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AIR-4160II-6175-ED

co

EVALUATION OF THE IMPACTOF THE FILM SERIES

w "ONE TO GROW ON"ON SELECTED TEACHERS

AND STUDENTS

4,4.., ...."

Project Officer: Paul I. Ahmed, MA., LL.B.

EXECUTIVE DIGEST

Prepared by:

Harris H. ShettelRuth S. Hughes

Mary Kay Game

it4 Prepared for. Division of Mental Health Services Program, Office of Program Planning and

C.)Evaluation, National institute of Mental Health, US. Department of Health,Education and Welfare.

CO Contract No. HSM-42-73-189(0P)

1.0C AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH/33ot rim mexia) Avenue, NMI., Wesington, D.C. 20916

C2

EVALUATION CF THE iIPACT OF TflE Filif SERIESONE TO GRS4 CN

ON SELECTED TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Execusive Divest

June, 1975

Prepared by:

Harris H. Shettel

American Institutes For Research

Prepared for:

National institute of Mental Health

Project Officer: Paul 1. Ahmed, H.A., L.L.B.

Funded Under Contract No. HSM -42-73-189(0P)

Division of Mental Health Services ProgramOffice of Program Planning and Evaluation

National Institute of Mental HealthU.S. Department of Health, Education S Welfare

3

-a

FORElanD

This digest presents the summary and conclusions of the Final Report,

Evaluation of the impact of the Film Series Cne To Grow On On Selected

Teachers And Stueents, prepared for and dated June, 1975.

The project staff consisted of Harris H. Shettel, Principal Investiga-

tor; Ruth Hughes, Project Director; Mary Kay Garee, Research Staff; and

Robert Fitzpatrick, staff advisor for measurement and evaluation.

4

11

SECTIOU 1

INTRODUCTIN

A series of mental health Mrs called "One To Gra,/ On" was produced

for NW! under contract to be used by teachers in an in-service workshop

setting. The films were conceived of as 13,..:ng a catalyst for discussions

relating to teacher/student interactions with the goal being to stimulate

all teachers, at whatever grade level or school setting, to be more Insman-

istle in their relationships with students, and thus create a "mentally

healthier climate in their classrooms." The theoretical base of the films

is the causal approach to understanding and dealing with student behavior,

developed by Dr. Ralph Ojemann, although the films themselves make no expli-

cit reference to him, his theory, his techniques, or any of the supporting

research. The films could thus be characterized as being non-didactic,

non-exhortative, and only at a "low key" level, as offering a model for

teacher behavior.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the "One To

Grow On" film/discussion experience on teachers and students selected from

a variety of grade levels and settings.

At the time the study was done, there were six films in the series,

each approximately 15 minutes in length. (An introductory film and a new

series film has since been made available.) The post film discussion period

lasted about one hour. The study sample consisted of teachers from two sites,

(Pittsburgh and Rhode Island) from urban, rural and suburban schools, and

from primary, intermediate and secondary grade levels. The sample was also

designed to include experienced and inexperienced teachers, and male and

female teachers.

The study was conducted under realistic field conditions, simulating

as much as possible the environment in which each film will actually be used.

All participating schools volunteered to put on the series and to provide

a discussion leader (facilitator) for this purpose. Teachers also were volen-

teers. A Discussion Guide was provided to each Discussion Leader which pointed

cut key areas to cover and a number of cuestions that could be asked. Leaders

were encouraged to vied the film and study the Guide prior to conducting

the workshops. (Ali of them did.) Workshop groups averaged eight teachers,

all drawr frail the same school.

The study used a corbination of hard data obtained from the administra-

tion of three tests to teachers and students in a pre- post/experimental-

control paradigm, and "soft" data obtained from two interview schedules that

were administered to teachers and to those who led the post-film discussion

sessions.

It was expected that the impact of the films would be greatest on the

teachers' verbal behavior in the discussion session and that the effects would

be less noticeable on teacher attitude change and behavior change in the

classroom, and least noticeable on student attitude change toward the teacher.

However, it was also recognized that the true value of the "One To Grow On"

films must be measured in terms of their ability to produce real and positive

changes in the classroom, consistent with the stated goals and objectives of

the series. A fair assessment would thus look at "impact" of the films at each

of these points.

The following sections of the Digest have been organized so as to permit the

reader to select the level of detail he wishes to pursue with respect to the

major areas covered by the Final Report. Section 11 summarizes the results

of the various analyses conducted, covering both the hard (test) data and

the soft (interview) data.

Section III covers the major conclusions and recommendations made with

respect to the further use of the "One To Grow On" film series.

Section IV provides the reader who is interested in knowing more about the

context In which the study was done with some of the pertinent background

information and "philosophy" that guided the development of the "One To Grow

On" series.

6

2

...-

Section V provides a brief description of the content of each of the fil-s

in the series.

