Professional sharing patterns and attitudes among elementary classroom teachers

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1982
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Engstrom, Dorothy
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Education
Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study professional sharing patterns and attitudes toward sharing among elementary school teachers. Differences among patterns of sharing emotional support, teaching ideas and teaching materials were investigated as well as the influence of teaching experience, teaching assignment and environment on sharing patterns and attitudes. The sample population consisted of 293 elementary teachers from buildings with traditional K-6 organization. Data were gathered by means of a self-report questionnaire. Eight hypotheses were tested, p < .05. Findings indicate that teachers share emotional support with more teachers than they do teaching ideas, and share materials with fewer teachers than either support or ideas. Teachers tend to restrict all types of sharing to others with similar assignments. When sharing does occur between teachers with different assignments, it is most often for emotional support and least often for materials. There is a closer relationships between teachers selected to share emotional support and those selected for social contact than between those selected for social contact and either ideas or materials. Experienced teachers give support, ideas, and materials to a greater number of teachers than the number from whom they receive support, ideas and materials. Teachers request emotional support from other teachers more frequently than either teaching ideas or materials. Decisions on whether to share are influenced more by feelings of personal closeness than by fear of rejection, expectation of recognition, or feelings of ownership. Teachers name environmental factors as barriers to sharing more often than personal or interpersonal factors. Teachers who perceive that sharing is encouraged within their buildings are more satisfied with the amount of sharing present within the building. Conclusions drawn indicate that teachers express willingness to share but are given little encouragement or reward for doing so. Furthermore, if sharing beyond a superficial level is desired, environmental barriers must be minimized, feelings of personal closeness must be enhanced, and subject/grade divisions must be bridged.

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Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 1982