Academic performance in cohort-based preservice teacher education programs

In an ex post facto causal-comparative research design, this study investigated whether or not candidates who graduated from an NCATE accredited teacher education program (TEP) were affected by the type of delivery model (cohort vs. non-cohort) they experienced as undergraduate elementary education majors, as assessed by their performance outcome scores on the Praxis II PLT exam. The key independent variable for this study was the participation of candidates in a cohort or non-cohort model. The dependent variable for this study was the score earned by each candidate on the PLT. This study also focused on how Praxis II scores were influenced by extraneous variables such as ACT scores, age groups, gender, and TEP entry GPA. Using a quantitative treatment of data, a sample was taken from all K-8/K-6 majors at the cooperating institution of higher education from Spring 2005 to Spring 2010. The resulting sample consisted of 99 male and 1,062 female candidates. Of the 1,161 candidates, 717 participated in a cohort delivery model, while 444 were enrolled in a non-cohort model delivered on the main Institution of Higher Education (IHE) campus. Three out of five hypotheses were rejected in this study. ANOVAs were performed at the α=.025 level and the α=.05 level of significance to investigate differences in candidate scores on the Praxis II PLT exam between a non-cohort group and comparable cohort groups based on extraneous variables such as ACT scores, age groups, gender, and TEP entry GPA. When comparing candidate PLT scores between the non-cohort group and cohort groups, significance was found in three areas of the study. One recommendation for practice is that teacher education programs need continued research in the area of professional learning communities (cohorts) in order to identify the areas that need to be strengthened in the preparation of pre-service teachers. A recommendation for further research is that a longitudinal project involving qualitative research should be considered. This research should include inquiries into the areas of program satisfaction, self-efficacy, team collaboration, and peer mentoring in order to make an informed decision concerning the effectiveness of the cohort delivery model