Finally, for those interested in how the project was conducted, Section VI

covers, in sore detail, the design and schedule of the study, the processes

of selecting participating schools and teachers, and the kinds of test instrirmnts

used to obtain inpast data frog teachers, students and discussion leaders.

7

3

SECTION II

RESULTS

The results can best be summarized in terms of the four levels of

impact that were considered as desirable and expected outcomes of the filn/

discussion experience.

impact Level I: The films discussion would have an Immediate impact on

tne teacher in terns of his behavior in the discussions and his irme-

diate reactions to the films.

Impact Leval 11: The above experience would have an impact on his attitudes/

beliefs with respect to the 2nterpersonal relationship between the

teacher and his students and consistent with the aims of the program.

Impact Level Ili: As a result of the above impact, the teacher would behave

differently in the classroom in a manner reflecting and consistent with

the change noted at Level II.

Impact Level IV: The above change on the part of the teacher in the class-

room would have an impact on the students in that classroom in terms of

the improved perception of the interpersonal relationship between them

and the teacher.

Level I Impact ,..as achieved to some extent for most teachers. Post-film

discussions were often relevant and directed toward positive changes in teacher

attitude and behavior consistent with the purpose of the film series. The

Discussion Leaders supported the series for the most part as offering a needed

forum for the exchange of ideas among peers concerning problems in the class-

room. They, and the teachers, found some films more "stimulating" and

thought-provoking than others. Usually, the more closely the film related to

the milieu of the teacher, the greater the impact. The concept most often

reported by teachers (52%) as having been impressed on them by the films was

the notion of treating each student as an individual, both academically and

personally. However, relatively few teachers (20%) said that they were going

8

4

to change their classroom activities and/or behavior in a way that would be

consistent with the individualized approach. Nevertheless, the nurber of

teachers that did so indicate is large enough to be considered significant

If they are successful in carrying out their intended action plans. Unfor-

tunately, there is little support for this assurption in the analysis of the

other three levels of impact.

Level ii Impact is concerned with the extent to which the attitude of

the teacher is changed In a direction that reflects a more humanistic approach

to the student. Almost no support was found for this on a group basis, even

though the data were looked at in a variety of ways in an effort to discover

some relationship between the program and pre- and post-test attitude scores.

Only 25; of all experimental teachers shaded any appreciable post over pre

gain in attitude test scores. Most teachers showed no change and 18% actually

shaded a lower post-treatment score than pre-treatment score. Small differ-

ences in favor of female experienced teachers in urban settings were found in

the attitude data.

Level III Impact could only be inferred from student scores. It was

expected that a positive change in teachers' behavior 3.. the classroom would

be reflected in a more positive attitude of the student toward the teacher.

However, very few positive shifts of this kind occurred. This was true even

when students of those teachers who showed the highest gain in attitude scores

were singled out for analysis.

Of course, Level IV Impact (student attitude change) is measured directly

by the same data that were described above to measure teacher behavior change

indirectly. As noted, very little evidence was found that students were influ-

enced in any positive way by the exposure their teachers had to the One To

Grow On film series.

Two limitations of the study should be noted since they have an influ-

ence on the interpretation of the data.

1. The original design was compromised by school and teacher dropouts.

Delays in getting approval of forms was a major precipitating fac-

tor. For this reason, certain cross comparisons could not be made

because of insufficient subjects in certain groups. Also, for the

same reason, some follow-up data was lost due to schools closing

before the tests could be administered.

5

9

2. The objectives of the film program were not well articulated by

those responsible for its development. This made it difficult to

select measures that would be appropriate for adequately determining

the true value of the experience for teachers.

10

6

SECTION III

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

It is fair to say, as a general conclusion, that the use of the One To

Grow On films, considered within the limitations and parameters of the study,

were a qualified success. That is to say, the series accomplished what one

would most reasonably expect that it could accomplish -it served as a stimu-

lus or catalyst for discussions around important issues relating to student/

teacher interaction in the classroom. The central thrust of these discussions

was directed at the notion that students at all grade levels should be viewed

as and treated as individua".s, with particular emotional needs, a unique home-

life, special aptitudes, etc. The teachers in many cases seemed to be saying

in their comments that they wanted to be able to do a better job of interacting

with their students on the basis of this individual approach--both academically

and personally;

These notions are at the core of the original conception around which

the series was based, i.e. the humunistic/causal approach to human inter-

action. To the extent that teachers can truly implement these notions in

their classrooms, they will be:

. less punitive

*less vindictive

*less likely to respond only to the overt aspect of acting out behavior

*more reinforcing

. less adversarial

. less likely to use humiliation

,more likely to listen to what-their students say

.less likely to command

*more likely to allow variations in assignments and in the criteria

for acceptable performance

11

7

This list could be extended almost indefinitely. The point is that

all of these possible sequelae to the workshop experience are consistent

with the goals and objectives of the series. A more refined expression

of the above "qualified success" statement would thus be that the series

caused many participating teachers to start re-evaluating their can atti-

tudes, and, at least at the verbal level, to consider moving in a direction

that could be characterized as being more humanistic and causal in its

approach to individual students.

