8 7 2 11 1 17 3 4 18 15
2 1 2 19 13 6 9 5 7 12 18 8 4 10 16 14 3 15 17 11
3 3 9 16 19 5 8 12 4 2 13 17 18 1 15 10 7 11 14 5
4 2 1 7 14 11 10 3 4 8 6 12 19 13 18 17 5 16 15 9
HEC judgments
Items
Group 3 8 9 13 14 22 27 28 30 33 34 38 40 43 50 53 54 55 56 58
1 13 5 19 11 16 7 15 14 4 8 12 9 6 1 10 17 20 2 3 18
2 20 1 18 6 2 16 4 10 8 7 12 19 5 9 11 17 14 3 13 15
3 17 3 12 20 5 19 8 14 13 6 2 16 15 18 1 10 9 7 11 4
4 6 3 1 18 8 16 2 15 11 4 7 9 13 20 17 14 19 5 10 12
HEC judgments
Item
Group 1 2 3 4 5 8 13 14 22 27 30 33 34 38 40 43 50 51 55 56
1 20 8 17 9 2 7 15 19 11 18 6 12 16 13 10 3 14 1 4 5
2 18 9 16 6 3 4 20 5 19 8 12 11 2 14 13 17 1 15 7 10
3 13 8 20 3 4 1 9 2 17 6 11 10 15 19 7 12 14 18 5 16
4 7 1 8 5 14 3 19 10 17 2 13 4 9 11 16 20 18 15 .6 12