Exploring “the Ripple in the Pond”: What Do We Know About Teacher Change Agents?

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: Investigations of Teacher Education Program Design and Innovations

Abstract

This study attempted to determine whether there was a relationship between the demographic variables of age, gender, years of teaching experience, grade level taught, and primary teaching responsibility and scores on the Teacher Change Agent Scale (TCAS), its subscales, and individual items. Bivariate correlations and means comparison (ANOVA) were used to analyze the responses of 652 teachers. Results indicate that: a teacher’s age is negatively correlated with teacher change agency and membership in a professional community, grade level influences a teacher’s overall mean score, and all teachers need support in working effectively with their colleagues. Implications of these findings for teacher education programs and specific recommendations for helping teacher change agents work for the public good are discussed.

Author

• Karrin Lukacs, Shenandoah University