What did not happen as a result of the series that, had it occurred,

would have allowed a less qualified assessment of success to be made?

1. A relatively small proportion of teachers, but a number that neverthe-

less needs to be reckoned with, did not accept the message of the series

even at the verbal, or self-report, level. Many of them thought the materials

were either inappropriate for their needs, too simplistic, redundant, or

covered areas they already "knew." Three avenues are open to deal with this

group. (1) Try to "select them out in advance; (2) allow them to enter

the program and consider them as an acceptable part of the process or

(3) modify the materials so that their concerns and/or objections are at

least partially taken into account. if the first approach were taken, the

data obtained in the study would suggest some of the candidates for

exclusion, i.e. male, rural, inexperienced teachers. Hczever, this is not

recommended. There are too many exceptions within each of these groups.

The second alternative is acceptable but the third is preferable. Some

changes could be made in the Discussion Guide, for example, that would

probably reduce the "rejection rate." They will be discussed below under

Recommendations.

2. The materials appeared to have had no systematic effect on basic atti-

tude toward the teaching role vis-a-vis the student as measured by the attitude

test. The message was received, understood, and accepted by many, but it

12

8

was as 121.not internaiized so that it influenced basic attitudes. It

.:a be so internalized after a period of time has elapsed and/or after

other inputs are brought into play. The fact that many of the subject

teachers began to see the possibility of change is the first and most irpor-

tent step. This should be followed by other supporting inputs such as:

other workshop programs that are consistent with One To Grow On

but-use a different approach, different redla, etc.

2 administrative support, both practical and philosophical

peer support

success in the classrooms using the new :eeas, particularly from

changes noted in student behavior

3. Students as a group did not show any reasurabie effects as a result of

their teachers having been exposed to the films, a:. determined by their atti-

tude tests. This conclusion is the most disappointing because the current

zeitgeist almost "demands" that programs demonstrate significant impact on

the target audience. But, one should be very cautious in making statements

about effectiveness or lack of effectiveness in such difficult areas. The

position of the authors is that the program clearly met its objectives at

the first level of impact- -the verbal behavior of the teachers in the dis-

cussion sessions. In time, and with help from other sources, this could

well have an effect on the teacher's classroom behavior.

Reco-nendations

1. For the above reasons, and given the limited impact found, it is

the basic recommendation that the One To Grow On series be made easily

available to all school systems and that they be encouraged to examine it

and use it on a voluntary basis.

2. If funds are limited, the program should be promoted on the basis

of the following prioritized target groups:

a. Suburban and inner city secondary schools.

b. Suburban and inner city primary schools.

c. Rural secondary schools.

d. Rural primary schools.

13

9

3. The program should be considered as only one element in a broader

effort to introduce tfie hu-enistic/causal approach to teacher/student icterac-

tion. Only in this way will effective changes in the classroom be realized on

a wide-scale basis.

4. The discussioh guide should emphasize even more than it does the

need to relate the film episodes to the problems most relevant to the envir-

onment found in the particular school using the materials.. This is partic-

larly important at the two extreme ends of the continuumthe rural school

that does not relate to the filrs because "we don't have those kinds of

problems" and the inner city school because "our problems are too

overAtelning and transcend those shown in the films." It is also critical

that participants be helped to "see" the relevance of those films whose

setting is not at the same grade level as that of the participants. The

nest inportant need in this regard is at the junior high school level.

None of the films deal with these grade levels. The other two needs, of

course, are to help elementary teachers relate to the high school films

and the high school teachers to the elementary school films.

Concomitant with this recommendation is the need to re-emphasize to

Discussion Leaders that they rust repeatedly remind participants that the

films are only meant to serve as a stimulus and catalyst for discussion.

5. Discussion Leaders do not need formal training in small group

techniques. They do need to be and do the following:

a. They need to be philosophically compatible with the humanistic/

causal approach.

b. They need to be accepted by the participants as a person who

has their respect and with whom they can identify. "Authority

figures" or administrative types who are not on the firing

line (i.e. do not share the daily concerns and frustrations

of the teachers) should be avoided. However, Dls need to be

able to detach themselvesjrom such concerns and frustrations

so that they can explore and (more importantly) stimulate

teachers to explore, creative and alternative ways of dealing

with them. Several workshops in the study were conducted very

effectively by peer teachers. Contrariwise, some of those who

were most skilled in group leadership techniques failed to

achieve high levels of participaht involvement.

