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The effect of general rationale statements on teacher acceptance of a classroom intervention: Investigating matched, mismatched and no-rationale options

Cindy L Gray, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Abstract

This study built upon previous research suggesting that consultee acceptance of proposed interventions can be enhanced by using intervention rationales reflective of the perspectives of the consultee. Unlike previous matching studies, the current study explored whether there might be enough cohesion among teachers' beliefs about classroom problems and interventions to allow consultants to develop general rationale statements for common empirically-validated interventions. Specifically, this study examined whether a rationale statement that was developed based on input from one group of high school teachers, would be effective in improving the acceptance of practicing secondary teachers in other schools. Results suggest that consultees in this study did not react differentially in their acceptance ratings of a home/school contract intervention as a function of receiving (a) a matched rationale that reflected and responded to common teacher concerns from the Preliminary Study School, (b) no rationale, or (c) a mismatched rationale that was logical, but not reflective of the perspectives of the practicing teachers surveyed for this study. The study also attempted to determine whether the influence of intervention rationale statements might be mediated by the severity level of the presenting problem; no significant differences were found. A secondary component of the investigation included preliminary exploration into the issue of building-specific “school cultures,” and whether teachers in individual buildings tend to share similar types of beliefs. Results indicated that teachers at the Preliminary Study School were significantly more positive in their acceptance ratings compared to one of the other schools. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

Subject Area

Social psychology|Educational psychology

Recommended Citation

Gray, Cindy L, "The effect of general rationale statements on teacher acceptance of a classroom intervention: Investigating matched, mismatched and no-rationale options" (2000). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9976993.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9976993

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