The Intersection of Positive Psychology and Teachers' Dispositional Fitness: A Delphi Study
U.S. educators of the 21st century have witnessed renewed attention given to the importance of teacher dispositions as a component of the requisite tripartite of knowledge, skills, and dispositions. In this Delphi study, two previously unaligned constructs, positive psychology and teacher dispositions, were synthesized for the purpose of: a) identifying the most compelling teacher dispositions that infuse positive psychology into positive classroom communities, and b) suggesting observable behaviors that are indicative of teachers' dispositional fitness in positive classroom communities. Using the Positive Teacher Disposition Index (PTDI), a panel of educators, consisting of classroom teachers, university faculty, and educational administrators selected 18 teacher dispositions as most compelling in a positive classroom community. Delphi panelists also recommended observable behaviors as exemplars of teachers' dispositional fitness. The results substantiate the high level of favorability and integrative compatibility between positive psychology and teacher dispositions. Implications suggest a potential exigency for grade-appropriate dispositions and a need to extend the minimal dispositional assessment requirement for teacher-candidates by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) beyond the dispositions to be fair and to believe that all students can learn.
Delphi Method, Educator Dispositions, Positive Psychology, Professional Dispositions, Psychology, Teacher Dispositions, Educational Psychology
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations