Culturally Different Self-Perceptions of Teacher Effectiveness

This study examined the perception differences between Korean and North American Christian teachers in regards to the characteristics of teacher effectiveness based on the hypothesis, "There will be no statistical difference in the mean scores of Korean and North American Christian teachers' self-perceptions of the degree to which effective teaching statements describe them." The design of the study called for a survey instrument, Teaching Effectiveness Assessment (TEA). TEA was constructed of 22 items that measured the level of self-acknowledgment of Christian teachers on their teaching practice. The study was conducted at four Christian schools in Korea: two local Korean schools and two international Christian schools. 350 surveys were initiated. Of those, 237 (67.43%) surveys remained after eliminating surveys that did not meet the criteria of the study. The Likert scale responses of Korean Christian teachers (n=152, 64%) and the North American Christian teachers (n=85, 36%) on the TEA were analyzed statistically. Based on the results of factor analysis, the TEA survey asked overall questions regarding affective traits of effectiveness in teaching, and consisted of three sub-structures: Clear communication, acknowledgment of complexity, and professional dedication. Following the factor analysis, a t-test revealed that the means of the two groups were significantly different in all but one of the 22 items. Additional analysis showed minor similarities when the means were rank ordered. When gender, years of teaching, and age groups were compared, only a slight number of items had statistically significant difference. vi...