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# The 1994 NAEP Teacher Background Questionnaire

Vol. 1, No. 2

October 1994

(NCES 94-666) Ordering Information

In spring 1994, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)collected information on student achievement in reading, U.S. history, andgeography at grades 4, 8, and 12. To provide a context for interpreting NAEPfindings, the project also collected background information from students,teachers, and school administrators, using separate questionnaires.

This *Focus on* NAEP describes the NAEP teacher backgroundquestionnaire: How were the questions developed? What are the types ofquestions? How are they used?

Teachers selected to answer background questions are those who teach classescontaining one or more students participating in the assessment. Because thesampling for the teacher questionnaire is based on participating students, theresponses do not represent all teachers in the nation or a state. Rather, thesample consists of teachers of the representative sample of students assessed.

The teacher questionnaire is given to teachers of assessed students atgrades 4 and 8 only. At grade 12, relatively few students take the assessedsubject areas of reading, U.S. history, and geography; therefore, the teachersample sizes are insufficiently large to give the questionnaire. Thequestionnaire has two sections. The first focuses on teachers' background,education, resources, and preparation for teaching in specific subject areas.The second focuses on classroom information including instructional content andpractices related to each subject area.

## Development of Teacher Background Questions

NAEP's teacher background questions (along with the background questions forstudents and school administrators) are developed through a broad-basedconsensus process. For the 1994 assessment, information was gathered aboutappropriate background

variables from many sources. NAEP's governing board convened nationalconsensus committees of teachers, scholars, business representatives,policymakers, measurement specialists, and members of the public to recommendbackground variables for study. Once developed, this information, together withthe 1992 background questionnaires, was submitted for mail review to 30education professionals.

A 10-member Background Questionnaire Committee, including a member of eachsubject area committee and 7 education professionals who had participated in themail review, was convened by Educational Testing Service, the NAEP grantee, tohelp develop and revise the questionnaires for the 1994 assessment.Subject-specific questions were developed and reviewed by members of theInstrument Development Committee in all three subject areas. Finally, staterepresentatives

belonging to the NAEP Trial State Assessment NETWORK reviewed them. Afterthey were reviewed and cleared by the Office of Management and Budget, they werefield tested in actual classrooms in 1993 under conditions similar to those inthe actual 1994 assessment.

The individuals and committees who developed the 1994 background questionswere instructed to include only factors identified by NAEP and other studies tobe important to student learning and of current interest to policymakers,researchers, and content-area educators. To maintain NAEP's ability to reporttrends over time, many NAEP teacher background questions were drawn from priorassessments.

In sum, the teacher questionnaire is the product of extensive reviews anddeliberations by many groups of individuals, with expertise in classroomteaching, survey methodology, policy analysis, and educational research.

## Dimensions of Teacher Background Questions

Table 1 is a matrix for conceptualizing the type,content, and uses of the teacher background questions. The first dimensionspecifies three analysis issues that background questions address including *instructionalcontent, instructional practices, and teacher background, education, andresources*. The second dimension specifies the purposes of the questions:*to describe existing educational conditions, instructional factors bydemographic subgroup, trends in instruction, relation of instruction toperformance*, and *changes in performance in relation to trends ininstruction*. The intersecting cells of the matrix provide examples ofresearch questions that may be examined under this conceptual framework.

## Analysis Issues

The three types of background questions-*instructional content,instructional practices, and teacher background education, and resources*-arebroad and inclusive enough to address the needs, interests, and concerns of NAEPaudiences. Knowing what content and instructional methods students have beenexposed to in the classroom is essential to interpreting the assessment results,particularly when comparing student groups. 
```
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Table 1****.-The NAEP teacher background questionnaire: Analysis issues
                                                    and purposes**
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               **Analysis Issues**
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Purpose               Instructional             Instructional
                      content                   practices****Existing***What are teachers         How are students***educational***teaching?                 taught?***conditions****Instructional***How does instructional    How do instructional***factors by***content vary for          practices vary for***demographic***different groups          different groups***subgroup***of students?              of students?***Trends in***How has content           Have instructional***instruction***changed over time?        practices changed over time?***Relation of***Do students exposed       Do students exposed***instruction to***to particular material    to particular practices***performance***score higher?             score higher?***Changes in***Does performance          Does performance***performance in***change in relation        change in relation to***relation to trends***to changes in             to changes in***in instruction***instructional content?    instructional practices?*          
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Table 1.-Continued
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Analysis issues
----------------------------------------------------------------------------****Purpose****Teacher background****education, and resources****Existing***What kinds of educational***educational***and background experiences***conditions***do teachers bring to the classroom?***Instructional***Are specific groups of***factors by***students taught by teachers***demographic***with different backgrounds?***subgroup****Trends in***Have teacher characteristics***instruction***changed over time?***Relation of***Does relevant training***instruction to***and experience relate to***performance***better teaching?***Changes in***Does performance***performance in***change in relation to***relation to trends***changes in teacher***in instruction***characteristics?*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
```

