Teachers' perception of the required staff development program in two selected middle schools, 1994

The purpose of this study was to examine key factors affecting teachers' perception of the required staff development program. The study also looked at how these factors influenced teachers' perception. Seventy-four Fulton County Middle School classroom teachers were selected to participate in this study. The study sought to determine if there was a difference in the perception of teachers from a low socioeconomic middle school and teachers' perception from a high socioeconomic middle school regarding the staff development program. Data were compiled from each teacher covering eight factors. They were: less than five years experience, six or more years experience, retirement plan, scheduling of sessions, starting time of sessions, knowledge, teacher participation and accessibility. The t-test of independence was the statistical tool used to analyze the data. The frequency analysis was used to present demographic data. The findings of this study indicated that there were no significant differences between teachers' perception in a low socioeconomic middle school and teachers' perception in a high socioeconomic middle school for these factors: less than five years experience, six or more years experience, retirement plan, scheduling of sessions, knowledge, teacher participation, and accessibility. However, the study did conclude that there was a significant difference between teachers' perception regarding the starting time of sessions in the overall staff development program