study comparing the opinions of elementary teachers in the La Crosse public schools and opinions of elementary principals concerning in-service education in reading

Abstract

Statement of the Problem: It was the purpose of this study to identify the opinions of the elementary classroom teachers and principals in the La Crosse Public Schools in regard to specific aspects of in-service education in reading. Methods and Procedures: A questionnaire of sixty-six items was devised with four aspects of in-service education in reading included: 1. The needs of the respondents for knowledge, understanding, and skills that can be met by in-service. 2. The relative importance of other factors in the improvement of reading instruction in comparison with the importance of in-service. 3. The evaluation of recent in-service education in reading, using criteria set up by authorities in the field of in-service. 4. The preferences of the respondents for several ways in which in-service education can be presented. Principals and teachers were also asked to list additional topics for in-service and additional ways they would like to see in-service education in reading presented. These were the only open ended items. All (eleven) of the elementary principals and 69 percent (119) of the elementary classroom teachers participated in the survey with representation from each of the fourteen schools. Findings of the Study: Marked similarities in the opinions of principals and teachers concerning their own needs that could be met through in-service were prevalent. Among the aspects of reading instruction for which a large percentage of principals and teachers expressed a great need or some need for understanding were: (1) corrective and remedial reading instruction, and (2) diagnosis of reading needs. There was a very low correlation between the principals' and teachers' judgments of upper- grade and middle-grade teachers' needs, and a relatively high correlation between principals' and teachers' judgments concerning primary teachers' needs. None of the seven factors in the improvement of reading instruction was considered of less importance (by the majority of respondents) than in-service in the improvement of reading instruction. Most principals and teachers agreed that past in-service education had failed to meet the criteria set up by authorities in the field. Most also agreed in their preference for classes or workshops for university credit as a form of in-service education in reading