Differences in pupil control ideology : an analysis of the pupil control attitudes of student-teachers at Memorial University of Newfoundland

Walker, Dorothy Jean (1973) Differences in pupil control ideology : an analysis of the pupil control attitudes of student-teachers at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

One of the most critical components of the competent teacher is his/her attitude toward children. All facets of teacher-training programs then, should be research in terms of their effect on the attitudes of the participants. Because of this importance of these attitudes, this study focuses on a comparison between student-teachers in the first undergraduate year and those in the final undergraduate year of their preparation program, in an attempt to discover what attitudes toward pupil control are crystallized and/or developed by student-teachers during the training period. -- The major problem of this study was to determine whether there were differences between the attitudes toward pupil control of junior and senior students in teacher-training, and to show the relationships between such differences of attitudes and certain situational factors or variables. It was hypothesized that the attitudes of junior (first year) student-teachers toward pupil control would be different from those of senior (fourth and/or fifth year) student-teachers, in that the attitudes of the latter would be more humanistic. -- The 322 student-teachers who were randomly selected to participate in the study were requested to complete two questionnaires dealing with certain aspects of pupil control. Form A of the Pupil Control Ideology Instrument consisted of 20 items and the response categories were scored 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, on a continuum ranging from extreme custodialism to extreme humanism. Form B of the instrument contained 60 items and was used to measure other aspects of pupil control ideology not measured by Form A. On each form of the instrument, the lower the score obtained the more humanistic the respondent was deemed to be. -- As hypothesized, there were significant differences in the attitudes toward pupil control of junior and senior student-teachers, in that the attitudes of the latter were much more humanistic, even when controlling for the variable, years of teaching experience. -- The implications of this study are quite clear. Student-teachers who had spent four or five years at Memorial University of Newfoundland had mellowed somewhat in their attitudes toward instruction and guidance of pupils at school, school discipline and general views on child psychology, when compared with student-teachers who were just starting their training at the institution. Thus, undergraduate training had a considerable impact upon the socialization of student-teachers with respect to their attitudes toward pupil control or their pupil control ideology.

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