1410

c. Discussion Leaders reed to see all of the f!1/-5 at least twice

and to steel, the Discussion Suiee carefully before beginning.

d. Ti-ey should give careful attention to the environment in which

the progran is conducted. It should be comfortable but desig-ed

for group interaction (i.e. a table around which everycr,2 can

sit, or a circle of chairs). The filn and projection equipment

should be checked and everything ready for "error free" viewlrg

(i.e. neon can be quickly made sufficiently dark, film is on

title frame, sound is adjusted to correct level so everyone

can hear, feces is sharp). After the viewing, the projector

should be stopped and left alone - -no rewinding, etc., -end

the discussion period begun.

6. Discus-Ion Leaders should be encouraged to conduct more than ere

program. The upper limit is not known. "Creative burnout" may occur after

10 or so programs had been conducted, but the effectiveness of the Discus-

sion Leader is bound to im?rove for at least the first four or five offerings.

7- All teachers in the participating school should be allowed to vol-

unteer to attend after they have been informed of t%e purpose of the progra-,

the time involved and the schedule for cacti film/discussion session.

8. The program participants should all be from the same school.

9. The Discussion Leader should be selected, if possible, from the

staff of the school using the materials.

10. The films the-selves are, as noted, only the "trigger" for the

program. However, most discussions lean very heavily for a while on the

content of the films, it was often noted that many teachers failed to

fully corprehend or follow the "story" of the films (particularly the three

"problem" films: Sarah, Lindsay, and A Pretty Good Class For A Monday).

This would often lead to misunderstandings and even debates about "what

really happened." Furthermore, the richness of the films in terns of the

nuances of behavior, facial expression, body language and verbal expressions

cannot be fully corprehended in one viewing. (Although the project staff

has seen the films repeatedly, something new was seen each time.) it is

therefore suggested that an alternate viewing strategy be recommended that

would present the film to be used for the following sessions at the end of

the current session. This would also have the added advantage of giving the

11

participants time to 'think over" tl7e next film and relate it to their

own prcblers and ccncerys in the interval between the two sessions.

11. ft is reconmended that t.-.e fii-s be scheduled in a sequence that

initially captures the attention of the target audience, but does not lose

their attention later on. Thus, a high school group should see a high school

based film first (e.g. Lindsay) and last (e.g. Sarah), with the others nixed

in between. Of course, primary grade teacners would receive a primary based

film first (e.g. Reflection) and last (e.g. Individuals) with the high school

films interspersed between then. The Discussion Leader should let teachers

know in advance if the next film will be in a different setting.

12. The Discussion Guide needs to point out that the Discussion Leader

be prepared for, and even encturage, highly individualized reactions to the

film/discussion experience, even including complete rejection by sox teachers

of the basic notion underlying the programs. Their views should be respected,

but they should not be allowed to drew the group into extended arguments.

13. Related to the above, the Discussion Guide needs to emphasize that

the Discussion Leader be prepared to help focus the discussion on realistic

and possible action pions and not allow the participants to use the sessions

as opportunities to escape responsibility by berating the school board, the

principal, etc. Projecting proble-is onto others is a common response to

personal frustration and anxiety and this mechanise was observed in operation

in a nunber of groups (especially inner city). The teacher rust be led to

see that he can rake changes now despite all the various constraints that

he is forced to work within. The Discussion Leader rust alwasy bring the

discussion back to this point whenever it seems to be getting too philosc-

phical, too broad or too general.

14. Sessions should be scheduled no score frequently than once a week,

and no less frequently than twice a month. This will avoid the negative

effects of both saturation and lack of sustained interest.

16

12

15. If the length of the progra, had to be reduced for any reason,

Reflection would be the film least rissee according to teacher rankings

of the six fil-s used in this study. Tre Discussion Leader results are

generally consistent with this finding and funnel- suggest the possibility

of elipinating Individuals. However, the project staff and merbers of the

project review panel give Eeflection a high rating and consider IndToiduals

and Learning Strategies lower in overall effectiveness and safe...chat reth.ndant

in concept.

To quote frog the final paragraph of the Technical Report: Lte

To Gras Ot jUma represent an i7portont contribution to both the technique

ofeffecti-iv teac72er training and to tae critical content arca Ln:th :nic%

they &2l-- -rental bealth in the ciassroe-7. :his is no or:an aaco-rTiohr:ent,

and the necezzaril?, critical tone of t%is report ehozad not *e construed

w an of Liirinich it, nor to inhibit Path:er efforts to e....-pand on it."

1713

The American educational system rust be the most scrutinized, most

criticized and (certainly) the most studied of all our basic institutions.

A recurring area of concern with respect to this institution has to do with

the basically authoritarian structure of most schools within which students

have little or no opportunity to participate in decisions which affect

then, and where dissent, disagreement and even creativity are often inhibited

if not punished outright. One result of this concern has been a trend toward

what is loosely called the " humanistic," or human relations approach, to

education.

