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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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A Study Of The Teacher Stereotype: The Image Of 'Mr. Novak' As Seen By Undergraduate Teacher Candidates And Practicing Professional Teachers
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A Study Of The Teacher Stereotype: The Image Of 'Mr. Novak' As Seen By Undergraduate Teacher Candidates And Practicing Professional Teachers
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HiU dliuriiUon has bssn microfilmed exactly aa received 67-8006 COLWELL, Maurice Joseph, 1922- A STUDY OF THE TEACHER STEREOTYPE: THE IMAGE OF MR. NOVAK AS SEEN BY UNDERGRADUATE TEACHER CANDIDATES AND PRACTICING PROFES SIONAL TEACHERS. University of Southern California, Ph.D., 1967 Education, theory and practice University Microfilms. Inc.. Ann Arbor. Michigan . Copyright by MAURICE JOSEPH COLWELL 1967 A STUDY OF THE TEACHER STEREOTYPE; THE IMAGE OF MR. NOVAK SEEN BY UNDERGRADUATE TEACHER CANDIDATES AND PRACTICING PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS by Maurice Joseph Colwell A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Education) February 1967 UNIVERSITY O F SO U T H E R N CALIFORNIA TH E G RA DUATE SC H O O L U N IV ER SITY PARK LO S A N G ELES. C A L IFO R N IA 0 0 0 0 7 This dissertation, written by ......... MaMrice..jrosj?p.h..Q«lw<?AL......... under the direction of hk9.....Dissertation C om mittee, and approved by alt its members, has been presented to and accepted by the Graduate School, in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of D O C T O R O F P H I L O S O P H Y DfSH Date February* 1 96.7 IJIJtffiR yA T IQ N C O M M m ’Kfc TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES iv Chapter I . PRESENTATION OF THE PROBLEM.................. 1 Introduction The Problem Procedure Organization of the Remainder of the Study II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE.......................... 12 General Stereotypes Teacher Stereotypes The General Concept of the Hero The Teacher Hero as Presented on American Television Summary III. THE PLAN OF THE EXPERIMENT.................... 42 Introduction The Materials Summary IV. CONDUCTING THE EXPERIMENT.................... 48 Introduction Selecting Subjects Subject Personal Data procedure Statistical Treatment Summary ii Chapter V . RESULTS Page 58 Results of the Factor Analysis Results of the Analysis of the Factor Variance Additional Findings Discussion of the Findings Summary VI. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . . 83 Summary Conclusions Recommendations BIBLIOGRAPHY 93 APPENDIX 103 iii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Summary Analysis of Variance (Factor I) . • Page 69 2. Summary Analysis of Variance (Factor II) . . 70 3. Summary Analysis of Variance (Factor Ill) . 71 4. Summary Analysis of Variance (Factor IV) . . 72 5. Summary Analysis of Variance (Factor V) . . 73 6. Summary Analysis of Variance (Factor VI) . . 74 7. Summary Analysis of Variance (Factor VII) 75 8. Summary Analysis of Variance (Factor VIII) . 76 9. Summary Analysis of Variance (Factor IX) . . 77 10. 2 x 2 Factorial Design . . 78 iv CHAPTER I PRESENTATION OF THE PROBLEM Introduction The teacher in the United States has been saddled with a very unfavorable image and the impact of that image has maintained and nurtured a most unfortunate stereotype. This seems ironic in view of the fact that our culture places almost Herculean emphasis upon education and the educational process. Research studies and literature pertaining to teacher status, as an occupation, indicates that the status of the teacher is far lower in this country than anywhere else and ranks far below that accorded lawyers, engineers, doctors and businessmen (13:54). In countries where the in tellectual functions of education are highly valued, such as Sweden and Denmark, the teacher is likely to be an important community figure and one who presents a social and personal role worth imitating. However, in the United States 1 2 historically the role of the schoolteacher has not served as a positive professional or social model. Too often, in fact, the teacher has been regarded as an inconsequential necessity in the community. "Regardless of his own quality, his low pay and common lack of personal freedom have caused the teacher's role to be associated with exploitation and intimidation" (40:310). investigation of stereotypes and the teacher stereo type in particular, reveals an image of the teacher that is overwhelmingly negative. Not only is the teacher stereotype negative, but the literature suggests this negative image has a long history and the teacher "goes on being a per petual butt of other people's humor— a kind of Casper Milquetoast with chalk on his trousers and McGuffey in his hand" (28:20). implied in this stereotype is the idea that the sex roles of teachers are not clearly defined and that the role of the male, in particular, is open to question. American teaching has become feminized to the point where we rank way above the rest of the world in this re spect and for the last century American teaching has been identified as a feminine profession. In the rest of the world there is greater employment of the male in the teach ing occupation. "But in America, where teaching has been 3 identified as a feminine profession, it does not offer men the stature of a fully legitimate male role" (40:320). This confusion about the sex role of the teacher is of major im portance when we consider the number of persons involved in the teaching profession. In the 1960 United States Census it was reported that 2.4 million men and women were employed as teachers and of that number, 1.4 million are employed in public elemen tary and secondary schools (78:16). This great number of people in one occupational group gives education the number one position as the largest of all professional groups and, in fact, makes it twice as large as the next largest group (engineers) (78:16). The importance of improving the teacher image and re-charging it from negative to positive is self-evident. To date much has been said about the state of teaching but not enough investigation is being focused upon ways of mak ing the positive image a reality. To enhance the contempo rary teacher and stimulate the recruitment of a new type of teacher, the existing image must be altered. The point is well made by the following statement from the President's Commission on National Goals: 4 One way to discover what are considered to be important professions is to ask which professional schools receive highest priority in university planning. It would be a rare campus on which the school of education ranked first. Yet in terms of our national future, teaching is the most important. (30:93) The Problem Statement of the problem The purpose of this study was to determine the following: 1. if teacher-stereotypes are perceived differently by teacher-candidates than by professional teachers, 2. if professional teachers and teacher-candidates have an ideal concept of the teacher that can be demonstrated, and 3. if there are any differences in teacher stereo types held by those who watch and those who do not watch the television program featuring the teacher hero Mr. Novak. The image of Mr. Novak, the first teacher hero to appear on television, was used to measure the perceptions of teacher candidates and professional teachers. Psychological and social variables were also measured to determine their impact upon the perceptions of Mr. Novak by the two teach ing publics. (The program Mr. Novak is described in detail in Chapter II.) Hypotheses Two hypotheses were formulated to serve as guides for the investigation. They were the following: 1. professional teachers and teacher-training candidates will demonstrate significant group difference in their perception of the teacher image as projected by Mr. Novak. 