Changing Teacher Time

ABSTRACT

Studies on special education teacher time use (TTU) have indicated that special education teachers spend small percentages of their day teaching. The authors examined goal setting and self-monitoring to change the time use of 4 teachers. In terms of TTU, each teacher articulated goals for increasing some tasks (e.g., instruction) and decreasing others (e.g., paperwork). Data indicated that self-monitoring of time use produced medium and moderate effects for 1 teacher and small effects for another. Data for the 2 other teachers suggested that there are institutional barriers to increasing instructional time, even for highly motivated teachers. This unique and preliminary study on changing TTU articulated teacher beliefs regarding barriers to changing teacher time. In addition, this study mirrored R. Ingersoll's (1996, 2003) theoretical work, which indicated that teachers across the United States work every day in conditions shaped and controlled by a system that they do not control.

KEYWORDS:

• barriers
• self-monitoring
• special education
• teachers
• teacher time

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Lunda Ramsey, Daniel Wright, Ben Mason, and Shanna Hagan-Burke for their contributions to the present study.

Notes

^aModerate effect size.

^bSmall effect size.

^cNonsignificant effect size.

^aMedium effect size.

^bSmall effect size.

^cNonsignificant effect size.

^aModerate effect size.

^bMedium effect size.

^cSmall effect size.

^dNonsignificant effect size.