Analysis Of Team Teaching Dimensions In Selected Elementary Schools

Although team teaching has been researched by many authorities, the use of descriptive personality factors (attitudes), as predictors of high performing team teaching teams (as determined by outcome measures) needs to be examined. This study attempted to use descriptive personality factors to distinguish between high and low performing teaching teams. Personality factors were used to form three groups (indicated high performing, indicated average performing, and indicated low performing). These groups were studied to identify differences in student outcome measures of achievement, attitudes, attendance, and discipline. In addition, the groups were studied to identify differences in teacher background with respect to years in teaching, years in team teaching, formal preparation for team teaching, educational degree, age, and sex.Despite the fact that the groups were measurably different with respect to personality factors, there was no significant difference amoung the groups in measured student achievement, attitudes, attendance, and discipline. In addition, there was no significant difference in teacher background. When compared with the population of students (team taught and non-team taught) from which the groups were drawn, there was no significant difference in measured student achievement, attitudes, attendance, and discipline.In reviewing the findings, the investigator observed that despite the ability to discriminate among teaching teams, the descriptive personality measures employed provided no information predictive of high performance as measured by student achievement, attitudes, attendance, and discipline. The findings affirmed team teaching to be an equally-effective teaching method when compared with lone-teacher teaching as measured by the same student achievement, attitudes, attendance, and discipline. Based on these observations, the investigator made recommendations on further research of affective predictors of high performing team teaching and ways to enhance the challenging alternative and equally effective method of team teaching