2. Professional teachers and teacher-training candidates, if given the choice of ranking the teacher image projected by Mr. Novak on an Ideal/Actual scale, will reject the reality of this image. Importance of the study The success or failure of the great American dream, equal opportunity, is in large part dependent upon the pub lic school. The whole concept of democracy is synonymous with public elementary and secondary education. Almost any statement one might make about the importance of education becomes a trite tautology. 6 The carriers of the great institution called public education are elementary and secondary teachers. These teachers represent the nation's largest profession and this profession has historically maintained an overwhelmingly negative image. This negative stereotype of the teacher is harmful not only to the teaching profession, but also to the whole fabric of our society. The effect of the image has been self-sealing in that the negative stereotype of the teacher tends to attract certain kinds of people and repels others, which in turn helps sustain and nurture this nega tive stereotype. As the educational sociologist, Willard Waller, in discussing the sociology of improving the teach er image, states: Those who follow certain occupations play out the roles which go with it rather consistently. Other persons come to think of these roles as characterizing the occupation, and when they think of the one they think of the other. Experience of persons playing those roles leaves residua in the form of imagined constructs relating to the appear ance or behavior of persons falling within certain occupational categories. These imagined constructs are stereotypes. When a stereotype has been orga nized out of the community experience of persons belonging to certain occupational groups and con sistently playing out certain roles that go with it, the members of the community tend to organize all experience of the persons in such an occupation in terms of the existent stereotype; they have a low perceptual threshold for behavior conforming to the 7 stereotype, and a high threshold for facts which argue against the correctness of the stereotype. A stereotype, once established, reenforces itself; it proves its own correctness by arguing in a perfect circle. When a stereotype has once become current, it may be passed from one individual to another by social contagion, and it tends to distort the first naive experience of new members with persons belonging to the group included in the stereotype. (84:415) about a change in the very foundations of education, that is, in the caliber of people attracted to teaching: The reformation of education becomes a problem of the teaching personnel. Teachers must be ob tained who are capable of non-institutional leader ship, who have no need of barriers between them selves and their students, and they must be left free to do with the social order of the schools as they will. They will modify it fast enough if we can get the right persons~not that the good teach er necessarily makes the good school,for that he does not, but the good teacher, free, could not pos sibly make the same sort of bad school. Teachers must be found who are much more strong and indepen dent than teachers are now. if virile teachers are present, they can make any system of education work; no system can succeed that does not bring students into contact with strong and inspiring minds, and any system can succeed that does. This is the crux of the problem of educational reform. We can accom plish little by having teachers do something differ ent, for they cannot do anything different without being something different, and it is the being something different that matters. (84:452-453) Yet in spite of this oft-quoted statement by Waller, made back in 1932, about the great need for more "high grade" Waller also points up the importance of bringing individuals to be attracted into teaching, there is little evidence of any change in this regard* The most important focus of this study is the in vestigation of one area of possibility for role change of the teacher-image. That area of investigation involves the use of mass media in general, and television in particular, in the building of a positive teacher-image through the creation of one or many teacher heroes. In this regard it is important to note that since the inception of television, this media has created and pro duced three major teacher protagonists, Our Miss Brooks, Mr. Peepers, and Mr. Novak. The first two were consistent with the negative stereotype; only the latter dared break the mold. Our Miss Brooks is a classic example of the unmar ried, sexually frustrated, female teacher stereotype. She is the butt of one frustrating male-female plot after the other and all the other teaching staff at her school are depicted as buffoons. The plots are exaggerated situation comedies which degrade the role of the teacher as a person and teaching as a profession. She and her emasculated boy friend, Mr. Boyington, are representative of the often quoted statement of Margaret Mead, that education is "com monly regarded as a refuge of the unsalable men and the unmarriagiable women" (28:21). Mr. Peepers is projected as a very immature, child like man, who has great knowledge about an esoteric area of biology, but who when confronted with the everyday problems of life, makes a fool of himself. "His part is rooted in a theatrical stereotype, the teacher who is long on learning but short on knowledge of worldly goings-on" (10). He is a non-heroic, uninvolved, comic individual succinctly de scribed by Elise Morrow as a rather nondescript individual who wears plastic framed spectacles 'just to see with,' Wally explains, as he creates a classic picture of the little man. Timid but always stalwart, sometimes not quite in control of circumstances, but always dignified. (58:26) He is an excellent example of the castrated male teacher stereotype. _ Mr. Novak is presented as a two-fisted,intelligent, aggressive, man-of-the-world, who became a teacher out of his own convictions about life. He represents a new and heroic image of the teacher and thus provides us with mate rial to add to our knowledge of teacher stereotypes, knowl edge which hopefully can assist in the creation of new and more heroic teacher-stereotypes and which can, accordingly, implement changes in the role definition of the American 10 public school teacher. This, in turn, may help to broaden the base for the recruitment of future teachers. Procedure Basically the procedure for this experimental study was as follows: 1. Definition of the problem 2. Statement of hypotheses regarding the factors assumed to be important in the problem 3. Review of the literature related to teacher stereotypes and the hero as an agent of social change . . 4. Determination of the experimental design and the plan of the experiment 5. Delimitation of the area within which to conduct the study 6. Conduct of the investigation 7. Review and analysis of the findings 8. Conclusions and recommendations for further study. Organization of the Remainder of the Study The review of the literature is presented in 11 Chapter II. The plan of the experiment is given in Chapter III. Chapter IV consists of the conduct of the experiment. Chapter V reports the finding of the study, and Chapter VI contains the summary, conclusions and suggestions for further study. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE The review of the literature pertaining to this research is presented in this chapter under the following five categories: (1) general stereotypes, (2) teacher stereotypes, (3) the general concept of the hero, (4) the teacher hero as presented on American television, and (5) summary. General Stereotypes "Stereotypes" are images in the minds of men and, although they are often the opposite of reality, they never theless exist. The concept of the stereotype was introduced into the jargon of social science in the early 1920’s by Walter Lippmann, who stated at that time: For the most part we do not first see, and then define, we define first and then see. In the great blooming, buzzing confusion of the outer world we pick out what our culture has already defined for us, and we tend to perceive that which we have picked out in the form stereotyped for us by our culture. (50:4) 12 7 13 These generalized notions called "stereotypes" tend to be widely shared by members of a given society and play an important part in our judgment of any individual or group related to our stereotypes. Stereotypes are for the most part visual and, as Lippmann called them, "pictures in our heads" (50). Some stereotypes elicit very specific, well- defined images in the mind while others represent a gene ralized concept that we recognize but cannot specifically reproduce. Social interaction is very dependent upon the use of stereotyping, especially in situations where there are widely used and widely accepted types, such as situations involving interaction between Negroes and whites or Jews and Gentiles. Ralph Ellison, the American Negro author, describes the personal impact of living as the object of a stereotype in the following words: X am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. X am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids— and X might even be said to possess a mind. X am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though X have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting 14 glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagi nation— indeed, everything and anything except me. Nor is my invisibility exactly a matter of a bio chemical accident to my epidermis. That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposi tion of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact. A matter of the construction of their inner eyes, those eyes with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality. (23:7) The main body of research concerning stereotypes has been focused upon the study of racial and ethnic prejudices. Katz and Brady polled 100 Princeton students for their images of twelve ethnic groups and some of the results where there was a high degree of agreement were: Negroes (lazy,, superstitious, happy-go-lucky) , Chinese (supersti- stious, sly, conservative), English (sportsmanlike, intelli gent, conventional), and Japanese (progressive, intelligent, industrious). One interesting finding was related to Turks (cruel, very religious, treacherous). Although none of the students had known a Turk, still, they held very similar stereotypes of them. This suggests that one need not have direct experience with a subject but what one hears and sees in reading, television, movies, conversation, etc., condi tions the formation of a stereotype (45). In Gunnar Myrdal's exhaustive study of the American 15 Negro (59) he concluded that Northern whites, even though they have few personal contacts with Negroes, take over the stereotypes existent in their culture. These stereotypes, in turn, are the basis for their attitudes.and behavior toward Negroes. This behavior directly and indirectly provides active pressure forcing the Negro to conform to these stereotypes. Some of the major Negro stereotypes most widely held by whites, as reported by Herskovits, Montague and Myrdal (59) in particular, and social scientists in general, are the following: 1. The Negro is supposed to have an inborn lack of aptitude for sustained mental activity, which justifies his vocational segregation from skilled positions. 2. The Negro race is childish, immature, underde veloped, servile, lacking in initiative and hence may be denied suffrage. 3. The Negro is presumed to have a lower X.Q., a smaller brain and a mind that cannot be improved beyond certain limits, thereby justifying segre gated education and manual, not mental, training. 16 4. The Negro is innately lazy, thriftless, happy- go-lucky, lacks morals,, and has strong criminal tendencies. Therefore, his living quarters should be separated. 5. Negro males have extraordinarily large genitalia and superior sexual skill; therefore, they must be prevented from having intercourse with white females. These stereotypes serve as a rationalization for whites in maintaining the status quo. It is no accident these beliefs are unfavorable to the Negro, for they justify white dominance and the continued existence of a color- caste (9). Hyman and Sheatsley report that there appears to be a nation-wide gradual decline in Negro stereotypes, and they base this conclusion on the results of repeated National Op.ni.on Research Center surveys (43) . A research on the use of stereotypes in the mass media was made by analysing the change in stereotypes pre sented in early issues of Life magazine as compared to con temporary issues of the same magazine: While occasionally portraying Negroes neutrally or as "credits to their race," LIFE in the late 1930's 17 overwhelmingly presented Negroes as either musical, primitive, amusing, or religious, or as violent and criminal; occupationally, they were pictured as either servants, athletes, or entertainers, or as unemployed. Pictures included a Negro choir at a graveside funeral, an all-Negro chain gang, and Negro W.P.A. workers beating a drum "in tribal fashion" at a W.P.A. circus. Descriptions of Negroes dancing included such terms as "barbaric," "jungle," and "native gusto." Today the mass media would not consider such material. (63:998) The upgrading of the Negro and the improvement of mass media racial content combined with the assertive re sourcefulness of the Negro revolution is helping to spell the gradual abolition of the centuries-old stigma, it is the theme of this study that a similar upgrading can induce a change in the teacher stereotypes now reflected in the mass media. Staats and Staats (76:37-40) research findings suggest that stereotypes can be modified. They conditioned stereotypes in some students by relating positive and nega tive words to six nationalities: French, Italian, German, Greek, Dutch and Swedish. By presenting negative words with one nationality, positive words with another, and the others with neutral words, they demonstrated on a seven-point scale, rating from pleasant to unpleasant, that the subjects were conditioned to the desired stereotype without conscious awareness. 18 The wide spectrum of kinds of stereotypes was de monstrated in a study by Wells, Goi, and Seader (87), who asked one hundred people to characterize the owners of different brands of American automobiles and for the follow ing five brands there was substantial agreement: Plymouth owners Quiet, careful, slow, moral, fat, sad, calm, patient, honest Buick owners Middle class, brave, masculine, strong, ■ modern, pleasant Ford owners Masculine, young, powerful, rough, good-looking, single, merry, active Chevrolet owners Poor, ordinary, low class, simple, practical, cheap, thin, friendly Cadillac owners Rich,high class, famous, important, proud, superior This is an ideal example of the extremes to which a stereo type can be projected. Every man carries a mind full of images which he uses to portray different occupational types. When an occu pation such as teacher or farmer is mentioned, a precon ceived image of that occupational type comes into play, not only for the speaker but for the listener as well. . . . Not everyone has the same image of the teacher, but most people hold different images of 19 teachers than they do o£ farmers . . . The accuracy or verification of such personality types or images in actual behavior seldom concerns the average man . . , each man reacts to the teacher, salesman, or secretary as if the images were real. (11:357) In an occupation as old as schoolteaching there is a certain validity in the stereotype of a personality diffi cult to change, "always spawning more of its kind to dis place any mutations" (80:164), Stereotypes seem to be rein forced by attracting new people who fit the popular stereo type. This point of view was well presented in a study of stereotypes of college sorority houses. The significance of the stereotype lies not in its accuracy as a description of a group— it is often erroneous--but in its effects on the house. .Whether voiced or not, the stereotype influences the members of the house and the ways the campus reacts to them. This is especially important during rushing. The newcomer to the campus cannot know each house in reality, but it is easy to sense the esteem in which a house is regarded. The rushee cannot test her ability to fit into a given group, but she can readily compare herself with its stereo type . . . This fact makes stereotyping a vicious circle; it attracts girls who fit the label. (29:760) The validity of this research would appear obvious to people who frequent college campuses where the sorority and fraternity system is stressed. 