"Humanistic" in the context of the classroom can be defined as any sys-

tematic atte-pt to sensitize the teacher to students' feelings, attitudes,

and values, and to increase the teachers' application of the qualities of

erpathy, warnth, positive regard, and genuineness in his interaction with

students. Looked at core broadly, this viewpoint, based in part on the

teachings of Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, and others, holds that the restric-

tive, authoritarian clik»te of the school is incompatible with the students'

need for self-actualization, and thus does not lead to optimum rental health

and, in some cases, contributes to poor mental health. This viewpoint could

be more easily ignored if it could be shown that children learn more under

an authoritarian system, but such an assertion finds little support in the

research literature. in fact, recent studies suggest that students are

likely to learn most from teachers who show high levels of understanding

and respect toward them. it has been said that "the placing of very healthy

teacher - models in all classrooms may be tantamount to a peaceful revolution,

and ray well prevent a more violent educational revolution."

The humanistic approach to education Is beginning to be reflected in

the curriculum of many schools of education. However, the need to rev:h

inservice teachers with appropriate training and educational materials

dealing with this approach is seen to be equally important. After all,

there are many more practicing teachers than there are teachers in training,

1.814

and the time required to produce a complete "transfusion" would be many,

many years. The UIMH produced filo series, One To Grow On, the subject of

the exploratory study described in this digest, was designed as one answer

to meeting this critical need for inservice teacher training in this area.

The film series is based in part on a well-known and well-documented approach

to the improvement of mental health in the schools developed by Dr. Ralph

H. Oje-lann, an educational psychologist. This approach is consistent with

the humanistic philosophy in that it emphasizes a causal orientation to the

social environment which focuses on the causes of, or motivations behind,

human behavior, as opposed to a concern only with the surface manifestations

of that behavior. Such an approach involves an awareness of the probabilistic

nature of human events, and supports an attitude of flexibility, toler-

ance, and an ability to view a given situation from another's perspective.

This causal approach to behavior parallels the widely documented des-

cription of a mentally healthy classroom climate as one in which there is

flexible permissiveness within clearly recognizable limits so as to provide

a sense of security, a building of self-esteem, appreciation of the rights

of others, and challenge 'to each individual.

More than a dozen controlled research studies have shown that an

"appreciation of the dynamics of behavior is accompanied by significant

changes in such dimensions as manifest anxiety, tendency to Immediate arbi-

trary punitiveness, anti-democratic tendencies, and to!erance of ambiguity."

There is evidence, therefore, that Ojenann's causal approach can work under

rather carefully controlled research conditions. Unfortunately, this

approach has had, to date, very little impact on school procedures in a

general way, or to use the vernacular, "in the real world." To quote one

author who laments this fabt, "Perhaps the reason is that effective use ofthis program der -ands specific training on the teacher'spzrt." (Italics

added.)

19

15

The need to assess the i-pact of a potentially important effort, suchas is represented by the One To Grad Dn filn series, is critical to anorderly and validated process of i--proienent in our techniques and approa.ci-esto educational prchie-s, particularly as they relate to rental health issues.

The results of such an evaluation would be inportant in helping 1.11tiii intheir continuing efforts to reach teachers with rental health ressages and

suggest guidelines for the develop-ent of future progra.- in this critical

area. The results should also be of direct assitence in the disse=inationand support of the One To Grew On filn series itself.

20

16

SECTION I

DESCRIPTION OF THE ONE TO Mc,/ ON FILM/DISCUSSION PROGRAM

The complete teacher training package contains an introductory film

plus six separate film segments, each with an acm-panying discussion

guide.* The strategy employed by this training package is one of providing

a common stimulus (the film series) with post film discussion sessions

during which the participants (teachers), under the direction of a Discus-

sion Leader, engage in a dialogue which is intended to achieve the following

major objectives:

(1) To stimulate discussion of the natare of student behavior and

the teacher's relationship to it.

(2) To help teachers appreciate and understand human behavior, taking

into account underlying factors which can produce different kinds

of surface behavior in students.

(3) To help teachers explore and understand their own attitudes and

feelings toward teaching, and by this exploration improve the ways

in which they relate to their students and their students relate

to themselves and others.

A brief description of each film is contained below.

Film Descriptions page 7

(1) "A Pretty Good Class for a Monday"

Film action centers about three male students in a conventional history

class. The students' major outside interests are explored as well as their

The introductory film was not ready in time to be used in the study. Aseventh film has also been prepared and is now part of the series.

21

17

parents' and teachers' attitudes and descriptions of them. Each student

represents an area of emphasis of the school:

(a) Academic development (a student whose major Interest Is

oath).

(b) Vocational training (a student whose interest centers about

motorcycles).

(c) Citizenship preparation (a student interested in Scout activities,

holding a job, and eventually going Into police work).

