An examination of how elementary administrators help teachers change their beliefs about teaching mathematics and guide the process of reform

Jane Deborah Foley, Purdue University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine how elementary principals work with teachers to help them change their traditional beliefs about teaching mathematics and to examine the process of change in elementary schools. A review of the literature on educational change indicated that there was a need for research to: (1) go beyond presenting the characteristics of effective schools and address how schools become effective; (2) delineate specific principal interventions during the process of change; and (3) determine the influence of principals in specific subject matter. The study proceeded in two separate phases: (1) an initial closed and open-ended questionnaire was employed in thirty-six select Indiana elementary schools that had conducted collaborative examinations of their mathematics programs; and (2) case studies that provided a closer examination of two exemplary elementary schools and cited specific behaviors and practices that are present in effective change processes. Two particular strengths of the study are: (1) a 90% questionnaire return rate combined with descriptive case study information which should provide a great deal of confidence that the data gathered is representative of schools participating in effective change efforts; and (2) specific principal behaviors that have a positive influence on change as seen from the perspectives of principals and classroom teachers. Results of the study indicate that traditional teachers will change their teaching methods and beliefs if they are empowered to make the decisions that will impact their classrooms and if they are provided with the appropriate staff development to prepare them for change. When collaborative planning structures that utilize a simultaneously top-down/bottom-up approach to educational change are implemented, genuine school reform can be accomplished. It was found that principals participate in specific instructional subject areas. Teachers appreciate the close involvement of principals in classroom instruction and welcome their advice on determining the direction of curriculum. The study provides specific strategies for success concerning principals' roles in the change process, the process of change, teachers' roles in the change process, and contextual factors that have a positive effect on the process of change. A conceptual framework and interaction matrix form the foundation which propose a model for successful change.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

McInerney, Purdue University.

Subject Area

School administration|Elementary education|Mathematics education

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