Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to compare the perceptions of professors of teacher education, building level administrators, and elementary classroom teachers regarding the need for specific areas of inservice training for elementary teachers. Using the Teacher Needs Assessment Survey, perceived needs of elementary teachers were obtained from 208 elementary teachers, 35 administrators, and 66 professors.The following null hypotheses were tested at the .05 level of significance:1. No significant difference exists among the perceptions of professors of teacher education, building level administrators, and elementary classroom teachers regarding teacher inservice needs as measured by items included in Developing Pupil Self (DPS), Individualizing Instruction (II), Discipline (DISC), Diagnosing Learning Difficulties (DLD), Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK), and Gifted and Talented (GT) categories of the Teacher Needs Assessment Survey2. No significant multivariate interaction exists between the level of teacher assignment and the years of teaching experience3. No significant difference exists in the inservice perceptions of teachers with one to five years of teaching experience, six to ten years of experience, and over ten years of experience as measured by the inservice categories of Developing Pupil Self (DPS), Individualizing Instruction (II), Discipline (DISC), Diagnosing Learning Difficulties (DLD), Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK), and Gifted and Talented (GT) categories of the Teacher Needs Assessment Survey4. No significant difference exists in the inservice perceptions of teachers assigned to primary and intermediate classrooms as measured by the DPS, II, DISC, DLD, SMK,and GT categories of the Teacher Needs Assessment SurveyA one-MANOVA was used to test hypothesis one. The Scheffe post hoc procedure was used to make pair-wise comparisons of the educator groups for the outcome measures determined to contribute to the rejection of hypothesis one. Hypothesis two was tested using a 3 X 2 MANOVA. Hypotheses three and four were tested based upon the non-rejection of hypothesis two.Hypothesis one was rejected: professors perceived the need for teacher inservice training in all selected areas as greater than did teachers. Hypothesis two was not rejected. Tests of associated main effects indicated that no significant difference existed between years of teaching experience and level of assignment.Suggestions for future research include: assessing parent perceptions of teacher inservice needs and investigating the influences on teacher perceptions of inservice needs.