A STUDY OF THE INSERVICE TRAINING NEEDS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN ATHENS,GREECE BASED ON PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS

Abstract

THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY WERE TO: 1) DETERMINE WHAT TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS PERCEIVE TO BE INSERVICE TRAINING NEEDS OF SECONDARY TEACHERS; 2) IDENTIFY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES THAT MAY EXIST AMONG SECONDARY TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF INSERVICE TRAINING NEEDS BASED UPON FOUR DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES: SEX, GRADE LEVEL, YEARS OF TEACHING EXPERIENCE, AND AREA OF SPECIALIZATION; 3) DETERMINE IF SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES EXIST AMONG SECONDARY PRINCIPALS' PERCEPTIONS OF INSERVICE TRAINING NEEDS BASED UPON AREA OF SPECIALIZATION AND YEARS OF ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE. THE SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 431 TEACHERS AND 36 PRINCIPALS IN 40 RANDOMLY SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ATHENS, GREECE. THE TEACHER NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY DEVELOPED BY DR. GARY INGERSOLL, AND A DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE WERE UTILIZED. SEVEN HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED TO DETERMINE IF DIFFERENCES EXISTED AMONG THE DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES WITH RESPECT TO SEVEN INSERVICE TRAINING AREAS. THE FINDINGS REVEALED THAT TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS RANK - ORDERED THE SEVEN AREAS AS: 1) AREA 2--PLANNING INSTRUCTION; 2) AREA 3--CONDUCTING AND IMPLEMENTING INSTRUCTION; 3) AREA 1--ASSESSING AND EVALUATING STUDENT BEHAVIOR;4) AREA 7--DEVELOPING PUPIL SELF; 5) AREA 4-- PERFORMING ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES; 6) AREA 5--COMMUNICATING AND INTERACTING; 7) AREA 6--DEVELOPING PERSONAL SKILLS. THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT T - TEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SECONDARY PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS WAS IN AREA 5. THE FOUR - WAY ANOVA FOUND A SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECTFOR TEACHERS WITH AREA OF SPECIALIZATION IN AREAS 3 AND 4. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)