Characteristics and Perceived Effectiveness of Staff Development Practices in Selected High Schools in South Dakota

The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics and perceived effectiveness of staff development practices in selected high schools in South Dakota. The review of literature and research related to staff development examined the following questions: What types of staff development practices are being employed to encourage and promote the professional growth of teachers? In which types of staff development activities have teachers participated during the past two years? How are staff development activities planned? Who comprises the planning committee for staff development? What types of planned evaluation of staff development activities are utilized? How much input do teachers feel they have in planning, and implementing staff development activities? The analysis of the data suggested that well organized meetings that are short and to the point with practical information that teachers can take to their classrooms are among the staff development practices that teachers prefer. The primary recommendation to emerge from the study focused on increased involvement and cooperation among teachers and principals in planning, implementing, and evaluating staff development activities Significance of the Study Information from this study will assist practitioners in determining the philosophy, understandings, and perceptions of staff development practices in selected high schools in South Dakota. The study developed a descriptive profile of staff development programs in selected high schools in South Dakota. This study also serves as an impetus for further research on staff development practices in South Dakota. Methods and Procedures The population for the study included all full-time high school teachers in South Dakota. It also included all grade-level and subject area teachers within the selected high schools. A list of all high school teachers and their schools was obtained from the South Dakota Department of Education. A sample of ten teachers from forty schools were randomly selected to participate in the study. A random sample was conducted to ensure that each member of the population had an equal chance of being chosen for the sample. All schools and teachers within each school were ordered alphabetically and assigned consecutive numbers. An identification number was assigned to each high school in the population to be studied. Using a table of random numbers, forty schools were selected from the school directory. Ten teachers from each of the forty schools were randomly selected from a table of random numbers. The survey contained twenty-two items formulated to answer each of the specific research questions posed for this study. Section 1 of the instrument consisted of demographic items using a check-list response format. Section 2 of the survey consisted of seven items related to staff development practices within respondents' schools. Responses to items in section 2 were gathered using the Likert scale format. Participants responded to the questions using a five-point Likert scale ranging from Not At all to Very Much. The final section consisted of eleven openended questions regarding staff development practices within each of the respondent's schools. Instrumentation Considering the nature of the study and the population to be surveyed, a mailed survey provided the best method of data collection (Wiersma, 1995). The data-collecting instrument contained survey items formulated to answer each of the specific research questions posed for this study. section 1 of the instrument consisted of demographic items using a check-list response format. Demographic information included years of experience, age range, highest degree earned, and gender. Section 2 of the survey consisted of seven items related to staff development practices within respondents schools. Responses to items in section 2 were gathered using the Likert scale format in which the following response options were available: 1) = Not At All, (2) = A Little, (3) = A Fair Amount, (4) = Much, and (5) = Very Much. …