| Popis: |
The result of qualitative and quantitative research aimed at finding professional development of teachers on school culture with particular emphasis on the impact of the program RWCT (Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking). Research was conducted in consideration of main objectives and determinants of school culture such as: geographic location, socio-economic situation and ethnicity in area of schools, the Values, experience, desire, energy of all school actors and the impact of interpersonal dimensions within the schools. The target group for this study were two schools from same district (Primorsko - goranska County) in Croatia. For the purposes of this study, we had control school and the experimental school. According to the spatial location, respondents come from these two schools in range: students, parents and parent representatives in schools, teachers, administrative and technical stuff, principals, professional associates and representatives of local communities. We used three research methods. The main research method is focus groups. For the purpose of this study we organized nine focus groups with a total number of 82 participants. Furthermore, the research contains result analysis, which includes the collection of impressions, careful analysis of sets of transcripts and encoding of each group. Also, we used questionnaire for teachers (sample of 60) in order to understand their professional background as well as their participation in professional development activities. We used observation sheet to collect data on school culture as well as we conduct values chart. Results illuminates dimension of school that has involved all their teachers in the RWCT training program. They achieve better results in terms of student satisfaction in the learning process as well as better results in terms of educational results. A major change that occurs after this training is evident in focusing the activities of the school on the students (i.e. not only on the teaching process) and creating a more relaxed and cheerful atmosphere which arguably produces better results in learning and working and achieving the competencies of students necessary for the future functioning of the community. School change requires tremendous human resources and me. It requires an extensive me commitment by a school or district. Consequently, to be successful, school change at the classroom and whole- school level will occur when the impetus for change comes from within the school or district. So this is an educational research with the potential for ethnographic methodology with threads for explaining professional development in wide field of school culture. |
