A study to determine factors influencing attitude change of student teachers in the elementary school

The purpose of this study was to determine factors or combination of factors which significantly influence attitude change of student teachers toward children in an interpersonal classroom relationship. Procedures. Student teachers participating in the student teaching program at the University of Houston during the Fall Semester 1969 provided the sample. The Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory (MTAI) was used to obtain a residual gain score of attitude change of student teachers toward children in an interpersonal classroom relationship. The students were tested with this instrument before entering the student teaching experience and again upon completion of their ten-week experience. Using the linear regression technique, a predicted posttest score was obtained. This score was subtracted from the actual post-test score, and the resulting residual gain was obtained. It was hypothesized that the following independent variables would correlate highly with this residual gain score and, therefore, would significantly influence attitude change: Eleven items of background information contained in a student teacher questionnaire; a three-item cooperating teacher questionnaire which included age; number of years teaching experience, and income level of the cooperating school community; the National Teacher Examination scores of the student teachers; their scores on the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS); and the attitudes of a sampling of sixty cooperating teachers (as measured by the MTAI). The data were processed through the Scientific Data System Sigma 7 in the University of Houston Computer Center. Computations were performed using a modification of the PERSUB program. [...]Education, College o