Teachers' characteristics and their reflection in curriculum implementation

Abstract

The study of the dissemination and implementation of new curricula has become in the past few years a common practice among curriculum investigators. One main problem with which studies in this field of investigation are concerned is how to facilitate implementation. Variables usually investigated in this context are the quality of curriculum materials and of teacher preparation, administrative support, and various other environmental conditions. The purpose of the present study is to go beyond these variables and investigate possible effects of variables that lie within the teachers and may interfere with program implementation. The basic premise is that differing teacher characteristics may affect curriculum implementation. Several studies provided some reinforcement for this premise. Herron (1971) found that in a group of teachers teaching BSCS materials, it was impossible to differentiate between those who had taken part in intensive orientation courses, and those who had not. Three months after these courses, teachers whose teaching style was different from that required by the curriculum returned to their own teaching style, disregarding curriculum requirements. Feingold (Feingold et al., 1975) stresses the importance of teachers' choice of the material~ to be used in the classroom, claiming that when the philosophy of teachers and that of the curriculum are not congruent, the teaching program is bound to fail, causing frustration to both teachers and curriculum developers. The present study is concerned with the possible effects of teachers' individual differences on curriculum implementation.