Influences on teachers' instructional practices in one elementary school

The condition of teaching and learning in American public schools has been under attack not only recently but the since the turn of the century. There have been many attempts to reform and change the educational system over the last 90 years. Attempts at change have focused on programs, procedures, or policies; however, there has been very little lasting change in teachers' instructional practices despite the development and implementation of numerous educational change models.The purpose of this case study was to describe how five teachers' instructional practices and beliefs changed over a five-year period in one elementary school. This study also explored the link between educational reform initiatives at the school and changes in teachers' instructional practices. Initial interviews were conducted with 13 teachers. From these initial interviews, five teachers were selected for in-depth interviewing and classroom observations. Four classroom teachers and one physical education teacher were selected for this descriptive case study.This study indicated that all of the teachers in the study had changed their teaching practices over the five-year period; however, the types and degree of change varied among the teachers. Some of them made philosophical and substantive changes in their teaching practices and some made changes that were more structural in nature.The teachers' practices were influenced by a variety of external factors which included the needs of students, the principal, collaboration with colleagues, staff development opportunities, college classes, and involvement in the Accelerated Schools Process. In addition to external influences, teachers' personal predispositions and internal influences (e.g., critical and reflective nature) appeared to affect the degree to which reform initiatives and innovative instructional strategies were implemented into an individual teacher's practices.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio