TEACHER ROLE AND THE RURAL-URBAN CONTINUUM.

N

114

Cognitive Measurement; Community Influence; Discipline; Employer Employee Relationship; Interviews; Role Playing; Rural Urban Differences; Teacher Participation; Teacher Role

THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN COMMUNITY TYPE AND THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER WERE INVESTIGATED. THE SAMPLE INCLUDED FOUR COMMUNITY TYPES, REPRESENTING DIFFERENT DEGREES OF URBANIZATION--RURAL, SMALL CITY, SUBURBAN, AND URBAN. INTERVIEW RESPONSES WERE OBTAINED FROM 98 TEACHERS, 261 PEOPLE-IN-GENERAL, AND 67 SCHOOL OFFICIALS WHO INDICATED THEIR PERSONAL EXPECTATIONS WITH RESPECT TO A PREPARED LIST OF TEACHER BEHAVIORS IN CONTEXT. THE RESULTS WERE THEN COMPARED AND INTERPRETED FOR IMPLICATIONS TO BOTH THE TEACHER ROLE AND ROLE THEORY. PROJECT RESULTS REVEALED THAT RURAL-URBAN DIFFERENCES IN THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER WERE NOT SO DRAMATIC AS PREVIOUS STUDIES HAD REPORTED. RURAL PEOPLE SHOWED THAT THEY EXPECTED AND APPROVED A MORE RIGIDLY DISCIPLINED SCHOOL THAN DID THE URBAN RESPONDENTS. THE URBAN GROUP, HOWEVER, WAS MORE LIKELY TO ATTRIBUTE CONFLICTING COGNITIONS TO TEACHERS AND SCHOOL OFFICIALS FOR ITEMS IMPLYING THE EMPLOYEE-EMPLOYER RELATIONSHIP. ALL COMMUNITIES, ON THE OTHER HAND, FAILED TO APPRECIATE THAT TEACHERS WERE GENERALLY NOT INTERESTED IN SPEAKING OUT AT PTA MEETINGS. OVERALL FINDINGS SHOWED THAT THE PUBLIC IS HIGHLY AWARE OF TEACHER BEHAVIOR AND IS BASICALLY QUITE SATISFIED WITH THIS BEHAVIOR. HOWEVER, TEACHERS AND OFFICIALS APPEARED TO BE LESS SUCCESSFUL IN INFORMING THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THEIR EXPECTATIONS. THIS REPORT WAS WRITTEN AS A THESIS AND SUPPLEMENTS OTHER WORK ACCOMPLISHED UNDER COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT 371, ENTITLED "ROLE OF THE TEACHER AND OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE." (JH)

1966

ED002853