20 Teacher Stereotypes Economic One of the most widely used stereotypes is that teachers are not capable of success in the worlds of com merce and become teachers not out of love of the profession, but rather because they can do nothing else. "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach. ..." (49:473). This image was succinctly stated by Ernest Boyd: Terrorized by economic fears and intellectual inhibitions, they have no independence. They are despised by the plain people because of their failure to make money; and to them are relegated all matters which are considered of slight moment, namely, learning and the arts, in these fields the pedants rule unchallenged, save when some irate railroad presidents discover in their teachings the heresy of radicalism. (7:491) Gerbner reports that his study, which investigated the teacher stereotypes in fifty-six stories in the Saturday Evening Post, revealed the teacher as an outsider often in conflict with the community. Also the teacher is usually found in some degree of poverty and as a consequence of this financial state, one-third of the teachers solved their problem by leaving the profession (32). That this part of the stereotype is based partly on fact is easily seen when one considers the economic status of the profession. Since 1939, the salaries of teachers have increased ahead of the cost of living, but far below the ratio of increase of salary to cost of living of other professional groups. Since 1920-21, the teacher's average annual salary in terms of current dollars has gone up five times, but in terms of purchasing power, only about three times (78:55). The average earnings for all public school teachers in 1958 were only 51.1 percent of the average earnings of 17 other professional groups. The average earnings of women teachers in the public schools were 94.9 percent of the average earnings of women in the 17 other professional groups, while men teachers' average earn ings were 57.6 percent of those of the 17 professions. (The professional groups were architects, chemists, clergy men, dentists, dietitians, engineers, foresters, lawyers, librarians, natural scientists, optometrists, osteopaths, pharmacists, physicians, social workers, social sicentists, and veterinarians (78:57).) The effects of such an economic status is seen when one considers the holding power of the profession. For every one hundred students who are accredited to teach, about 60 will do so and of that 60, 10 to 15 percent will drop out after the first year, leaving 53. Another like 22 amount will drop out the next year and so on until ten years later only 12 to 15 of the original 100 prospective teachers will be left in the classroom. These figures describe drop out conditions during "practically any decade of the twen tieth century" (68:327). Who are those who remain in the profession in spite of economic hardship? Roe (70) suggests that the lower the I.Q. of teachers tested, the more favorably they view the teaching profession, and Thorndike and Hagan (81) found similarly that those men who left teaching were the more in telligent and made significantly more money than those who remained in teaching. Admiral Rickover, an arch-conservative critic of the American school, comments: In any profession, and particularly in the teach ing profession, there are dedicated people who will work under adverse conditions and at low pay. But we must not delude ourselves that the answer to our dilemma lies solely in dedicated people. There will never be enough of them. We are not entitled to edu cate our children on the philanthropy of our teachers. Whether we like it or not, in the culture which exists in the United States today the desirability of a given occupation is measured largely in terms of salary. (69:107) Sex Teaching is seen by many as a female profession 23 and as having a feminine orientation; consequently men who enter teaching have often been viewed by the public as lack ing in masculinity. This statement represents the teacher sex-role stereotype. Education is "commonly regarded as the refuge of the unsalable men and the unmarriagiable women" (28:21). Margaret Mead sums up this teacher stereotype: The teacher will be necessarily not an average, not a statistical representation of the teachers of the United States at the present time, but rather a distillate of American ideas of the teacher which is itself compounded from both stereotype and actual experience, from the teacher in the sentimental song and on the comic valentine, the teacher met on the tourist ship, as well as the teachers of one's own school days, and the teacher from whom one's children or grandchildren are learning.. . . . But when the American hears the word schoolteacher . . . he will think of a grade-school teacher who teaches perhaps the third or fourth grade; this teacher will be a woman of somewhat indeterminate age, perhaps in the middle thirties, neither young or old, of the middle class, and committed to the ethics and manners of a middle-class world . . . The man who teaches in grade school has to deal with a self-classification of being a "man teacher," thus tacitly acknowledging that his is a male version of a role which is felt to be feminine. (55:5) A study done on the image of the school teacher among college students (62:250) found that according to the students, the male teacher is low in status, poor in public affairs and lacks assertiveness, hardness, strength, activ ity and confidence. They also suggest that the teaching role does not call for or permit the expression of strong vigorous sentiments. Softness and impulsiveness were seen to be common traits, in these respects the male teacher's masculinity is suspect. Dorothy Rodgers (71) , in a study of how forty male elementary teachers saw themselves in relation to their occupation, reported that they felt their status in the community was inferior, and that people look upon them as somewhat peculiar if not downright effeminate. Schwartz (74) analysed eighty-one feature motion pictures produced in the United States which portrayed an educator in either a major or minor role. From this anal ysis it was reported that the types of movies which include educators are, in many ways, different from the films with out educators. Films with educators are much more likely to be romantic love stories, biographies, comedies, and musi cals. They also had more themes involving mental illness, alcoholism, science, romantic relationships, home, family and marital problems. Films without educators had a ten dency to be more depictive of violence, crime, superstition and had a greater proportion of adventure and western stories. Educators were not portrayed as aggressive, warm romantic partners but relied more on chance or outsiders to 25 initiate romance. Gerbner, in a review of this Schwartz study,says: His opportunities for love were virtually unlim ited . . . Alas, most of them were unmarried also at the end of the picture. With all the happy endings in the movies, a teacher's chance of success in love with anybody were fifty-fifty . . . with such a pat tern of romantic success among screen pedagogues, what need be said about failure? Well failure in love permitted teachers to remain fully dedicated to the profession, and it permitted their would be partners to escape into stronger, warmer arms of less educated but apparently more human creatures. (32:203) Schwartz concluded that the motion picture industry is perpetuating the unsympathetic image of the educator and is taking advantage of a portrayal which appears to be the image held by a large audience. "The important element is that the image of the educator which is perpetuated by the mass media can be a strong force influencing the images held by the general public" (74) . Arthur Foff (27) did a very detailed study on how the public school elementary and secondary teachers are por trayed in the American novel. Foff investigated sixty-two novels that ranged from the early nineteenth century up until the middle of the twentieth century. He used 183 characters both male and female and analysed these charac ters in three major categories: Personal Data, the Teachers 26 in the School, and the Teacher in the Community. Foff's general findings were noteworthy: The male school teacher in the American novel teaches English in the secondary school. He is about thirty-five years old, tall, stooped, and gaunt, with a grey look of rejection about-him. His community rejects him and even they say he is a good teacher. They go on wondering whether he teaches "because he is a fool or a saint." He is very fond of children and secretly wishes he had sired some of his own. He is very concerned about being thought of as feminine, and he prob ably has "normal" heterosexual feelings. In fact, the attitude of the town is that no "real" women could have genuine feelings for a schoolteacher, because schoolteachers are not "real" men. In many other communities, however, teachers much like Pickens are accepted by members of the opposite sex as emasculated and harmless companions with whom one can share a bit of gossip as well as the trials and tribulations of raising the young. The community's attitude is one of rejection. The major cause behind this rejection appears to be the simple fact that he is a teacher, and teachers are not acceptable. (27:256) The female schoolteacher is unmarried, though attractive, and tends towards boyishness in her outward appearance. She has no real part in the life around her and is rejected by the community. She teaches in the ele mentary school and has no academic specialty. She is very 27 dependent upon her job as she has to support an impoverished relative. So Miss Agatha grows older, but not happier, living but unloved, wanting but unwanted, the eternal stranger who devotes her life to the education of other women's children, graying, sharpening, harshening with the years, becoming . an autocrat in the classroom and a recluse in the community, accepting her role as an old maid as she once accepted her role as a young school-mistress, dimly seeking some answer for all the pains and anxieties she can neither articulate nor understand. "Why?" she cries, "Why?" But in the end she is left in total loneliness and there is no reply. (27:280) Foff concluded that this teacher stereotype is very harmful to the teaching profession and that this image attracts certain kinds of people and repels others. This in turn helps sustain and nurture this negative stereotype. Emma Whiteford (88) compared female secondary teach er stereotypes as held by principals and superintendents. Her most consistent finding concerned the physical education teacher, whose image was characterized as robust, mannish, . . aggressive and wholesome. A very similar work by Margaret Barkley (1) using high school students as subjects confirms * Whiteford's results. General teacher stereotypes There are many other generally held stereotypes 28 about teachers that cannot be readily categorized. Kenneth McGill (53) in one of the original studies of teacher stereotypes presented ten photographs, five male and five female, to a sample of college students. Three of the women represented in the photographs were teachers and two of them the experimenter felt "looked like teachers" and represented a prevalent teacher stereotype. They found that the two who "looked like teachers," to the person who de vised the experiment, were confirmed to a high degree by those who observed the pictures. The most frequent reasons given for identification were that the faces appeared to be combinations of stern, dignified, determined, set, reserved and stony facial expressions.‘ Joanne Saltz (73) had thirty-seven housewives re spond as though they were professional teachers to the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. The resulting data was compared to the findings of a study by Jackson and Guba (44). Saltz concluded that the stereotype of the teacher most projected was: The picture that emerges is one of an ambitious, domineering, managing, fussy, tyrannical woman who has powers that enable her to see more of people's motives than they wish to reveal. She has few friends; she is not interested in people's problems; 29 social mingling is not to her 1 iking._ When things go wrong she rarely blames herself. Set in her ways, bound up in routine, she hesitates to do the unconventional. (73) In an investigation of teacher image, as reported by J. Chilcott (15), 74 percent of the residents of the com munity in which the research took place had very little con tact with teachers and .obtained their images of the teacher and the school from childhood experience, movies, televi sion, radio, and literary representations. This work again suggests that the communication media plays a major role in the development of the public image of the teacher. A study by Leo Gurko (35) of the presentation of teachers in fiction and motion pictures, related that in both fiction and the motion picture the presentation' of the teacher is almost always very unfavorable. Andrew Erskine (24) partially confirms Gurko in his research of forty-six Broadway plays presented between 1920 and 1950 for an evaluation of the characterization of teach ers. He found teachers were presented as poorly adjusted in 68 percent of the cases, and in 37 percent they had eco nomic problems. One-third of the cases experienced sexual tension. Erskine concluded that presenting teachers as neurotics does tangible harm to their status. 30 The study of teacher stereotypes tends to support the theory that an occupational style or behavioral type exists within the framework of the teaching profession. Frederic Terrien addressed his research to the problem and made a comprehensive analysis of the teacher. The paradigm he formulated for this occupational type was: 1. Not strongly motivated to enter the occupation. 2. Not strongly motivated toward advancement. 3. Somewhat, though not generally, dissatisfied with the occupation. 4. inclined to accept the status quo with uneasy grace, making little effort for change. 5. Likely to be co-operative and helpful. 6. Adept at school work. 7. Somewhat likely to grow authoritarian over time. 8. More inclined to follow than to lead. 9. More likely to be conservative than to be liberal, though not bigoted. 10. Rather prone to think of teachers as different from other occupational groups; a condition which leads to stereotyping. 11. Lack of aggression. 12. A strong sense of service. 13. considerable optimism, and a determination to make the best, emotionally, of a situation, if female, and rather generalized pessimism, if male. (11:275) Such a definitely distinguishable teacher type, E. B. Reuter suggests, may be "either because the occupation 31 selects the type or because the personality is formed by the conditions of life within the occupation, or both" (67:161). The General Concept of the Hero At this point it would seem logical to introduce an idea which relates to the problem of social change. Change that would alter, in some degree, the teacher occupational stereotype and therefore, the idea of the hero in general and the teacher hero in particular, is presented. Contemporary heroes emerge in politics, religion, sports, entertainment or any area where there is public interest and a time of great social change. A hero, says Klapp (46), is a person real or imaginary who evokes idealized attitudes and behavior. Wector (86) sees the hero, in a democracy, as an index of the collective mind and heart. His actions are a mirror of the folk soul. The hero must do things that are open to every man1s comprehension and by simple in his greatness. Manliness (effeminacy is fatal), forthright manners and salty speech are approved. . . . Our heroes, we believe, are cast in a differ ent mould. Their ruling passion, as we see it, is 32 a sense of duty, alert to the best among the stirring impulses of their time, and able to make that impulse effective. They translate the dream into act. (35:487) Their hero constantly tries to hitch the great bandwagon to the star of American idealism. Trapped