Curriculum Practices: Their Effect and/or Relationship to Selected Biographical and Professional Variables
The purposes of this study were: (a) to determine significant differences between selected variables and attitude toward par ticipation in curriculum planning, curriculum use, adaptation of curriculum content, and curriculum role patterns; and (b) to determine significant relationships between the dependent variables and teaching experience, grade level, and education. Data were gathered from 35 volunteer elementary school teachers. The primary data gathering devices used were the daily lesson plan, the Curriculum Attitude Inventory, and the Personal Professional Data Inventory. Analysis of variance and Pearson product-moment correlations coefficient tests showed that ethnicity and education were major factors affecting the curriculum practices of teachers and that some relationship existed between curriculum role pattern and education. SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE investing a great deal of time and money in ways and means of improving curriculum practices. School policies need to encompass the vital functions of curriculum planning, implementation, and adaptation, as well as that of curriculum role, as an integral part of every professional staff member's job. In increasing numbers, schools are attempting to analyze teacher atti tude toward curriculum practices among teachers as a basis for determining their effectiveness in teaching as well as the extent to which an effective teacher in curriculum practices can account for pupil growth. It is assumed that an effective teacher varies from environment to environ ment (6); therefore, studies involved with determining differences among teachers in terms of their attitude toward certain curriculum practices, and how effective they are when assigned to schools and curriculum, should serve as a guideline for research in curriculum development. The review of the literature indicated a paucity of material in relation to the degree of planning, use, adapta tion of curriculum content, and certain selected variables such as age, academic preparation, teacher measure of satisfaction, degree of teacher participation, teaching as a profession, salary level, teacher conceptualization of role, teacher-preferred time to participate, and curriculum plan ning and use (7, 9-12,17,18). A number of recent studies have indicated as a major concern the relationship between certain biographical, professional, and attitudinal variables with regard to cur riculum planning, curriculum use, and curriculum adapta tion of curriculum content (7, 9, 11, 13). Some writers have supplied important information regarding teacher perception and subsequent role as a curriculum-maker; however, no significant empirical research was formed (4, 15). A review of educational literature supported the view that continuous study and planning were recognized as major tasks confronting the present school systems. The review also upheld the notion that major competencies should be developed on the preparation of teachers and administrators with skills in curriculum planning and development. In spite of the paucity of research in curriculum plan ning, a search of related literature revealed that there is much more written about planning or development of This content downloaded from 157.55.39.186 on Tue, 12 Apr 2016 08:53:57 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 32 JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL EDUCATION curriculum material. This weakness was substantiated by Beauchamp (3) when he stated: "Our history of curric ulum implementation is weak. Many curricula have been planned but much fewer have been systematically imple mented." The need for curriculum implementation has been a constant matter of concern at the national, state, district, and local school level, and rationales supporting par ticipation in different arenas appear to have brought challenging arguments and positions. In this study, how ever, research was restricted to the district and local level. Hanna (8) posed many searching questions about the content of school curriculum, a topic of continued major concern to nearly all school districts. The public, in gen eral, and the different ethnic minorities, in particular, have continuously been stressing the need for more up dated and relevant curriculum content. Dunfee (5) cited the inadequacy of teacher preparation institutions in meeting the problem of handling new content for working with ethnic groups and the need for preparation of mate rials by people who are knowledgeable about diversity of culture. In her study of the status of selected elementary school curriculum and instructional practices, Staples (20) reported that there was evidence to indicate that some adaptation of curriculum content in the elementary cur riculum was being made, specifically for children from culturally disadvantaged areas of large cities. Such adapta tions appear to be manifested in increased attention on the part of some school systems to provide greater empha sis in language development and in enriching the experi ential background of such children. In retrospect, the classroom teachers' role in curriculum development has evolved in the following stages: (a) that of limited participation; (b) that of sharing in curriculum development as a member of a curriculum revision com mittee ; (c) that of curriculum developed in part by spe cialists and educational psychologists for teachers to implement; (d) that of classroom teachers involved as members of a team. The review of literature also revealed the need for a definite curriculum role description for the teacher. The role of an effective classroom teacher was reported to appear to be associated with the teacher's degree of participation in different phases of curriculum development. The purposes of this study were: (a) to determine if differences exist among elementary school teachers in terms of their attitude toward curriculum planning, use, adaptation of curriculum content, and curriculum role patterns with regard to selected independent variables such as sex, ethnicity, teaching experience, grade level, and education; and (b) to determine if any relationship exists between attitude toward participation in curriculum planning, use, adaptation of curriculum content, curric ulum role pattern, and teaching experience, grade level, and education. The study was designed to answer the following questions: With regard to sex, ethnicity, teaching experience, grade level, and education among elementary school teachers? Are there differences in attitude toward participation in curriculum planning? Are there differences in attitude toward curriculum use? Are there differences in adaptation of curriculum content? Are there differences in curriculum role patterns? With regard to teaching experience, grade level, and edu cation? Is there a relationship between curriculum planning and these variables? Between curriculum use and these variables? Between adaptation of curriculum content and these variables? Between curriculum role pattern and these variables?