effect on student teachers of the teaching behaviors of cooperating teachers, The

The cooperating teacher is a critical factor in the professional preparation of student teachers. Cooperating teachers have tremendous influence on the teaching behavior of students while student teaching and even after graduation as they begin their teaching career. This article analyzes the results of a study of student teachers' perceptions of cooperating teacher effective behaviors and practices that made significant impact on their experiences while student teaching. The results of the analysis of data are revealing: the student teachers perceive good classroom organization and planning as foremost among other exemplary qualities. The other qualities identified by the student teachers, in the order of preference or significance, are positive rapport with students, knowledge of subject matter, establishment of a daily routine, good classroom control and management, and compassion towards students. The article notes that college supervisors' awareness of these teacher behaviors and practices will be helpful in the identification of effective cooperating teachers and effective classrooms in which student teachers can be placed for a meaningful student teaching experience. Furthermore, it points out that student teachers perceptions of the effective behaviors of cooperating teachers can provide teacher educators additional insight for understanding the behavior of effective teachers.

Introduction Cooperating teachers play a significant role in the professional development and preparation of student teachers. When compared to class time, the student teacher spends more time with the cooperating teacher than any other individual instructor throughout the duration of the degree program. Roughly 1/3 (33%) of the student teacher's time of a teacher education program is spent with the cooperating teacher while the remaining 2/3 (67 %) is spent taking courses from twenty or more college professors who come from the different academic units prescribed for the undergraduate degree. Analyzed numerically, a student teacher spends eight hours a day, five days a week for sixteen weeks, which comes to a total of 1280 hours of student teaching experience. This overwhelming amount of time the student teacher spends under the tutelage of a cooperating teacher, makes the influence of the latter very critical. Besides the immense number of hours put into the experience, we also need to recognize the nature and quality of the work in which the student teacher is involved. Usually such work would include: 1. observing the cooperating teacher teaching, 2. helping the cooperating teacher to perform routine administrative duties, 3. learning classroom discipline and management strategies, and 4. learning to teach lessons. The student teacher also spends a lot of time working with the cooperating teacher planning weekly schedules and lessons, and discussing and getting feedback on teaching performance. In fact, during this close working relationship with the student teacher, the cooperating teacher is able to shape and influence the student teacher's thought processes and pedagogical choices (Medley, 1977; Comb, 1965; Copeland 1980). The student teacher completes the teaching assignment with a perception of teaching which is different from what she/he had at the onset of the assignment. They get to understand and appreciate the relationship between "theory" and "practice." Student teachers learn from the cooperating teacher, the teaching strategies and discipline techniques which work effectively in our contemporary schools. This learning process underscores the need for college supervisors and teacher educators to continue to study the classroom behaviors of cooperating teachers so as to improve not only teaching, but to understand the classroom behaviors of beginning teachers. The purpose of this study was to identify the behaviors and effective classroom practices that student teachers were learning from cooperating teachers. The author's decision to examine the issue from the perspectives of the student teacher was based on the fact that very few studies exist in the literature which try to link beginning or first year teachers' teaching styles with what they learned from cooperating teachers during student teaching. Moreover, it was the author's belief that student teachers could provide substantive information on effective behaviors of teachers. Student teachers' perceptions of effective practices and behaviors of cooperating teachers certainly will provide additional insights into the existing research findings on the qualities of effective teachers. It is therefore the objective of this study to identify the teaching behaviors and qualities of cooperating teachers that student teachers perceive as unique and which they believe would have a long-lasting impact on their own teaching. Research Method The data for this study was gathered from student teachers enrolled in the elementary and secondary education degree program in one of the state system universities in Pennsylvania from Fall 1992 through Spring 1994 (four semesters). The study sample consisted of fifty randomly selected student teachers. Of the fifty respondents, 60% were female (N=30) and 40% were male (N=20). The student teachers taught in classrooms which represented all grade levels (K-12).

A questionnaire was distributed to the students by the researcher. The student teachers were asked to respond to all of the items on the questionnaire and to return the completed questionnaire to the researcher on a date that had been scheduled for their regular student teachers' seminar. One of the items on the agenda at the seminar was a discussion of the questionnaire. As a result of this arrangement, there was a 100% return rate. Among the items on the questionnaire was an open-ended, free comment section in which respondents were asked to write a page about their student teaching experience. They were asked to identify an effective teaching behavior of their cooperating teacher that had made significant impact on them and which they might consider for adoption in their own classroom. In an earlier section of the questionnaire which solicited biographical information about the students and their cooperating teacher, the respondents were asked not to identify their cooperating teacher by name. After the questionnaire had been collected from the student teachers, they were given the opportunity to discuss and share with their colleagues some of the comments made on the questionnaire. This opportunity enabled student teachers to clarify in detail their understanding of terms, such as "teacher behavior", "effective teacher behavior", and "effective teaching". Moreover, the opportunity allowed follow-up questions concerned with identifying the nature of the student teachers' teaching experiences and the particular teaching assignment in which they had had the experience, including the grade level. Other topics explored included why they believed the cooperating teacher's behavior/style was unique; whether or not they believed the cooperating teacher's teaching behavior had beneficial outcomes for the pupils; and what the nature of the outcomes was. In addition, the student teachers were asked whether the unique behavior of the cooperating teacher had anything to do with the teacher's personality, and whether the student teachers' experiences with the cooperating teacher had helped change (positively or negatively) their views of the teaching profession. Analysis of Data The researcher performed a content analysis of the student teachers' responses In the responses a majority of the student teachers described their cooperating teachers' behavior with short phrases. Others wrote complete sentences. Each sentence or group of sentences and the short phrases were then separated and categorized in the order of sameness or similarity of idea. This process produced over 150 themes or descriptors. In order to reduce this number, the researcher had to categorize and recategorize the descriptors. Furthermore, I also cross-checked the categories to ensure internal validity and reliability (Guba and Lincoln 1981). I interviewed some of the student teachers who participated in the study in order to understand better some of the phrases and descriptors they have used to describe the behaviors of their cooperative teachers. The data that finally emerged were computed and analyzed in terms of the percentages of total responses. This technique helped to provide a clear picture of how the student teachers perceived (ranked) the effective behaviors of their cooperating teachers.The comments gathered from the "open-ended/free comment" section of the questionnaire provided useful information in terms of how the cooperating teachers' effective behaviors (characteristics) can influence the student teachers' future teaching decisions, strategies and attitude toward the teaching profession. Results The results indicated that student teachers perceive good classroom organization and planning as foremost among other exemplary qualities. Specifically, the analysis of data indicates that out of the fifty student teachers who participated in the study, forty (80%) would like to emulate cooperating teachers whose classrooms are characterized by good organization and planning. [It appears from the responses that student teachers view meaningful learning occurring in classrooms with a well-organized and systematic teacher.] Thirty-two respondents (64%) perceived the development of positive rapport with students as ranking second as a skill that teachers must possess in order to be effective in the classroom. There was reasonable agreement by respondents that knowledge of subject matter should be ranked third. Twenty-four respondents (48%) indicated that they admired their cooperating teacher because of the teacher's mastery of the subject matter. Although a few of these respondents believe that mastery of the subject matter could be acquired with years of teaching experience, they noted that they are willing to work now to improve their knowledge of subject matter because they think it is a quality that enables teachers to always have confidence in themselves. The high rating accorded to the knowledge of subject matter by student teachers also corroborate the findings of a national survey of Teachers of the Year by Shanoski and Hranitz (1991,1989). In the study, the Teachers of the Year ranked "subject matter knowledge, caring/love of children, and excellent communication skills as the three most important characteristics of today's effective teachers." The accord in the perceptions of student teachers and the views of the Teachers of the Year as documented in the study by Shanoski and Hranitz (1991) go a long way to reaffirm the fact that knowledge of subject matter, indeed, is an important quality for teacher effectiveness. Three other qualities-establishment of daily routines, good classroom control and management, and demonstration of compassion and interest for the students-were Cooperating Teachers' Effective Behavioirs Made Significant Impact on Students (Total Samnle N=1 ranked fourth. Each of the qualities were cited by sixteen respondents (32%)

Other qualities of cooperating teachers identified as worthy of imitation but with the least number of student teachers (16%) citing them were patience with students, mutual respect, an awareness of students' learning styles and difficulties, a sense of humor, flexibility and willingness to adjust to unplanned events, a high energy level, and constructive criticism of students. Table 1 lists the student teachers' descriptions of effective behaviors of cooperating teachers that had significant impact on their student teaching experiences. Discussion The foregoing analysis of data certainly has tremendous significance not only for student teaching but also for the improvement of teaching. The main findings of this study, indeed, show that student teachers can provide further useful insights into our understanding of the behavior of effective teachers and the components that make up an effective classroom. A majority of the student teachers in this study perceived organizational skill as a requirement for establishing an effective classroom. One of the respondents expressed his belief succinctly in these words: I feel organizational skill is an important trait as far as being an effective teacher. In my cooperating teacher's classroom, nothing is left in a mess or searched for. Everything has it place and there is a place, file or folder for everything one would imagine. At first I thought this was a little too organized and not all of this was actually useful. I have now been at this assignment for six weeks and know that this organization greatly benefits everyone. This student teacher's perception further supports existing research findings in the literature which confirms that effective teachers tend to be highly organized and businesslike when providing instructioin (Brophy & Good, 1986; Brophy, 1979; Cruickshank, 1976; Rosenshine, 1971). Indeed, a well organized and systematic teacher is an asset to the students and school.The following comment of one of the respondents indictes clearly what students believe of classrooms that are highly organized: Students benefit because all asignments are kept track of and any absence is recorded so that any missed assignments can be made available. If the teacher uses a computer to record her grades, the students could easily access their records, and assignments and tests could be returned promptly.

