An evaluation of the effectiveness of the Resource Teacher of Reading Service in the Nelson educational district : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Administration, Massey University

Abstract

The study, an evaluation, had three purposes; to find and employ a model of evaluation that could be applied to specialist teaching programmes, to use the evaluation model to determine how effective the Resource Teacher of Reading Service is at meeting the needs of the students accepted for specialist reading teaching in the Nelson Education District., to suggest ways the model could be adapted for use in other curriculum areas. After examining a number of possible approaches to evaluation the Stake model for evaluation was selected for use. Documentation about the Service was examined to determine the philosophy behind the programmes offered to children and to discover how the Service is supposed to operate. The records of the sixty-two students in the programme between February 1986 and December 1988 were examined. Reading levels at entry to the programme were compared with reading levels at exit from the programme. A literature search was conducted to provide information about appropriate teaching approaches to help provide a standard against which the Service could be measured. Interviews were conducted with Resource Teachers of Reading, Resource Teacher of Reading committee members, classroom teachers and some parents of children who have been taught by Resource Teachers of Reading, to determine their attitudes towards the service given to the children. Interview schedules were designed for use with each group of people interviewed. Children were observed in teaching-learning situations while working with Resource Teachers of Reading, to examine the processes involved in the programme. The data gathered from records, interviewees, observation and from document analysis, provided the basis for applying standards to the Resource Teacher of Reading Service before making judgments about the Service. The data were also used to make judgments about the effectiveness of the Resource Teacher of Reading Service. It was judged that most children in the programme had made satisfactory progress and that the people interviewed believed the programme was working well. The teaching methods being used were consistent with those described in the literature reviewed. It was also judged that Resource Teachers of Reading were making good use of methods that were a mixture of recognised approaches. Teacher-pupil relationships were judged to be important in the teaching-learning situation. A number of suggestions have been offered to people wanting to use this approach to evaluation in schools. The study concludes with recommendations for the Resource Teacher of Reading Service and for people who might consider using the Stake model for evaluation in other parts of the school curriculum.