A STUDY OF THE PROTECTIVE INTERVENTION PHILOSOPHY AS PERCEIVED BY ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS IN THE MIDDLE LEVEL SCHOOLS OF TWO SELECTED SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE OF COLORADO

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent the protective intervention philosophy is accepted by administrators and teachers in middle level schools in two selected school districts in the State of Colorado, to secure characteristics of current practices which appear to support and maintain this philosophy, and to compare attitudes of administrators and teachers concerning the desirability of maintaining this philosophical point of view.;Findings. (1) The middle level philosophy of protective intervention is accepted in varying degrees by those who participated in the study. Administrators are more strongly committed to this philosophy than are teachers. Middle school administrators are most strongly committed to this philosophy. (2) Middle level programming elements that embody the protective intervention philosophy have been implemented only minimally. (3) Teachers' and administrators' perceptions of current practices are not congruent with their perceptions of ideal practices at the middle level. (4) Position, administrator or teacher, and type of school does influence the degree of acceptance of the protective intervention philosophy and the level of implementation of programming practices which reflect this philosophy. (5) Current middle school practices more closely embody the protective intervention philosophy than current junior high school practices.;Conclusions. (1) Teachers and administrators at middle level schools are interested in changing and willing to develop new programming practices which reflect the protective intervention philosophy. (2) Since principals show more commitment than teachers to the protective intervention philosophy, support should be given by central office administrators to principals to implement changes in their schools. (3) There is a need for training administrators in the change process to encourage and support their teaching faculties in implementing the programming characteristics which embody the protective intervention philosophy. (4) There is a need for training teachers to understand the protective intervention philosophy and to develop techniques which will enhance the implementation of this philosophy.;Procedures. The procedures for this study involved five distinct phases. (1) A search of the literature and interviews with knowledgeable practitioners in the field of middle level education were conducted to identify essential characteristics of the philosophy of protective intervention. (2) The characteristics identified which related to educational programming and to the protective intervention philosophy were synthesized into a matrix. From this matrix, statements representing current middle level educational practices which reflect the protective intervention philosophy were developed. (3) A questionnaire was constructed to include statements representing elementary and high school practices as well as those previously identified as middle level practices. (4) After validation of the instrument, the questionnaire was sent to the target population of administrators and teachers in two selected school districts in the State of Colorado. (5) Conclusions were drawn based on the findings of the questionnaire responses. Comparisons were made between administrator and teacher responses as well as between responses of those individuals currently employed in middle schools and those individuals currently employed in junior high schools. Comparisons were also made between current middle level practices and middle level practices recommended in current literature.