A Study on the Community Characteristics of Elementary School and Their Relationship to the Educational Beliefs and Professional Performance of Teachers

• Main Authors: Chun-Te Hsin, 辛俊德
• Other Authors: Ming-Ching Wu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/922a87

博士 === 國立臺北教育大學 === 教育政策與管理研究所 === 97 === The main purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships among the characteristics of elementary school communities, teachers’ educational beliefs and professional performances; and with an attempt to understand the effects of school community characteristics on teachers’ educational beliefs and teachers’ professional performances. The main research methods applied in this study were questionnaire survey and interview. The sample of this survey consisted of 900 teachers selected from 68 public elementary schools in the counties of the central Taiwan. Survey data were statistically analyzed by applying mean, standard deviation, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Person’s product-moment correlation, canonical and multiple stepwise regression analysis. A related semi-interview was also conducted among 12 selected teachers to explore issues related to this study. Based on results of the survey and interview, conclusions of this study were summarized as below: 1. Elementary schools contain explicit community characteristics: the most significant community characteristic was democracy-community; however, the less significant one was learning-community. 2. Teachers’s perceptions of the school community characteristics showed significantly differences in terms of the affects of teacher’s gender, age, and school size. Conversely, it appeared no significance in terms of the affects of teachers’ educational level, seniority, position, school location and school history. 3. Characteristics of the school as a learning-community included aspects such as cooperation, learning, sharing and support. Among these characteristics, “support” acquired the highest scores from teachers; however, “sharing” as the lowest one. 4. Characteristics of the school as a democracy-community include aspects such as equality, communication, liberty, and self-control. Among these characteristics, “equality” gained the highest scores from teachers; however, “self-control” as the lowest one. 5. Characteristics of the school as a moral-community included aspects such as justice, care, honesty and responsibility. Among these characteristics, “honesty” got the highest scores from teachers; however, “justice” as the lowest one. 6. The school with most significant characteristics of learning-community support activities related to “school learning” and “teacher-spontaneous”, such as teachers’ study group, trends toward advanced study, non-harboring knowledge and parents’ participation in learning. 7. The school with most significant characteristics of democracy community support elegant campus environment, principal’s democratic leadership, the harmonious atmosphere on campus, teachers and parent’s participation in decisions, and fulfillment of democracy. 8. The school with most significant characteristics of moral community was able to respect charity groups’ spirits and to obey disciplines in lives; also, teachers tended to maintain the sense of honor and moral responsibility. 9. In the present, elementary school teachers have high positive educational beliefs, and among these beliefs, “school mission” obtained the highest scores from teachers, but “community participation” as the lowest one. 10. The teachers’ educational beliefs showed significant differences in terms of the affects of teachers’ gender, age, teaching seniority, and school size. However, it appeared no significance in terms of the affects of teachers’ educational level, position, school location and school history. 11. Overall, elementary school teachers’ professional performances were satisfied, especially in the performance of “teaching practice”; however, it appeared less satisfying in “curriculum design”. 12. The professional performance of elementary school teachers showed significant differences in terms of the affects of teachers’ gender, age, teaching seniority, and school history. However, it seemed no significance in terms of the affects of teachers’ educational level, school location and school size. 13. It revealed that there is a positive correlation between elementary school community and teachers’ educational beliefs as well professional performances. Especially, the correlation between moral community and teachers’ educational beliefs as well professional performances is the most positive one. 14. The school communities contain powers of predictability to teachers’ educational beliefs and professional performances; and within the three school communities, characteristics of moral community hold the highest power of predictability to teachers’ educational beliefs and professional performance.