Date of Award

1984

Type

Thesis

Major

Specialist in Education

Degree Type

Specialist Degree in Education

Department

Teacher Education

First Advisor

Dr. James Brewbaker

Second Advisor

Dr. Carolyn Cartledge

Third Advisor

Dr. Lenemaja Friedman

Abstract

This study was a descriptive investigation of English department evaluation. It emphasized characteristics of departments at the national and state level which the National Council of Teachers of English and the Georgia Council of Teachers of English have recognized. The purpose of the investigation was to determine which of these characteristics the English department of a local high school met and to establish priorities for improving that department. The subjects were an intact group of 11 secondary English teachers who constituted 14.1 percent of a population of 78 teachers. The school at which they taught had an enrollment of 1400 students, and it was part of a system which served 30,000 students from a city in the southern region of the country. Both positive and negative aspects of the department emerged through the study. Professional preparation of the faculty, working conditions, leadership of the chairman, the presence of basic classroom facilities, library resources that appeal to a wide variety of reading interests, variety of course offerings, and quality of literature instruction emerged as strong characteristics of the department. Areas that needed improvement included the faculty's knowledge of current research in the teaching of English skills, the amount of released time for teachers to engage in evaluation and development of courses, a means of recognizing and rewarding outstanding teachers in the department, the chairman's visitation of classrooms, the presence of supplementary reading materials with appropriate shelves for their display in each classroom, the materials available in the library for student and teacher research, functional audio-visual equipment, and the quality of writing instruction. The teachers' access to and reading of professional literature needs to be improved.

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