Principals' Perceptions of Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy Teachers (Tapp) And Traditionally Certified Teachers

Georgia's alternative certification program, Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy (TAPP), is producing approximately 20% of the teacher pool in Georgia although minimal research exists about the performance of TAPP teachers in Georgia classrooms compared to traditionally certified teachers. Principals that employ TAPP teachers and traditionally certified teachers are responsible for performance evaluations and; therefore, they are a valid source for providing comparisons between the two types of teacher preparation. In an effort to gain a better understanding of principals' perceptions of TAPP teachers and traditionally certified teachers, the researcher used a previously validated formal survey constructed by Dr. Michael Nusbaum in 2002. The survey was sent electronically to 40 principals in an east Georgia RESA district that currently employ a first year TAPP teacher. The survey focused on three constructs of teaching: content knowledge, classroom management and instructional planning. A random group of principals from the RESA district were also interviewed to obtain further understanding of the survey results. The researcher's findings confirmed that principals' perceive TAPP teachers' content knowledge to be equal to traditionally certified teachers. However, principals' reported that traditionally certified teachers are more adept at classroom management than TAPP teachers. Principals also perceived that TAPP teachers initially struggle with instructional planning, but eventually learn the skill by collaborating with experienced teachers.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education in Education Administration (Ed.D.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation (open access)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development

Year dc:date.available

2010

Author dc:creator

• Campbell, Kevin Brian

Contributors dc:contributor

• Greg Chamblee
• J.D. Good

• ETD
• Georgia
• TAPP
• Traditional teacher certification
• Alternative teacher certification
• Principals

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/334

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-1334