The Intersection of Positive Psychology and Teachers' Dispositional Fitness: A Delphi Study

<p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Education

Year dc:date.available

2010

Author dc:creator

• Stimpson, Maria Elizabeth

• Delphi Method
• Educator Dispositions
• Positive Psychology
• Professional Dispositions
• Psychology
• Teacher Dispositions
• Educational Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/116

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ecommons.luc.edu:luc_diss-1115