A scale of student teaching concerns #opSSTC#cp

Abstract

The reliability and validity of a Scale of Student Teaching Concerns #opSSTC#cp, developed to assess the progress of teacher development among early childhood teachers in training, based on Katz's #op1972#cp theoretical ideas, were tested using 107 student teachers enrolled at two different levels #opi.e., beginning and advanced#cp of similar teacher training programs in seven universities and community colleges across the western U.S.A. Application of factor analyses to subjects’ responses to items in the SSTC led to the emergence of four major factors, including Survival, Consolidation, Renewal, and Maturity Concerns. Item‐total score correlation and Cronbach alpha coefficients computed for each factor were relatively high, indicating the items within each factor to be relatively homogeneous. In addition, application of a one‐way #opi.e., training levels#cp multivariate analysis of variance applied to the data revealed all four of the SSTC factors significantly discriminated between beginning and advanced level student teachers, with beginning students expressing more concerns than advanced level students. Results suggested that while the teaching concerns included in the SSTC were reminiscent of the content of Katz's #op1972#cp theoretical ideas, they did not provide clear support for her ideas about the developmental nature of teacher development associated with these concerns among early childhood student teachers.

Key Words:

• Student Teaching Concerns

Notes

¹ Human Development and Family Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alan I. Sugawara ¹

1 Human Development and Family Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA