An evaluation of student and teacher perceptions of the Teen Leadership program at Somerville High School /
The literature indicates an absence of research based
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1996.
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| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=743157051&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | The literature indicates an absence of research based character education programs at the secondary level. In times of increased substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, gang involvement, negative peer pressure, and violence among adolescents in this country, schools are struggling to find answers in dealing with these problems. Society expects schools to deal with these problems. Teen Leadership is a course which develops business, leadership, and professional skills in adolescents. Teen Leadership teaches adolescents the importance of living a principle centered life; how to handle peer pressure; how to build meaningful relationships; how to communicate effectively; the importance of values, standards and beliefs; creative problem solving; personal responsibility for one's thoughts, attitudes, and actions; the importance of life goals and visions; and how to make responsible decisions. Teen Leadership was introduced into Somerville High School during the Spring semester of 1994, in an effort to change perceived problems with the moral environment of the school. The research questions in this study were: (1) How do students and teachers perceive the environment of Somerville High School during the different stages of the implementation of Teen Leadership?; (2) How do teachers at Somerville High School perceive and respond to the Teen Leadership process?; (3) How do students at Somerville High School perceive and respond to the Teen Leadership process?; (4) How may the differences in the teachers' perceptions about the Teen Leadership process be described? This research used the naturalistic inquiry process described by Eriandson, (et all, 1993) in Doing Naturalistic Inquity. Purposive sampling was used to maximize information from 203 students and 20 faculty members. Structured and unstructured interviews were administered by the researcher, a participant-observer. The information collected from the interviews, along with critical incidents, was unitized and transferred to index cards. These cards were categorized to reflect the emergent themes. From these themes, the final report was developed. This research approach provided a rich description of the perceptions of the students and teachers of Somerville High School concerning the introduction of Teen Leadership as a character education program. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Educational Administration". |
| Physical Description: | ix, 147 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |