Teacher Comparisons Part 6

The questionnaires were completed by all subjects during a seven week period between April 10 and May 26, 1995. The author did not administer any of the questionnaires, eliminating the possibility of any experimenter bias that may have existed. The questionnaires were administered by confederates in Scotland and America. Instructions were kept to a minimum with emphasis being given only to the requested honesty of the responses. Individual questionnaires took approximately twenty minutes to complete.

The item values for each item on the questionnaire were totaled and comprised the composite teacher efficacy score for each subject. The composite scores were analyzed using a 2 x 2 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Teacher nationality (Scottish and American) and leacher type (pre-service and in-service) were compared on the variable of teacher efficacy.

Following an analysis of the ANOVA results, t tests were conducted to determine the significance of the differences between Scottish pre-service and Scottish in-service teachers and between American pre-service and in-service teachers. This was determined to be appropriate because the main effects difference on teacher type was found to be significant.

In addition means were determined for the demographic items of age, degree status, and teaching experience. A one-way ANOVA was conducted on these variables along with Scheffe tests where appropriate. The demographic item of gender was excluded because females constituted such an overwhelming percentage of the sample.

Results

The 2x2 ANOVA resulted in a main effects difference that was significant (p[less than].001). The variable of country proved not to be significant, but the variable of teacher type yielded differences that were highly significant (p[less than].001). The interaction effects did not produce any differences which were significant (see Table 1).

Once it was determined that the variable of teacher type produced the only differences which were significant, t tests were conducted to role out the possibility that this main effects difference was attributable to one country but not the other. Even though the variable of country did not produce amain effects difference that was significant, the difference of one country could have been so much greater than the other country that it could explain the main effects difference on the variable of teacher type.

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