The purpose of "A Pretty Good Class for a Honday" is to stimulate a

discussion of ways of reconciling the apparent conflicts presented by indi-

vidual students with individual values, orientations and spheres of success

and the circumstances prevailing in a school in which teachers deal with

large numbers of students, are responsible for teaching a prescribed

curriculum, and must apply standards set by the school or by the community.

(2) "Lindsay"

Film action centers about a girl in conflict with the values of her

parents. Family setting is one of affluence. Action includes girl's use

of contraceptive pills and abuse of drugs. Her teacher is shown in an

unsuccessful attempt to encourage the girl to discuss her problem.

The purpose of "Lindsay" is to provoke a discussion of the way in

which the needs and responsibilities of students, parents, and teachers can

be at odds with each other, and ways that the resulting unresolved conflicts

can be destructive.

Issues raised include the conflict between parents' needs, which they

attempt to fulfill through their children, and the children's own needs.

There is a problem between the goals of the teacher and the methods he uses,

and the extent to which the school exacerbates or might help resolve stu-

dents' problems which arise from deep differences between the student and

his or her parents.

22

18

(3) "Sarah"

The action centers about a giri about to be suspended from school for

repeated unexcused absences. An understanding teacher learns that the girl

has had an abortion, unknown to her parents. She wants this to rer'ain

unknown to Chem. The responsible male student is in the class the girl has

been avoiding. The teacher attempts to preclude the girl's suspension by

telling the vice principal that there was a valid reason for the girl's

behavior, with assurances that she will attend the class in the future.

The teacher fails in her atterpt. No exception will be made for Sarah.

The purpose of "Sarah" is to provoke a discussion around the issues and

the behavior of the characters in the film, by portraying a conflict situa-

tion in which everybody is apparently "sincere" and "responsible," but by

their actions assure an unsatisfactory conclusion.

Issues raised include the conflict between the teacher's responsibility

to the student and responsibility to the institution; conflict in the role

of the vice principal or dean as counselor on the one hand and the implementor

of rules on the other: conflict between Sarah's responsibility for her own

actions (and her need to work out her own problems) and her parents' and

the school's responsibility for her; the appropriateness of suspension as a

response to truancy; the need for privileged communication between teacher

and student; the question cf personal responsibility for decisions vs. actions

that might be defended in terms of "erforcing the rules," "doing one's

job," etc.

(4) "Individuals"

This film presents a concrete example of an innovative, "individualized,"

program geared to self-direction of students. Film content is devoted to a

description of how such a program 'works." (This is an unscripted documentary

of an actual class.)

The purpose of "Individuals" is to provoke a discussion of the goal of

self-direction, methods of achieving it, and the Impact of such a change on

the roles and responsibilities of teachers.

23

19

The major issues raised are questions about changing the vied of the

ultimate objectives of the process of education from the mastery of a set

body of skills towards the development of self-direction. What is the rela-

tionship between learning self-direction and learning a particular skill

such as adding fractions? How can a teacher best help a child to learn?

What is a teacher's true responsibility? What is the nature of knowledge;

what is teaching; what is learning? What makes a child learn? Who is

responsible for what parts of the process? What makes a child remember?

What is the use or learning? How does a school program that stresses self-

direction fit into a society that has a relative:y highly structured extrinsic

reward system?

(5) "A Teacher in Reflection"

Film shows a teacher conducting a "class meeting." Pupils are lower

elementary school level. The meeting is of a problcm-solving nature,

approaching situations such P., the difficulties encountered by a girl new

to the school, and ways ;r which students can help one another with learning

problems. In voice-over commentary the teacher "reflects" on ways in which

she unconsciously influences and shapes the decisions the children ultimately

make about changing classroom procedures.

The purpose of "A Teacher in Reflection" is to provide a concrete

example of a program which attempts to deal directly with mental health

development in the classroom. it is hoped that after seeing one example as

shown in the film, teachers can share their reactions to the underlying

ideas in that particular approach, consider the implications of the program's

objectives for teachers, and speculate seriously about ways of achieving the

same objectives in their own classrooms, either with a program like the one

portrayed in the film or in some other way more appropriate for them.

Issues include the extent to which a new program is just "old wine in

new bottles" if there is no fundamental change in the teacher who is using

the program. Also, is there a possibility of conflict when the teacher,

the central authority in a class, attempts to give some authority to the

students? Is encouraging critical thinking among students a worthwhile

objective for a classroom teacher?

24

20

(6) "Learning Strategies"

The action in this film shows several activities, without commentary,

in various classrooms In which strategics are being employed with the purpose

of helping children learn to guide their own development.

The purpose of this film is to provoke a discussion of the concept of

guiding one's own development and the ways in which particular techniques

might be most effecti,.aly employed.

Issues raised include the question of how the school can best support

children as they learn to guide their own development, and to consider the

ways in which children can do this. An important issue is one .that

approaches ways in which a teacher's habits may interfere with a conscientious

effort to help children do their own learning.

The major thrust of the approach taken in the training program described

above is to be found in the discussion sessions. The focus of the discus-

sions is intended to be on what teachers do within their own classrooms

that relates to the mental health of their students. The strategy employed

in this program is to provide stimuli (the films) and a forum that will

make it possible for teachers, working together as colleagues, to develop

and discuss changes they can make that will result in more constructive

classroom experiences for students.

The films are set in different schools with a variety of types of class-

room organization, from very conventional to experimental. The grade level

ranges from kindergarten to high school. The assumption behind this variety

Is that the teacher is the key element in developing a constructive approach

to mental hea!th in the classroom. The grade level, the shape of the class-

room, the configuration of the desks, the type of program that is officially

sanctioned, all contribute in their way to the kinds of interaction that

occur in the classroom. But the teacher's awareness, sensitivity, and beha-

vior are by far the most important variables. His realization that he can

change his behavior in a constructive way is the underlying message of the

entire series.

25

21

There is no intention to "sell" the particular techniques c cni in

some of the to the participants. The adoption of sczcific classrocr

devices and progre-s is not the objective of this progran. The success of

the discussion cannot be neasured by the participants' final receptiver:ss

to the specific techniques shown. A bad discussion would be one in wIlicn

the whole focus of attention was on labeling the situations or technicLus,

and passing judgrent on then. The best discussion would be one in which

the participants expsored their own reactions to the situations, and ca-c

out with sore new ideas about hots they night better cultivate good rental

health practices in their own classroors.

26

22

SECTION Vi

DESCRIPTION OF STUDY DESIGN AND TEST INSTRLMENTS

The basic study design is shown below. It should be noted that

the film series was designed to be used by all in-service teachers--thus

the complexity and completeness of the design. Since it was considered

desirable to conduct the study in two different geographical locations,

this design was replicated at a second site (Site I was Pittsburgh and

environs, and Site 2 was Epode island).

Eler_entarf

Grades(1 - 6)

RURAL

ExpericAced,taleFer.ale

SUBURBAN

Exrcrienced,

M & FI.Lie 6

Interinza:;te

Grades

(7 9)

High Schr.D1

(10 12)

Fe7ale

Inoxr,crienc-d

Experience d,

U & F' & F

Expc.riencs.d,

N 8 FIS & F

Experiencae,

h FIi £ F

:v7,:lriencrA

Ezperienc.cfj,

ti & F

M S F

M F

exDftrienced

xperienald,

C. F

M F

lilf;:2rigzn177d

H & F

-tx,:arieticed

M E, F

In actual practice, the program will not be used by all teachers, all

schools, or all school districts. Rather, at each level, it is anticipated

that the decision to use the program will be a voluntary one, and that the

population of users will be a highly biased subset of the whole teacher

population. The exact composition of the subset is not known, and it Is

thus in a strict sense impossible to draw a random sample from it. Further-

more, even if it were possible to obtain an appropriate random sample, it

2723

would not be feasible within the scope of the present project to use a

sample of sufficient size to support generalizations of the precise sort

envisioned in sarpling theory. This is so because the appropriate samplirg

unit is not teachers, or schools, bat school districts. It would have been

prohibitively expensive to obtain an adequate sample of this unit of

measurement.

tile of the important factors considered in the selection of particioants

was the requirement that the d;scussion groups be kept relatively small and

cenageable so that meaningful discussions could be had (and monitored) and also

so that the notion of "realism" be maintained. For this same reason (and

also to reasure school impact more effectively) the teachers in any one, tell

were to be drawn (to the extent possible) from a single school.

School systems were selected in with the types of respo.ndents end

types of settings would be reasonably representathe of those expected to

be encountered in practice. Teachers participating in the film and discussion

program were selected by the school system from among those volunteering.

The essential criteria for the selectien of a study site were:

1. Large enough system to have teachers representing the various

critical design categories (grade level, experience, etc.) in suf-

ficient numbers so as to provide an adequate pool of volunteers.

2. A system with a sympathetic administration, willing to provide the

necessary support to the effort.

3. A system that represents conditions typical of the three types of

schools; urban, suburban, and rural.

4. A system geographically proximate to the project staff. r able to

provide the necessary leadership to ensure that the study be con-

ducted as intended.

.28

24

Control group and experimental group teachers were matched to t ^e extent

possible on ne basis of tie following parameters:

a. Experience. This is one of toe experimental variables shown in

Figure 1. Experienced teachers are defined as those with more than

two years total of teaching experience; inexperienced t6.o years cr

less.

b. Teacher location. Experimental and control teachers were drawn

from the Sa7C school or from schools that are considered by those

qualified to cake such a judgment as representing the sane ethnic,

socio- economic and neighborhood characteristics.

c. Age and sex. To the extent possible, each cell in the design

contains a variety of age ranges and a mixture of male and fe^ale

teachers. These characteristics were distributed as equally as

possible between the experimental and control groups.

