Assessing and Improving the Accuracy of In-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of Daily Practice

Abstract

This paper describes the effects of two instructional strategies on (a) the accuracy of self-monitoring by in-service teachers, and (b) the resulting changes in their daily teaching practices. Independent recordings of teacher and student practices were first compared to teacher self-ratings. Two self-monitoring instructional procedures were then introduced to determine their effectiveness in improving the accuracy of the teachers’ self-perceptions of their classroom practices. A single-subject A-B-A-C design was used to document procedural effectiveness. Results indicated (a) the utility of a behavioral systems observational approach for describing daily classroom activity; (b) the superior effectiveness of verbal and videotape feedback, when compared to verbal only, in facilitating self-monitoring accuracy; and (c) a positive effect of improved self-monitoring accuracy on teacher and student practices related to subject matter learning. Results suggest incorporating the use of self-monitoring accuracy as a facilitating component to the teacher education process.