by the mundane reality of everyday existence we simply must have heroes which give us periodic relief and hope. Heroes are not born but are produced by their time and become products of their time. Marshall Fishwick, in his book American Heroes: Myth and Reality, comments on the making of a hero: No combination of factors can fabricate a hero of the wrong man at the right moment, or the right man at the wrong moment. Only when there is a genuine need for a particular type, and when the qualifying candidate thinks and acts in the heroic manner, is there a culmination . . . Masculine, fullsized, and golden he believes in the future; he is looking for something beyond the next range of mountains. (26:230) He states further, that an American hero is symbolized by a man able to "look any man in the eye and tell him to go to hell" (26:226). Max Weber was very concerned about society becoming more and more automated and man in turn becoming less indi vidualized. He saw the hero as an agent of social change and an enemy of social acceptance and conformity. Weber 33 was jealous of opportunities for heroic action, and he wished to guarantee the rise of heroes. "But with society growing more and more mechanized, where are the chances for the common man to be heroic? Where will be the chances for individuals to touch the sky in a mechanized social order?" (6:480). Miller and Dollard (57:267) suggest that if a per son of high prestige introduces a trait into a society, its diffusion will be favored as compared with the introduction of the same trait by a person of low status, if large num bers of people pick up a new habit, the number of models and critics who can teach others is increased. This change in turn breaks the mold and creates an atmosphere more amenable to social change. Thorslev (82), in a study of heroic types and proto types, found that a study of heroes and hero types is almost indispensable in understanding the culture of any era. "But I believe that one must also concede that the hero gives one the broader and often the deeper perspective of the spirit of the age which he represents" (82:20). The hero recognizes facts and acts. "He therefore prefers intuition to reflection, faith to philosophy, ardour to detachment, reverence to urbanity, temerity to caution, 34 speed to the suspension of judgment" (5:18). This is in part the idea of the hero expressed by Eric Bentley. Nah Brind, in his research of hero worship, con cluded that the hero represents, rather broadly, any real- life individual whose achievements and conduct cause admira tion, clustering, or imitative behavior in a group of con temporaries (8) . In a study of the limitation and possibility of the hero in history, Sidney Hook states: In a democratic community education must pitch the ideal of the hero in a different key from that of the event-making man. The heroes in a democracy should be the great figures in the pantheon of thought, the men of ideas, of social vision, of sci entific achievement and artistic power. For it is these men who mould the intellectual ideals and so cial attitudes of the citizens, who without knowledge, quickened perception, and educated taste cannot realize the promise of democracy, if we are earnest in our belief in democracy, we must recognize that it is those who are affected by a basic policy who must pass upon it, either directly or indirectly . . . A successful democracy, therefore, may honor its statesmen; but it must honor its teachers more— whether they be prophets, scientists, poets, jurists, or philosophers. The true hero of democracy, then, should be not the soldier or the political leader, great as their services may be, but the teacher. (42:237) Heroes in a democracy seem to perform a positive social role in that they help to focus our conscious and un conscious aspirations and, in so doing, provide collective 35 motivation for social change. The Teacher Hero as Presented on American Television The image of the American teacher portrayed in legitimate theater (24), popular magazines (32), novels (27), and in the motion picture (74), presents, for the most part, a continuation of the same negative stereotype. The newest and most popular of the communication media is television. To date, the television image of the teacher has been in the form of three protagonists: Our Miss Brooks, Mr. Peepers, and Mr. Novak. All three of these programs are directly focused on a teacher who is actively engaged in the formal and informal life of a secondary school. Our Miss Brooks and Mr. Peepers were non heroic characters in unrealistic situation comedies, where as Mr. Novak is an attempt at a more heroic portrayal of a teacher in a realistic setting. just prior to Mr. Novak1s first appearance on tele vision, George .Gerbner, a professor of communications at the University of Illinois, stated in reference to the program, '•American teachers will have their first culture hero, in the strict anthropological sense of the term, in the his tory of our country" (31:202). He believes Miss Brooks and 36 Mr. Peepers do not succeed as full sized personalities and that Mr. Novak not only comes through as a personality, but as a heroic one: But no culture hero can be only an entertainment success, least of all John Novak, teacher, in the first year of the series alone, Novak will reach more Americans than will all real-life high-school teachers combined. Most of these Americans will have no other intimate contact with teachers and teaching. Munching their pretzels or doing their ironing while mentally engrossed in the taut plot lines of the drama, these viewers will get their most vivid and realistic images of education from "Mr. Novak": what it looks like today, what it feels like on the inside, what it seems like from a teacher's point of view. Here, then, is a professional as well as cultural and entertainment phenomenon to watch with careful and probing attention. (31:203) The impact of television creating heroes and stereo types is most pronounced when the facts about television re ceiving sets .are considered. Starting with 1948, there were about 100,000 television sets in use in the United States. In 1949 there were a million; at the end of 1959, 50 million; and at the beginning of the 1960's, seven of every eight homes had one or more television sets (64:54). In a study of television and its effect on children, Schramm, Lyle, and Parker obtained written responses to questionnaires administered to children and adults. Re sponses were received from over five thousand students, and 1,900 parents, teachers, school officials and others who 37 worked with children. One conclusion of this study was: In the decade of the 1950*s, television came to dominate the non-sleep, nonschool time of the North American child. One-sixth of all the child's waking hours, from the age of three on, is now typically given over to the magic picture tube. During the first sixteen years of life, the typical child now spends, in total, at least as much time with televi sion as in school. Television is probably the great est source of common experience in the lives of chil dren, and, along with the home and the school, it has come to play a major part in socializing the child. (64:55) The T.V. program Mr. Novak was created by E. Jack Neuman of MGM Studios, and was first presented in the Fall of 1963. Neuman (31) describes John Novak as a young man, under thirty, who sincerely believes that "information and knowledge and not guns will solve many of the world's troubles. He figured that out for himself one lonely, .dangerous night during his Air Force duty in the Korean affair" (31:14). Novak chose to teach in a high school in stead of a college because he thought that a student1s mind has jelled by the time he arrives at college, "whereas the mind of a teenager is still malleable in high school— to Novak high school teaching offered the most rewards" (31:15). He is a practical, hard-working idealist, vital and aggressive with his feet on the ground and his head in the clouds. His inexperience shows up frequently and then 38 "he acta rashly, from anger, outrage, love and hate" (13:15). The summation of the case for improving the teacher image