The impact of teacher characteristics on teacher performance and student achievement: A judgment study of principals and superintendents

• Main Author: Bowers, Mary Beth
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2006
• Subjects: Educational administration; School administration; Teacher education
• ISBN: 054270255X; 9780542702556

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the professional judgments of public school district and school-based administrators in one Southeastern state regarding the impact of teacher characteristics, commonly found in the literature, on teacher performance and student achievement. Each factor fell into the rubric of one of three broad categories: (a) teacher background and professional preparation, (b) teacher personality and behavior, and (c) teacher practices. Additionally, the respondents were asked if teacher certification and subject matter knowledge, linchpins of current federal legislation to improve teacher quality, were effective measures in improving teacher performance and student achievement. The data were collected through an electronic survey posted on the professional emails of 651 principals and 134 superintendents. Data were analyzed for the whole leader group, as well as for variance contained within the responses of the following two subgroups: (a) principals and superintendents, and (b) elementary, middle, and high school principals. Data received through the solicitation of comments in the survey, as well as through emails to the researcher, were coded for common themes and were included in the analysis of the data. Generally, the leaders who responded to this survey indicated that the factors associated with Teacher Practices, and Teacher Personality and Behavior were the most important indicators of quality teacher performance and improved student achievement. Within these categories, a caring attitude towards students stood out as a factor considered of utmost importance by all leaders. Factors associated with Teacher Background and Professional Preparation were considered to be of the least importance; however, within this rubric, a teacher's subject matter knowledge was considered the single most important factor contributing to teacher performance in the classroom and student achievement. Perhaps just as notable are two factors within these categories that did not receive support: The monitoring of student progress and behavior, and certification. Still, when asked about the impact of certification on teacher performance and student achievement, the leaders expressed overwhelming support for this factor as a measure to raise the quality of teachers; and remained adamant in their support of teacher subject matter knowledge. Open-ended response data indicated that the majority of leaders from all groups supported certification and subject matter knowledge as measures to improve teacher quality, however, many objected to the consideration of these factors to the exclusion of other defined within this study. Leaders' judgments provide a perspective on teacher quality characteristics currently lacking in research on the topic. Recommendations for policymakers and teacher preparation programs regarding the implications of the study for future and practice are included. Recommendations for future study include a methodology that contains a stronger qualitative piece, expanded use of the demographic data, and repeating the research in the future to determine change in leaders' judgments as their demographics change, and the results of the policy mandates become clear.