The primary defining characteristics of the respondent population were

determined, of course, by the grade level and school location parameters.

The following working definitions were used for the latter categories:

a. Rural. A school located outside the metropolitan area of a city

or large torn and serving a population whose income is derived

primarily from farming and/or local industry, e.g., mining.

b. Suburban. A school located outside the ventral city but within the

metropolitan area, served by a separate school system. income is

usually derived from occupations in the city.

c. Urban. A school located within the heart of the central city

serving a population whose income is derived primarily from occu-

pations based in the city.

Another input to these definitions was the terminology used by the

local 'school system.

Pupil characteristics were not controlled per se, but were determined

by the selection of schools and teachers within those schools. One entire

class of each teacher participating in the workshop was -Selected as comprising

the pupil sample. Teachers in the upper grades who teach more than one

class had a class randomly selected for use in the study.

29Z5

Three published tests were selected and two interview fors were dasigrad

for data collecticn purposes. The three peblished tests are:

1. The Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory (KTAI)

2. The Eirncaoolis Student Cpinicn uestionnaire (SCO

3. The AIR "Ir.sen Do I Smile" test

item I was the primary instrument for cbtainirg teacher attiti.de infor-

mation towards students and teaching, pre-, post-, and follow-up. Item 2

was selected to yield information on the feelings of secondary and high

school level students toward school, particularly the teacher. ite:a 3 was

selected for the same purpose but for the primary level grades. The other

two data collection devices were designed to obtain information from the

discussion leaders and the teachers in the experimental group with respect

to their thoughts, feelings and attitudes about the entire experience. The

Discussion Leader Report Form was to be completed tremediately after each

discussion session. The Teacher interview Schedule was used as soon after

the completion of the entire series as possible. (Many teachers were inter-

viewed by a rerber of the project staff or someone trained by the project

staff. Those who could not be reached in this way were asked to write their

responses, with telephone follow-up used for any problem areas.)

The overall sevenee of the study, with the various test instruments

identified, was as follows:

1. Pretest

a. Teachers, both experimental and control, were given the Minneapolis

Teacher Attitude Inventory. This was done by individual railings

or in grounc at the various selected schools.

b. Primary grade pupils who are in-the classes of the selected teachers,

experimental and control, were given the "When Do 1 Smile" test in

class by "the school" (not the classroom teacher).

c. Junior and senior high school students were given the Minneapolis

Student Opinion Questionnaire under the same conditions as in b

above.

30

26

II. Exoerinental Treatment (six uorkshoo sessions)

a. A "realistic" setting was raintained throughout the "workshop"

experience to the extent possible. That is, they were conducted

by the schools in essentially the sane way they would be tad the

school purchased or rented the film series "tae To Grow en" and

proceeded to use than i7dependently of AIR and the evaluation study.

Most of the workshops were conducted on a 2-hour after-school

session basis. Fowever, one school district found it necessary to

show the films before school began in tne =ming and to split

their discussion periods between a l5-minute period following the

film and a later session either the sa-e day or on the followirg day.

Each of the school systens in the two sites agreeing to participate

had available a pool of inservice trained "Leaders," trained in

group nethods by a school administration staff cenber whose major

task is the planning and coordination of inservice teacher training.

These "Leaders" were, by profession, school social workers, school

psychologists, and guidance counselors. In one school district,

however, it was necessary to use peer teachers to act as Discussion

Leaders. This seeoed to work very well. AIR did cake available

training in values clarification strategies and techniques to the

Discussion Leaders from the suburban and rural schools in the

Pittsburgh area (provided by Creative Communication, Inc., who

also trains readers for the Social Seminar program). However,

some of the more highly qualified and skilled Leaders came from a

school district in Rhode Island that had no formal training.

To summarize, some of the "real world" conditions under which the

film series was conducted were: volunteer subjects, a variety of

conditions under which the workshops were conducted, and Discussion

Leaders who had different background and training.

After each film and discussion session (scheduled once a week),

the Discussion Leader filled out the Discussion Leader Report

Fotm. Teachers were not to be involved personally in this

activity.

31

27

b. After the corpletion of the entire series of films /discussions,

the teachers were either interviewed personally using the Interview

Schedule for Teacters or filled out the Schedrle and sent it to

the project staff.

c. Control group teaehers and students received no special training

of any kind.

111. Posttest

The Posttest procedure for experimental and control teachers was identi-

cal in all respects to the Pretest procedure. The sane instrument Was used

(HTAI). No testing of pupils was done at this tire.

lV. Three -ronth Follow-up Testing

The three-month follow-up testing procedures for teachers and pupils

were identical in all respects to the Pretest procedures (i.e. both experi-

mental and control, teachers and pupils, received all test instruments).

32

28