James K. Duncan

A Field Experiment: Teacher-Directed Changes in Instructional Behavior.

rect systematic observation in classrooms. The conceptual link between teacher training in instructional analysis through systematic observation and change in teacher instructional behavior clearly suggests potential benefits for inservice as well as preservice training. In general, research studies report that inservice training and use of observational systems are effective in promoting changes in the instructional behavior of teachers (Storlie, 1961; Parrish, 1969; and Raak, 1971). Galush (1974), Garret (1974), Houston (1975), Tuckman, McCall, and Hyman (1969), Kline and Sorge (1974), and Jensen (1968) also provide evidence that teacher instructional behavior change can be stimulated through inservice training that uses systematic observation records for feedback or goal setting. The amount of change and the degree of success vary with the study under consideration. However, there appears to be no research that describes instructional behavior changes stimulated by an inservice training program in which desired changes were predetermined by the teacher in terms of his/her perceived needs and established intentions. This is despite arguments in prescriptive literature and conventional wisdom about teacher education for a measure of self-directed teacher development. The purpose of this field experiment was to explore which, if any, of the following would effectively promote instructional behavior changes in teachers who decide for themselves the nature and direction of the changes: (a) inservice training in the behaviors described in the Observational System for Instructional Analysis (OSIA) (Hough & Duncan, 1972); (b) inservice training in OSIA followed by classroom observations and feedback; (c) inservice training in OSIA followed by goal setting and classroom observations ; and (d) inservice training followed by goal setting, classroom observations, and feedback. In addition, the investigators sought to discover ways to conduct field experimentation while preserving some measure of developmental autonomy for teachers.

Brazilians Speak Out about Their Schools: Implications For Teacher Education.

Abstract This is the second of two papers reporting a large scale investigation of the beliefs students, parents, and instructional staff hold about desirable 1st level schooling and teaching in Brazil. The unique perspectives of each of the three groups are presented along with selected differences and similarities and their implications for Brazilian teacher education. The analyses and interpretations explore the meanings underlying some of the more disparate patterns of belief. The contributions that knowledge of the school‐related world can make to programs for the preservice and inservice education of teachers are stressed.