Educational Reform: A Case Study of Teachers’ Attitudes, Perceptions, and Engagement Throughout Curricular Reform

Author

G. Colin CastelowFollow

Date of Successful Defense

7-8-2014

Date Degree Awarded

8-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Education (M.Ed.)

School/Department

Education

Advisor

Timothy Heaton, Ph.D.

Keywords

Curricular Reform, Concerns-Based Adaptation Model, Understanding by Design, Leadership

Abstract

This applied research project uses a mixed method approach to analyze curricular reform at a private Christian school in Chesapeake, Virginia. The study aimed to answer two questions regarding curricular reform at the school. Are the teachers seeking to improve the curriculum to which they have been entrusted? Have their attitudes and perceptions regarding the change in template evolved over time? Using the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, two separate surveys were coded based on the model’s Stages of Concern and Levels of Use. An initial teacher survey provided data and open-ended responses on the participant’s willingness to implement the reformed device. The follow-up survey provided data on the participants’ perceived evolution of attitude relative to the reform measure. Furthermore the follow-up survey provided open-ended responses by which the participants’ engagement with the unit plan was evaluated. The analysis of both data and participants’ statements resulted in confirmation of principles previously establish in published literature regarding educational reform: including the principles of contradiction, resistance, and perspective. Thus the findings suggest that the administration target select areas of the unit plan in order to clarify teacher misconceptions and to further improve teacher engagement.

DOI

10.15385/tmed.2014.9

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Castelow, G. Colin, "Educational Reform: A Case Study of Teachers’ Attitudes, Perceptions, and Engagement Throughout Curricular Reform" (2014). Master of Education Research Theses. 73.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/education_theses/73