through the portrayal of a heroic television person ality is made by Neuman: In telling Mr. Novak's story I don't know exactly what I'm going to prove. But I do hope that Mr. Novak will inspire some teacherB to be better teach ers; I hope he will provoke respect for teachers and education everywhere . . . I have a secret wish that Mr. Novak influences a lot of bright kids to become teachers. I hope that because he hates bigotry and prejudice and apathy and indifference, others will recognize and hate the same things; I hope that his patriotism and good citizenship and morality will influence people to admire these qualities. I hope that Novak and Vane and all the rest of the faculty will remove forever the stereotyped image of school teachers. (60:20) By the beginning of the 1964 season, the NBC tele vision network had expanded the presentation of Mr. Novak into all thirty major television markets, which account for f 50 percent of the national television audience. It is esti mated that Mr. Novak was seen by 30 million viewers a week (60). A nationwide poll (60) administered by the National Education Association Research Division revealed that the average weekly audience viewing Mr. Novak included one-half million public school teachers or 35 percent of all teachers 39 employed in the United States. These figures indicate that Mr. Novak has had frequent exposure not only to a great num- ber of teachers but to many millions of the general public. It seems safe to say that the impact of the Mr. Novak image may have in some degree stimulated the beginnings of change in the general public's image of the teaching profession. Summary The literature in the area of general and teacher stereotypes, of general and teacher heroes, was reviewed with the idea of providing a background for understanding the present problem. Stereotypes are defined as "pictures in our heads." Whether these pictures correspond to reality or not, they are, nevertheless, the basis for much human judgment and action. Stereotypes tend to be the foundation for the defi nition of social roles, and the social roles in turn grad ually become molded to the stereotypes. Negative stereo types, if widely shared, generate very negative images and produce a retarding effect socially, psychologically and economically upon vast publics such as Jews, Negroes, and Indians. Occupational stereotypes play an ever more important 40 role in the development of such extremely crucial occupa tions as primary and secondary teaching. There is wide agreement in the literature regarding the stereotype of the teacher and this agreement suggests the teacher image is deplorable. This teacher image is developed in detail in this chapter and appears to have historically maintained this negative character, right up to the present. The hero has been the concern of writers since the early history of man and the essence of this concern seems to be that the hero evokes various kinds of attitudes and actions from people, depending upon the time, place and culture wherein he exists. There is considerable lack of agreement in the literature with respect to the definition of the hero. This definition extends from one who has cosmic history making power, down to one who performs a positive social role in the everyday mundane activities of men. In spite of this disagreement on definition, the literature suggests a widely held belief that be he real or illusionary, the hero provides collective motivation for social change. There seems to be a consensus in the literature that the teacher has been historically portrayed as non-heroic. One focus of this study has been the presentation of the teacher image on television. To date, the teachers projected, with one exception, have conformed to the atavis tic, objectionable stereotype. This exception was the pro gram Mr. Novak. This program, for the first time, depicted a heroic teacher. The role of Mr. Novak portrays an indi vidual who, as a teacher, conforms significantly to the general concept of the hero presented in the literature. CHAPTER III THE PLAN OF THE EXPERIMENT Introduction The literature relating to teacher stereotypes sug gests almost without exception that the public school teach er image is very distorted and in need of repair. To repair, or better to rebuild this image in light of the findings reported in the literature, it was deemed important in this study to test the significance of the impact of a new teacher hero such as Mr. Novak upon the subjects of this negative image, teachers and those about to become teachers. To test the two hypotheses a questionnaire was de veloped from the final scripts actually used in the produc tion of the program Mr. Novak for television. The question naire was to be presented to two groups, practicing teachers and prospective teachers, to elicit their responses to the projected image of Mr. Novak. 42 43 The Materials Preparation of the questionnaire A questionnaire was prepared by taking direct quotes relating to John Novak from the Mr. Novak scripts. Many of the Mr. Novak programs were not singularly concerned with John Novak and only used the program as a vehicle to present some problem or situation that related indirectly to John Novak. It was, therefore, necessary to go through all of the scripts and in the process, select quotes and descrip tions of situations within which the image of John Novak, the man and the teacher, is projected. After conversations with the television production staff of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and the reading and re-reading of hundreds upon hundreds of pages of dialogue, thirty-four excerpts were selected and extracted verbatim from the final scripts. The excerpts chosen were statements or descrip tions that were as unequivocal as possible. After they were selected they were submitted to a jury, comprised of three members of the San Fernando Valley State College faculty, who reviewed and confirmed the excerpts selected. These excerpts were put together in the form of a questionnaire (Appendix I) and each page contained one theme, without 44 introduction or clue other than the dialogue or descriptive material taken directly from the scripts. The questionnaire was.divided into the following three gross categories; and for clarification, accompanying each category is an excerpt from the scripts exemplifying the unequivocal nature of the type of Mr. Novak selections used. 1. Mr. Novak's attitude toward students NOVAK Our young people have to be regarded as serious young human beings getting on with the serious business of growing up and grow ing out! l found that out the first day I walked into a high school classroom, Mr. Whittier - you should try it some time your self. You can't fool these kids - you can't avoid their thoughts or evade their ques tions - if you do they'll put a label on you and stick you in a corner where you belong - they're growing men and growing women - just like your daughter - and the worst offense I can think of is to retard them in any way! (7239:65) 2. Mr. Novak's attitude toward teaching and being a teacher NOVAK In Korea. I was a kid at the time and there was an attack. It seemed a long way off but the man in the bed next to me didn't get up. I turned on the light and there was a bullet hole in the center of his forehead. Right here. 1 was glad it wasn't me and . . . 