Degree Name

EdD (Doctor of Education)

Program

Educational Leadership

Date of Award

May 1994

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if teacher effectiveness, as measured by value-added gain scores on student achievement, was related to the teacher personality characteristics of efficacy and locus of control. The value-added mean gain scores for each teacher were correlated with teachers' scores on the Rand Corporation Efficacy Scale and the Rose and Medway Teacher Locus of Control Scale. A multiple regression analysis was used to determine if these teacher characteristics along with selected demographic variables could be used as good predictors of achievement gain. The population consisted of 132 middle school teachers across five subject areas in one county in Northeast Tennessee. No correlation was found between either teacher efficacy or locus of control and mean gain scores. A statistically significant relationship was revealed between gender and teacher efficacy with females indicating higher scores than males. Pairwise correlational analysis also revealed that mathematics gain scores were significantly correlated with age, college major, experience, and certification. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the extent to which the demographic variables and the personality variables were related to student achievement. The percent of variance in mathematics scores attributed to teacher age and major indicated that these two variables were good predictors of value-added gains. Neither the demographic nor the study variables entered into the regression formula for the other academic subjects studied.

Document Type

Dissertation - unrestricted

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