Transforming Teacher Reluctance to Teacher Commitment.

Many contemporary inservice programs set out initially to change teachers' attitudes or gain some sense of commitment from teachers prior to the implementation of a new program. However, some research studies suggest that such efforts, in and of themselves, are unlikely to bring about any real change. Serious commitment is likely to occur only after teachers have had an opportunity to use the new program or innovation and have seen that it really assists them in teaching their students. Since serious teacher commitments rarely occur prior to the implementation of a new program, it is critically important to find alternative ways of encouraging teachers to engage in the new practice. Training by a person judged by the teachers to be credible is essential, and teachers must be provided with information that is useful and applicable to their daily experiences in the classroom, not theoretical overviews. In a study of Direct Instruction (a highly structured, basic skills approach) teachers' attitudes began to change when they saw positive evidence that this method improved the academic achievement of their students. In Mastery Learning programs, teachers' attitudes changed when they saw improvement in students' performances on weekly tests, and greater student involvement during class sessions. These changes did not occur quickly but evolved over a period of time. (JD)