The effects of a training program in improving instructional competencies for special education resource room teachers in Jordan
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Date
2007
Authors
Ahmad Al-Zoubi, Suhail Mahmoud
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
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Abstract
The purposes of this study were to construct a training program based on
instructional competencies and to measure its effects in improving these
competencies for special education resource room teachers in Jordan. The
researcher constructed the training program module. The module, which consisted
of eleven training units, covered four domains: planning, instruction and classroom
management, evaluation, and personal and professional competencies. Three
instruments were developed to measure the instructional competencies, namely,
an achievement test, a classroom observation scale, and interviews protocol.
These instruments were applied to the sample of the study as both pretest and
posttest.
The population of the study consisted of 87 resource room teachers working
in seven educational directorates within Irbid governorate, Jordan. The sample of
the study consisted of 50 male and female teachers chosen according to the
stratified random sampling procedures. The participants of the sample were
distributed into two equal groups, with 25 teachers in each group. After that, one
group was randomly chosen to be the experimental group, and the other one to be
the control group. The teachers in the experimental group were attached with the
training program module for five weeks; whereas the teachers in the control group
were exposed for the same period to the conventional training program adopted
and conducted by the Jordanian Ministry of Education. The nonequivalent (pretest
and posttest) control group design, which is a popular approach to the quasiexperimental
statistical research, was used in the study.
This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative
analyses were carried out using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to measure the
effects of the training program in improving knowledge and performance
competencies. The results revealed that there were statistically significant
differences at the level p<.05 between the means of the two groups' performance
on the post-achievement test and the post-observation scale, favoring to the
experimental group. The 4-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed no
statistically significant differences at the level p<.05 between the means of the two
groups' performance on post-achievement test and post-observation scale
attributed to gender, specialization, qualification, and teaching experience.
On the other hand, the results of qualitative data analysis, that utilized
classroom observation and interview methods held with the two groups, also
showed significantly better performances of the experimental group teachers than
of the control group in improving the measured instructional competencies.
Description
PhD
Keywords
Education , Training program , Resource room teachers , Special education