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Dissertation Information for Beverly E. Cross

NAME:
- Beverly E. Cross

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Education

SCHOOL:
- The Ohio State University (USA) (1992)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: Teachers' practical knowledge during curriculum planning in a professional development school

Abstract: "This study investigated teachers' practical knowledge in the context of curriculum planning. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between teachers' practical knowledge and curriculum planning in context with implementation of school reform tenets, school philosophical ideals, and graded course of study objectives. Four high school teachers working as an interdisciplinary team participated in the study. (The team represented the curriculum areas of English, social studies, science, and mathematics). The administrators in the school district had selected tenets from Theodore Sizer's Coalition of Essential Schools to frame the professional development school. The focus of the study was on the teachers' daily planning as they made curriculum decisions for their students to meet the intent of the reform tenets, a new school philosophy, and courses of study.

The study was designed to obtain the participants' perspectives on the following research questions: (1) the nature of their practical knowledge, (2) the relationship between their practical knowledge and the reform tenets, (3) the teachers' roles in curriculum planning while implementing school reform, (4) influences of curricular artifacts on curriculum planning, and (5) influence of practical knowledge on teachers as curriculum planners.

The research design was based on qualitative research processes. The data collection methods included participant observation, interviews, and document analysis with the teachers for the summer and first semester of the academic year prior to implementation of school reform.

The results provided indication that (1) reflection on and analysis of teachers' practical knowledge is necessarily concomitant with school change and improvement. (2) Environments where teachers can engage in continuous curriculum planning are important to them being reflective about their practical knowledge and linking this knowledge to their work and consequences. (3) Analysis of teachers' practical knowledge can be instrumental in changing schools as organizations as teachers challenge predominant knowledge structures.

Implications from the study are related to the need for educational environments that are characterized by: encouragement for teachers to divulge the relationship of their practical knowledge to their work, acknowledgment and respect for teachers' practical knowledge as important to the work of teachers and schools, reflection on the values, beliefs, and thoughts of teachers and how these relate to the school as an organization, variability of teachers' roles in schools as important for reflective environments, administrators and supervisors who are involved in setting visions and supporting change in schools as important in establishing reflective environments."

MPACT Scores for Beverly E. Cross

A = 0
C = 1
A+C = 1
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:33:13

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