***Instructional Content*.** Opportunities to learn are affectedby the content covered in the classroom. The curriculum may also be implementeddifferently by individual teachers in their classes. As a result, the extent towhich topics, concepts, and skills are covered may vary from teacher to teacherand class to class. Information about students' exposure to reading, U.S.history, and geography will answer many questions such as the following:
```
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Sample Instructional Content Questions
 
            What type of materials form the core of your reading
            programs? (primarily basal, primary trade books, etc.)
            [reading]

            Which best describes the focus of your social 
            studies/history teaching? (state history, etc) 
            [U.S. history]

            How often do you teach the following skills and topics
            as part of geography by instruction with this 
            class? (measuring distance on maps and globes, 
            finding places by using latitude and longitude, etc.)
            [geography]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
```

***Instructional Practices*.** Student learning is not basedsolely on exposure to content; teachers facilitate learning through manyinstructional practices and experiences. A few instructional practice questionscut across subject areas. Typically, these are grouping students according toability, amount of instructional time, and homework. Most instructional practicequestions posed to teachers, however, are subject specific. To gatherinformation about these subject-specific practices and experiences, teachers areasked questions such as the following:
```
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Sample Instruction Practice Questions

            How often do you ask students to explain or support
            their understanding of what they have read?
            [reading]

            How often do you engage your class in using primary
            historical documents, letters, diaries or essays
            written by historical figures?
            [U.S. history]

            How often do you take your class on field trips?
            [geography]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
```

***Teacher Background, Education and Resources*.** NAEP hasidentified the following characteristics that may differ among teachers: type ofcertification, highest academic degree, undergraduate and graduate major andminor, undergraduate and graduate courses, opportunities for staff development,and teaching experience. While credentials and staff development
```
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Sample Teacher Background, Education and 
                             Resource Questions

            Do you have teaching certification in any of the 
            following areas that is recognized by the state 
            in which you teach?

            What were your graduate major fields of study?
 
            During the past five years, have you participated 
            in courses or workshops in any of the following?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
```

## The Purposes of Teacher Background Questions

Table 1's second dimension presents the purposes ofthe information gathered by the teacher background questionnaire. The NAEPteacher background questionnaire makes it possible to provide descriptive dataabout existing educational conditions, instructional factors by demographicsubgroup, and trends in instruction. Also, information from the questionnaireprovides opportunities to explore relationships between performance andinstructional factors that may be associated with student achievement.

***Existing instructional conditions*.** NAEP can informeducational policy by collecting descriptive background information aboutexisting educational conditions, including instructional content, instructionalpractices, and teacher background, education, and resources. For example, it ispossible to investigate existing teaching practices in geography by askingteachers questions such as "How often do students go on field trips thatrelate to the study of geography?

***Instructional factors by demographic subgroups*.** NAEPcollects information on basic demographic variables including sex, region,race-ethnicity, type of community, type of school and parental education. NAEPcan tell us how aspects of education considered important are distributed amongdifferent groups of students. For example, "Are students in ruralcommunities typically taught by more experienced teachers?"

***Trends in instruction*.** A major purpose of the NAEP programis to measure change in student performance over time among groups of students.For example, "In what ways have reading materials changed over time?"

Comparative analyses of performance over two or more assessment cycles helpengage the nation in discussions concerning the condition of American education.These discussions, in turn, provide a context for considering educational policyissues that may result in improvements in educational practices.

