A Study Of The Professional Activities Of Distributive Education Teacher Coordinators In The Intermountain Area

The purpose of the study was twofold: 1) To ascertain the proportion of time spent by distributive education teacher-coordinators in the intermountain area in performing the five major functions of the distributive education teacher-coordinator: Classroom Teaching, Coordination, Guidance, Public Relations, and Operations and Administration. 2) To ascertain the proportion of time spent by intermountain coordinators on specific tasks within each of the 5 major functions. The population for this study, was limited to certified teacher-coordinators in the states of Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. The survey was conducted during April and May of 1973. The major conclusions reached were: 1) Intermountain coordinators spend 10% more time on the classroom teaching function than the national average of coordinators. 2) Consequently, intermountain coordinators spend less time on coordination, guidance, and operations and administration than coordinators do nationally. 3) The intermountain coordinators devote approximately 50% of their class period to lecture-discussion methods of instruction and 50% to individual and small group study. 4) Intermountain coordinators devote approximately half of their coordination time to visiting with the sponsor/employer and only 5% to visiting with student's parents. 5) Intermountain coordinators spend nearly half of their guidance time on students' work related problems. The other half is nearly equally divided between career guidance and students' personal problems. 6) A majority of the intermountain coordinators' public relations time is devoted to personal contact with individuals. 7) DECA activities account for more than half of the intermountain coordinators' operations and administrations time and approximately 5% of the coordinators' total school time.

Learning while teaching is an excellent method for teachers to use to keep abreast of the new advancements and teaching techniques which are constantly being introduced in education today. In-service education is based on the idea that teachers should intellectually on the job and that no teacher should be deprived of the opportunity to participate in an in-service program. In-service programs reflect an interest in educational study and advancement which is as old as the American educational school system itself. When there is participation in professional growth activities, there is quality in the educational program.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to ascertain the role of the secondary school distributive education teacher-coordinator as perceived by teacher-coordinators and their principals, and to determine if there was a relationship between the background variables of school size and tenure and these perceptions. The eight areas investigated were: purpose of the program, policies of the program, DECA activates, adult education, community relationships, school responsibilities, instructional activities, and professional responsibilities. The following specific objectives were developed to serve as guidelines for the research: 1. What variations are there concerning the role of the distributive education teacher-coordinator as perceived by teacher-coordinators and their principals? 2. What is the relationship between selected background variables (size of school, number of years as a teacher-coordinator, number of years as a principal) and opinions of teacher-coordinators and their principals? ...