- Collection:
- Atlanta University and Clark Atlanta University Theses and Dissertations
- Title:
- A comparison of teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of a ninth-grade small learning community and two other learning communities, 2003
- Creator:
- McKnight, Michael
- Date of Original:
- 2003-07-01
- Subject:
- Degrees, Academic
Dissertations, Academic - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
- Medium:
- theses
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- During the 1980s there was widespread recognition that 'one-size-fits-all' education does not work in America's pluralistic democracy. Educators and parents wanted to see better achievement outcomes with fewer wasted resources. The challenges of educating minority and limited-English-speaking students also demanded that new types of schools be established. These demands ignited the creation of small schools. The critical factor for the success of small schools is the school administration and faculty's commitment to implementing the program completely. The theoretical framework for this study is based on Tonnies' Theory of Community and Sergiovanni's metaphor of a school as a community. Both Tonnies and Sergiovanni established that there is a relationship between teacher involvement in small learning communities and their recognition of the value of the school as a community. The purpose of this study is to examine differences in perceptions of a learning community by teachers in a ninth grade learning community, a career academy, and a regular ninth grade program. One single significant difference was found in how many teaching strategies are initiated by teachers. Teachers in the school-within-a school program initiated significantly fewer teaching strategies than teachers in the career academy. The results indicate where there are satisfactory conditions in the school teachers will pursue collective and individual learning. Research attests to the importance of teacher satisfaction in promoting an environment where new information and practices are incorporated. The results have implications for faculty, staff, and policy makers involved in ninth-grade learning programs. If school improvement depends on building a teacher's capacity for organizational participation, educators need to know what structures, processes, and practices will enable them to do this.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/cau.td:2003_mcknight_michael
- Rights Holder:
- Clark Atlanta University
- Holding Institution:
- Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library
- Rights:
-
