Keith F. Punch

Teacher Receptivity to Systemwide Change in the Implementation Stage

This review examines studies relating to the implementation of systemwide educational change and, in particular, focuses on teacher receptivity to those changes. It provides a brief historical summary of this literature from the past 40 years and presents as well the general variables that seem to be related to teacher receptivity. It is assumed that there are fundamental generalizations common to all such changes and that these can be embodied in ideal-type models of implementing change. The important general variables that should be included in such models appear to be teachers’ personal cost appraisal of the change, practicality of the new educational system in the classroom, perceived support for teacher roles at school with respect to the main referents of the new educational system, alleviation of fears and uncertainties associated with the change, and perceived expectations and beliefs concerning the important aspects of the change. In addition, there are a number of other important general variables, such as beliefs on general issues of education relating to the change and overall feelings and attitudes towards the previous educational system.

Correlates of Psychological Distress among Secondary School Teachers

Among 574 Western Australian secondary teachers the level of psychological distress was found to be twice that expected in the general population. Eight school‐related factors were found to be statistically related to stress as measured by the General Health Questionnaire, with relationships being stronger for female than for male teachers. Factors correlated with psychological distress were: perceived lack of efficacy/achievement, inadequate access to facilities, lack of collegial support, excessive societal expectations, lack of influence/autonomy, student misbehaviour and lack of praise/recognition. Differences between male and female teachers in both the pattern and the strength of the relationships suggest that teachers’ responses to their working environment are sex‐related.

Psychological Distress in Secondary Teachers: Research Findings and Their Implications

Summarizes the results of a comprehensive investigation into levels of psychological distress, and factors associated with those levels, among a large and representative sample of Western Australian teachers. Psychological distress was measured by the General Health Questionnaire, and the nine independent variables included five stressors (inadequate access to facilities; frequency of student misbehaviour; the extent to which societal expectations of teachers are seen to be excessive; the intrusion of school work into out‐of‐hours time and total workload); and four destressors (teachers′ perceptions of the extent of their influence and autonomy in the school environment; of their personal competency and achievement, of the amount of support they receive from colleagues and principal; and of the acknowledgement and praise they receive). The data show that levels of distress are high, and that the five stressors correlate positively and the four destressors correlate negatively with distress. The data also ...

Teachers' Psychological Distress: The Ameliorating Effects of Control over the Work Environment.

Abstract This paper reports empirical evidence showing that two factors associated with control over their work environment have an ameliorating effect on the level of psychological distress reported by Australian teachers. The two factors are perceived level of influence and autonomy, and perceived level of efficacy and achievement. The pattern of amelioration varies somewhat between male and female teachers, but is present for both.

Teacher Receptivity to System-wide Change

This study is concerned with the receptivity of teachers in Western Australia towards the recently implemented Certificate of Secondary Education System, a new method of certifying student achievement using teachers’ assessments. A general model of teacher receptivity towards system‐wide educational change is developed, and forms the basis for an empirical investigation with a large and representative sample of teachers. Using correlation and regression techniques, the results show a clear pattern of relationships between the independent variables and teacher receptivity.

The self-sufficient library collection: a test of assumptions

Modern academic libraries are experiencing a paradigm shift from attempting to build self‐sufficient collections to providing electronic access to information stored elsewhere. This shift challenges long‐held assumptions about collection self‐sufficiency. This assumption was tested by replicating the correlational analyses conducted by Paustian (1981) on data for Australian libraries. Inter‐library borrowing statistics were correlated with collection size. A stronger positive correlation was observed in the later Australian data than Paustian had observed in the earlier American data. It is concluded that the concept of collection self‐sufficiency is a fallacy, but that the information access paradigm is likely to co‐exist with collection building for some time.

The Relationship between Aesthetic Judgment and Dogmatism

The relationships among a set of five aesthetic judgment variables, and between those variables and dogmatism, were examined through the responses to eight paintings of a sample of 504 tertiary students. The judgment variables—evaluation and boldness—were calibrated from an Art Judgment Inventory, and dogmatism was measured by a shortened form of Rokeachs Dogmatism Scale. The judgment variables correlate as would be expected with each other, and dogmatism shows a consistent negative relationship with the judgment variables.

Ideological conflict in education: Western Australia, 1983‐1989

Surveys and analyses developments in the Western Australia education system between 1983 and 1989, a period of dramatic and unprecedented change. Demonstrates that patterns of control are underpinned and shaped by ideologies which exist in a wider socio‐political context. The main changes during this period are shown to proceed from two almost opposite ideological strands: a social imperative and an economic imperative. While reconcilable in theory, the attempt in Western Australia at the simultaneous implementation of changes driven by these imperatives resulted in the social imperative being subjugated to the politically‐based economic imperative. Concludes that this outcome occurred through intervening factors associated with patterns of control.

Teacher participation in curriculum development: A model and field study in Tanzania

Abstract This paper outlines a model for teacher participation in curriculum development, and reports reactions to the model based on a large scale field study in Tanzania. The model comprises six principles of curriculum development, five levels of decision-making with teachers represented at every level, and national guidelines for the process of development. A representative sample of teachers, curriculum developers, school inspectors, school heads, ministry officials and teacher educators reported strong support for the model in all its aspects. However, while developing a curriculum development model and establishing that there is widespread support for it may be necessary conditions for success, they are not sufficient. The paper therefore concludes by anticipating likely implementation problems and how they might be resolved.

A Unidimensional Interpretation of the Concept of Teacher Role

The conceptualization of teacher role in terms of the six dimensions of director of learning, counselling and guidance person, mediator of the culture, member of the school community, link between school and community, and member of the profession has led to the six-factor Role Dimension Profile Scale. However, when responses to the scale used with a Likert data collection format from a sample of 380 teacher education students are analyzed according to a generalization of the Simple Logistic Model, the six factors fall along a unidimensional continuum, and are hierarchically ordered. This dimension is interpreted as the teacher’s professional horizon. Implications of these results, especially for research into change in teacher role concept, are discussed.