Deborah A. Byrnes

Evaluating the Use of Group Interviews to Select Students into Teacher Education Programs

This study presents findings on the reliability and validity of a group-assessment interview procedure designed to evaluate the verbal, interpersonal, and leadership qualities of students applying to a teacher-education program. We examine whether (a) the group-assessment process predicts future student-teaching performance, (b) the group-assessment scores are reliable across raters, and (c) the group-assessment interview is a better predictor of student-teaching performance than academic criteria. After gathering data from 68 student-teachers who had previously participated in the group-assessment process, we found that the group-assessment overall rating predicts student-teaching performance and does so better than academic criteria. Finally, we found high interrater reliability on the group-assessment measures.

Through the eyes of the novice teacher: perceptions of mentoring support

This study examined the perceptions of elementary school beginning teachers (n = 136) across a Rocky Mountain state in the US regarding the mentoring support they received during their first year teaching. Beginning teachers were asked to report the types of mentoring support they received and to rate the helpfulness of this support on the Mentoring Support Survey. Individual item scores and scale scores are reported. An analysis of variance was then used to compare the scale scores of teachers with the administrator-facilitated mentoring supports of common planning time with their mentors and/or release time to observe other teachers. Results indicate that beginning teachers who received both common planning time with a mentor and release time to observe other teachers rated the mentoring experiences they had as significantly more helpful than beginning teachers who were not provided these mentoring supports. Of the two, provision of common planning time was the most important type of administrator-facilitated support.

Classroom Social Status, Ethnicity, and Ratings of Stressful Events.

AbstractEthnic membership and classroom social status were examined in relation to the ratings of stressful experiences among 273 children in fourth through sixth grades. Of these, 61.2% were Hispanic, and 32.2% Anglo. The high and low social status groups consisted of those who received the greatest and fewest numbers, respectively, of friendship nominations within each of the 11 classrooms (two girls and two bojs per room per group), leaving 185 children in the middle status group. Their overall ratings of 20 life events correlated .97 with earlier results from another group of 367 American children, while no conspicuous variations were observed by sex or grade. The Hispanic children rated 13 of the 20 events more stressful than the Anglo children, even though the scale values correlated .93 between the two ethnic groups. The Anglo children seemed to feel more successful as students, though at the cost of being more anxious. The scale value correlations among the social status groups were: high- middle,...

Prejudice reduction simulations: Ethics, evaluations, and theory into practice

This article examines ethical issues in the use of prejudice-reduction simulations, with specific reference to evaluation research conducted on the BLUE EYES-BROWN EYES activity. Risks to participants, such as coercion, informed consent, and stress, were weighed against the individual and collective benefits of simulation participation. It was concluded that, given specific precautions (e.g., appropriately designed debriefing sessions), it is ethically defensible to have simulation participants experience emotional discomfort in the short term if it is reasonably believed they will achieve grater compassion for others in the long term. Problems arising in the evaluation of prejudice-reduction simulations are discussed. Finally, a research agenda is proposed that calls for addressing intergroup-relations theory in the design of prejudice-reduction simulations.

Parent and Student Views of Multiage Classrooms

This study examined the attitudes of 168 students and their parents in the first year of implementation of a primary level (ages 6–8) multiage program. Parents and students were surveyed in the fall and spring to determine their views on multiage versus same-age classrooms. Relationships between parent and students attitudes were also explored. Overall results indicate strong support for multiage classrooms with no statistically significant changes between fall and spring surveys. However, older students and their parents (both fall and spring) did express more negative opinions regarding academic progress. A relationship between parent and student attitudes was also evident but directionality could not be determined. Based on survey findings, school personnel considering multiage classrooms are encouraged to specifically address the needs and concerns of older students and their parents. The need for actively enlisting teachers in the promotion of the multiage concept (both with parents and students) is ...

Social factors and responses to racial discrimination

ABSTRACT We examined the impact of gender and religious affiliation on willingness to confront racial discrimination committed by three categories of persons, authority figures, strangers, and peers. American students were presented scenarios in which discrimination occurred and expressed their degree of willingness to challenge the discrimination. Women expressed more willingness than men, and nonfundamentalists were more likely than fundamentalists to challenge discrimination. Nonfundamentalists were, in particular, more willing than fundamentalists to confront authority figures engaging in discrimination. All respondents were most likely to confront a stranger and least likely to challenge a peer.

When good intentions are not enough: A response to increasing diversity in an early childhood setting

Abstract The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and describe the process of adaptation to a recent increase in cultural and linguistic diversity in a school for grades K-2. Data were collected for eight weeks through interviews, observations, and documents. The informants were the principal, 18 classroom teachers, five specialist teachers, and one paraprofessional. All participants were Euro-American with the exception of the one paraprofessional. Eisners five dimensions of educational settings were used as a framework for exploring and discussing the findings. The school has made some efforts to address cultural diversity; despite the good intentions of the teachers, however, the findings indicate that stated school goals and practices do not match. Implications for educational settings serving culturally and linguistically students are shared.

Identifying Gifted and Talented Students in an Alternative Learning Center

This study determined the percentage of students enrolled in a high school alternative learning center who were potentially gifted and talented. Alternative learning centers are designed for disruptive, disaffected youth who cannot or will not function in the regular high school setting. Scores in the top 5 % on the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test and/or the IBRIC Biographical Inventory academic, creative, artistic, and leadership sub-tests, as well as nominations by teachers and peers were used to identify potentially gifted and talented students from among 93 11th and 12th grade alternative learning center students. Eight (8%) of the 93 students were identified as potentially gifted and talented.

A Comparative Examination of Student Teacher and Intern Perceptions of Teaching Ability at the Preservice and Inservice Stages.

This study investigates how the culminating teacher preparation program (TPP) experience (either student teaching assignment or internship) influences the perceptions teachers report about their ability to perform instructional tasks required of teachers. A multivariate ANOVA test (N = 502) was conducted to compare perceptions of student teachers (those who taught 15 weeks) and interns (those who taught a full academic year) at two points in time—once at the conclusion of their TPP and again after their first year of teaching. Results indicate that overall, student teachers report higher perceptions of their ability to perform instructional tasks than interns do at both the preservice and inservice teacher stages. Interns reported higher scores at the inservice stage on only the mathematics subscale, suggesting that there is some change in self-efficacy as teachers gain teaching experience. Findings suggest that the student teaching context provides more modeling and verbal support and produces teachers with higher perceptions of teaching ability than those who complete an internship.

A More Diverse Circle of Friends.

In this study the authors explored the social inclusiveness of classrooms with culturally competent teachers who were identified both by their participation in in-service diversity training and by principal nomination. The design of this study is quantitative, using a one-way ANOVA to analyze whether students (N = 125) in classrooms with teachers identified as culturally competent are more inclusive in their mutual friendships than students (N = 117) in classrooms with untrained teachers at the same schools. Sociometric questionnaires were used to collect data on mutual friendships. In the social psychological research mutual friendships are considered to be a strong indicator of less social distance between diverse social groups. Findings from the sociometric questionnaire suggest that students with culturally competent teachers, also referred to as culturally responsive teachers in the literature, have broader and more diverse social networks than students in classrooms with teachers that were not trained.