***Relation of instruction to performance*.** Besides thedescriptive data, the background variables collected by NAEP are useful inproviding an overview of the most significant relationships between performanceand various background factors across schools for the nation as a whole andamong groups of students. For example a researcher may ask "Is there arelationship between assigning students to reading classes by ability and theiroverall reading performance?"

***Changes in performance in relation to trends in instruction*.**Finally, the NAEP data may reveal differences in patterns of achievement, givenchanges in instructional content, instructional strategies, and teachercharacteristics. For example, "Is the increase in the use of computersassociated with higher average proficiency scores?"

Yet analyzing relationships between performance and the teacher'sbackground, instructional content emphasis, and instructional practices does notreveal the underlying causes of the relationships. That is, without furtherinvestigation, it is impossible to know if, for example, certain instructionalapproaches have resulted in higher or lower performance. Nevertheless, theanalysis of the NAEP assessment data using background variables can beinformative when used in light of other knowledge from educational research.

## Appendix A. Selected Questions From NAEP Teacher Background Questionnaire

**Grade 4-Reading**

1.      How often do you do the following things as a part of readinginstruction with this class?

a.      Discuss new or difficult vocabulary.

b.      Ask students to talk to each other about what they have read.

c.      Ask students to work in a reading workbook or on a worksheet.

d.      Ask students to write about what they have read.

e.      Ask students to do a group activity or project about what they haveread.

f.      Ask students to read aloud.

g.      Ask students to read silently.

h.      Give students time to read books they have chosen themselves.

i.      Give reading quizzes or tests.

j.      Ask students to discuss different interpretations of what they haveread.

k.      Ask students to explain or support their understanding of what theyhave read.

**Grade 4-U.S. History**

1.      About how many weeks during the school year do you spend coveringthe following?

a.      Beginnings through the Revolution (e.g., colonization, settlement,revolution).

b.      The new Nation through the Civil War (e.g., expansion, reform,Crisis of the Union).

c.      The development of modem America (e.g., Reconstruction, industrialgrowth, U.S. role in world affairs, the Great Depression, the First and SecondWorld Wars, immigration).

d.      Contemporary America (e.g., civil rights movement, women's rightsmovement, Korean and Vietnam Wars, environmental movement).

2.      About how much do you emphasize the following historical theories?

a.      The development of American democracy and politics.

b.      The gathering and interactions of peoples, ideas, and cultures.

c.      The impact of economic and technological change.

d.      The changing role of the United States in the world.

**Grade 4-Geography**
      -       About how much time do you spend with this class for geographyinstruction in a typical week?
      -       About how much geography homework do you assign a student in thisclass each week?
      -       How often do your students complete projects that relate to the studyof geography?
      -       How often do your students participate in local state, or nationalgeography contests?
      -       How often do you use computers in the teaching of geography?
      -       Which of the following plays the central role in your geographycurriculum?
      -       How much do you like teaching geography?

## For Further Information

NAEP 1994 Reading Report Card, NCES 95-045. The complete, 179-page report.Includes all tables, explanatory data and an extensive collection of samplequestions. Single copies available free from the National Center for EducationStatistics, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20208-5653. Copies mayalso be obtained over the World Wide Web at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.

NAEP 1994 U.S. History Report Card, NCES 96-085. The complete, 155-pagereport. Includes all tables, explanatory data and an extensive collection ofsample questions. Single copies available free from the National Center forEducation Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20208-5653.Copies may also be obtained over the World Wide Web athttp://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.

NAEP 1994 Geography Report Card, NCES 96-087. The complete, 122-page report.Includes all tables, explanatory data and an extensive collection of samplequestions. Single copies available free from the National Center for EducationStatistics, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20208-5653. Copies mayalso be obtained over the World Wide Web at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.

## Note

*Focus on* NAEP is a series that briefly summarizes information aboutthe ongoing development and implementation of the National Assessment ofEducational Progress. The series is a product of the National Center forEducation Statistics (NCES), **Pat Forgione**, Commissioner, and **Gary W.Phillips**, Associate Commissioner for Education Assessment. This issue waswritten by **Sheida White.**

For questions about the content of this report, please contactSheida White at Sheida.White@ed.gov

----

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