Certainly, by being orgasnized, the teachers themselves also benefit. Teachers would find that they have time for other things. For example, if teachers have course outlines, lesson plans, handouts, and worksheets prepared, copied, and ready at least a week in advance, their attention can be devoted to other immediate pressing matters that may concern the entire school. The development of professional rapport or a positive relationship with students is a quality that student teaching supervisors often encourage student teachers to develop. Positive student-teacher rapport was the second most highly supported quality in this study. Commenting on how a cooperating teacher had developed a positive rapport with the students, one of the participants in this study noted: My cooperating teacher (Mrs. B.) has a positive rapport with all her students. The students feel they have a personal involvement in their life, and she takes an interest in theirs. She always wants to hear about things they did the night before. Mrs. B. shares part of her life with the students also. All students know about Mrs. B.'s home life and about her family. She feels it is important to let the children get to know things about you and then you get to know things about them. Yet another participant wrote: "Mr. 'Y' had an excellent rapport with his students. Communication, on a personal level as well as a professional level, is very important in creating a positive learning environment." These comments by the student teachers corroborate existing research findings. For example, the research by Berliner and Tikunoff ( 1976-1977) has indicated that there is evidence that effective teachers enjoy teaching in an environment where there is a positive relationship between the students and the teacher. Brohpy and Good (1986) have also pointed out in their review of the studies of Berliner and Tikunoff, that effective teachers were generally polite and pleasant in their daily interactions. Further supportive evidence can be seen in a recent study in which Morrow (1991) surveyed public school teachers about experiences with their own teachers that made a difference in their lives. The results indicated that the positive relationship the teachers had established with their own teachers was more important than subject matter or instructional technique in making a major impact. It was noted that teachers who were caring, encouraging, and who gave individual attention to pupils made the greatest positive impact and that teachers who embarrassed pupils made the greatest negative impact (p. 96). Knowledge of subject matter was another quality highly admired by the student teachers in this study. Twenty-four (48%) of the student teachers were supportive of this quality. The student teachers emphasized the importance they attach to the cooperating teacher's ability to make the lesson content and activities relevant to the children's lives. This singular act, in the student teachers' opinions, underscores the effectiveness of their cooperating teacher. Although research on knowledge of subject matter and teachers' instructional effectiveness is still limited (Lambert, 1981; Amarel and Chittenden, 1982; Elbaz, 1983; Shulman, 1984) it is widely believed by the general public and educators that competence in the subject taught is standard evidence of teacher quality.

Other significant qualities exhibited by cooperating teachers that the student teachers considered worthy of emulation were classroom control and management (32%), establishment and implementation of a daily routine in the classroom (32%), and compassion toward students (32%). It isn't a surprise that student teachers show admiration for cooperating teachers who are skilled in classroom control and management. Today, with student discipline problems on the increase in our public schools, classroom management continues to be a problem area which defies all meaningful solutions designed by scholars and educators. The establishment of classroom routines may be a more practical way of ameliorating discipline problems. Nevertheless, educators still have to find a long-term solution to the problem. Finally, there were other significant opinions which were expressed by student teachers during the seminar sessions devoted to discussion, clarification and questioning. First, in regard to learning outcomes, the student teachers agreed strongly that pupils benefited tremendously in classes of cooperating teachers who exhibited some of the qualities analyzed in this study. There was also agreement that the personality of the cooperating teacher was a factor in the effectiveness of the teachers's teaching. Lastly, the student teachers agreed strongly that the positive experiences they had had with their cooperating teachers had made a difference in their perceptions about teaching. They concluded that teaching can be a pleasure, if the teacher comes into it with a good sense of organization, a positive and compassionate attitude, and athorough knowledge of the subject matter. Conclusion Cooperating teachers can have a tremendous influence on the teaching behavior of student teachers and the choices and decisions the student teachers make later in their teaching career. Good classroom organizational skills, a warm and positive relationship with students, and knowledge of subject matter are qualities that a majority of the student teachers in this study perceived as essential for effective teaching. These qualities correspond with those earlier identified by Porter and Brophy (1988). Student teachers serve as another set of eyes for looking into the phenomenon of teacher behavior. Student teachers' perception of effective behaviors of cooperating teachers are useful sources of information for the improvement of not only student teaching but teaching.

Notes

lThis study was conducted in a university where students teachers are assigned to two different public schools for the duration of one semester of student teaching experience. Students are required to spend eight weeks in each institution. For example, a student majoring in Secondary Social Studies Education would be required to spend eight weeks each in a middle school and a high school.

Reference

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Shanoski, L.A. and John R. Hranitz (1989). An analysis of characteristics of outstanding teachers and the criteria used by colleges and universities to select future teachers. ERIC Document ED 312235. Shulman, L.S. (1984). The missing paradigm in research on teaching. Lecture presented at the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education, Austin, Texas.

Egerton Osunde is an Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Social Studies Education at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. He is also involved in the supervision of student teachers and the teaching of methods courses. He received his Ph. D. from the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

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