CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING TEACHING BEHAVIORS OF COLLEGE WRITING INSTRUCTORS
Abstract
This study has a twofold purpose: Instructional supervisors and college writing teachers were to rank their perceptions of behaviors characteristic of effective college writing teachers from which criteria could be deduced and used to measure teaching effectiveness in college teaching of writing. A second purpose was to demonstrate the use of the Delphi Technique in achieving revisionism, a synthesis of choices between scientific management and management by human relations under which 56 statements of three general teaching models were classified. From analyses of the data, the inference was made that the synthesis characteristic of two management modes project a more accurate and objective description of what current college writing teachers and instructional supervisors perceive effective college teaching of writing to be. From 73 different colleges in 35 different states, 102 respondents (55 college writing teachers and 47 instructional supervisors), identified as experts in the domain of language arts, were instructed in the procedures for completing a questionnaire designed especially for this study to rank and rate 56 statements, 28 characteristic of scientific management, and 28 characteristic of management by human relations. Using the Delphi Technique, consensus among the 102 respondents was achieved in two rounds. In the first round, there was disagreement among teachers on 21 statements; on 22 among supervisors; and on 25 for the total group. In the second round, 53 statements achieved consensus for supervisors; 55 statements for writing teachers; and all 56 statements for the total group. A plurality of statements characteristic of management by human relations were ranked to be of highest and major importance. From the consensus, an inference of what constitutes an effective writing teacher could be made. Thus, the effectiveness of teaching college writing can be defined and measured. The effective college writing teacher shows enthusiasm for teaching writing; uses standard speech; is emotionally stable; and attends class regularly. S/he consistently plans instruction; and uses concepts, skills, and theories pertaining to the teaching of writing to help students develop positive feelings of themselves and life in general.
Subject Area
Teacher education
Recommended Citation
RIVERS, LOUIS, "CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING TEACHING BEHAVIORS OF COLLEGE WRITING INSTRUCTORS" (1985). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8508126.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8508126