45 But it was him - someone did die, and that's not right, Jenny, life being the very precious thing that it is. Right then - there - I de cided that information, knowledge . . . wisdom - not bullets - can solve the problems of this world. I suppose everyone knows that. (7274:48-49) 3. Mr. Novak's physical and social life style GRADY'S WIFE Do you drink, Mr. Novak? NOVAK Yes, I do. SPENCER Is that quite proper, Mr. Novak? NOVAK What do you mean? SPENCER Isn't that a bad example for your students . . . ? NOVAK I never drink in the classroom, Mr. Spencer. (7240:51) Of the thirty-four excerpts chosen from the scripts which comprised the three categories, ten were quotes about students, nine about teaching and teachers, and fifteen about physical and social characteristics. The selection of the excerpts were hopefully chosen so as to evoke a reaction from the reader that would by 46 necessity set up a mental comparison from the reader's frame of reference with the situation in question. The prime con cern was to obtain a spontaneous response to the image of Mr. Novak as represented in the questionnaire and in turn to measure and compare in some degree the impact of Mr. Novak upon the images and stereotypes held by two teacher groups. The selection of teachers and prospective teachers The questionnaire was to be administered to students enrolled in graduate and undergraduate Education courses at San Fernando Valley State College. The graduate students were practicing teachers tak ing advanced professional training, the undergraduate stu dents were prospective teacher candidates representing all Schools of the College and were taking their introductory . course in the School of Education. Summary The questionnaire was developed from the final tele vision scripts of the program Mr. Novak. This was done with the guidance and consent of the producers of the program. This instrument was to be administered to two groups of students and the results of the student responses were to be statistically analysed and contrasted for significant rela tionships. CHAPTER IV CONDUCTING THE EXPERIMENT Introduction The School of Education at San Fernando Valley State College was selected because of the large offering of courses for both graduate and undergraduate students in Edu cation. The instructors in the Department of Social and « Philosophical Foundations teach undergraduate and graduate courses concurrently. The basic undergraduate course offered, listed in the catalog as Education 325, is taught by all faculty members in that department and is the intro ductory course for all prospective teachers. This presented the almost ideal situation, wherein a few instructors could give the Mr. Novak questionnaire to both graduate teachers and prospective undergraduate teach ers. A significant sample was obtained with a minimum num ber of instructors involved in administering the 48 49 questionnaire. Also, it made it feasible to select an in structor with a graduate and undergraduate course of about equal enrollment. Selecting Subjects The research design was submitted to the Chief Re search consultant at the San Fernando Valley State College Child Study. Center. He calculated that a sample of 200 sub jects, one-half of whom were practicing teachers in graduate Education, and the other half prospective teachers talcing the introductory course in Education, would be statistically significant. There was no other criterion for selection other than the subject being in attendance in one or the other of the aforementioned courses. Subject Personal Data Each of the subjects participating in the experiment was given a personal information form in addition to the Mr. Novak questionnaire. The information from this form was designed to answer four categories of questions: (1) personal data, (2) educational goals and background, (3) teaching experience, (4) familiarity with and reaction to Mr. Novak. 50 These four categories were translated into twenty- three variables to facilitate computer programming. They are: 1. Age 2. Sex 1-male 2-female 3. Marriage 1-single 2-married 3-divorced 4. Number of children 5. Class 1-upper middle - 2-lower middle 3-upper lower 4-lower lower 6. Religion 1-Jewish 2-protestant 3-Catholic 4-Other 7. Religion father 1-Jewish 2-Protestant 3-Catholic 4-other 8. Religion mother 1-Jewish 2-protestant 3-Catholic 4-other 9. political affiliation 1-Democratic 2-Republican 3-none 10. possession of credential 1-yes 2-no 11. Number of non-teaching jobs 12. Present occupation 1-not teaching 2-teaching 13. Years of private school experience 14. Level private 1-elementary 2-secondary 3-both 15. Subjects taught in private 1-academic 2-non-academic 51 16. Other positions in private 1-none 2-has had some position 17. Years of public school experience 18. Level public 1-elementary 2-elementary 3-both 19. Subjects taught in public 1-academic 2-non-academic 20. Other positions in public school 1-none 2-has had some position 21. Watched 1-regular 2-usually 3-rarely 4-never 0-non-response 22. Represents 1-accurate 2-fairly accurate 3-inaccurate 0-non-response 23. Image 1-pcsitive 2-negative 0-non-response With the exception of numbers 5, 21, 22 and 23, all the variables seem to be self-explanatory. Number 5 denotes social class and the social-class guide used was Warner's Revised Scale for Rating Occupation (85:140-141). The main determinant of social-class division used was occupation of the father. Variables 21, 22 and 23 reflect television viewing of Mr. Novak. Procedure The instructor administering the questionnaire opened the experiment with a discussion of the two kinds of scroing sheets. The scoring sheet begins with the sentence, 52 "The flavor or case given by this pictorial description, action, or point of view of Mr. Novak characterizes the __________ teacher." Inserted in the space before teacher, one half of the scoring sheets read"ideal," and the other half "actual." The instructor then defined "ideal" as the "best imaginable," and "actual" as that which most "closely reflects reality." Once this dichotomy was explained to everyone's satisfaction the scoring sheets were divided into two equal piles, one pile designated heads, and the other tails. At the toss of a coin, whichever pile won, the first sheet was taken from that pile and then from the other and so on, back and forth, until a sufficiently equal number of "ideal" and "actual" scoring sheets were obtained. The reason for this randomness in selecting the scoring sheets was an attempt to achieve objectivity in distribu tion. Each subject was also given a personal data form with the questionnaire. He was asked to first fill in the per sonal data form and then to read each statement in the ques tionnaire and check his reaction on a separate scroing sheet which contained a possibility of one of four responses to each of the thirty-four excerpts. This process was repeated in four graduate and four undergraduate classes, average size twenty-six students. Statistical Treatment After reviewing the literature and consulting with several statistical experts for some workable statistical method for analysing the data, it was decided that because of the unique problem presented by the Mr. Novak questionnaire that a multiple factor analysis treatment be used. This problem is related to the nature of the data which involves the responses to thirty-four situations by teachers and prospective teachers. All subjects are asked to respond to either ideal or actual conditions. Since the thirty-four responses to either the actual or ideal condi tions cannot be assumed to be independent, the method of analysis employed isolates dimensions or clusters of these variables which demonstrate degrees of similarity. Kelley states the case for factor analysis in the following manner: There is no search for timeless, spaceless, populationless truth in factor analysis;rather, it represents a simple, straightforward problem of de scription in several dimensions of a definite group functioning in definite manners, and he who assumes to read more remote verities into the factorial outcome is certainly doomed to disappointment. (36:5) The principal concern of factor analysis is the linear resolution of a set of variables in terms of a number of categories of factors. This resolution can be accom plished by the analysis of the correlations among the 54 variables. A satisfactory solution will yield a "reduced number of factors which convey all the essential information of the original set of variables. This the chief aim is to attain scientific parsimony or economy of description" (36:4). While this procedure has found wide acceptance, it has not been commonly used for it entails a significant amount of computation, more than would be practical with ordinary calculating methods. However, this obstacle has been overcome in the present analysis by the availability of a high speed electronic computer and an already prepared factor analysis program which fits the data. To test the validity of attitudes and stereotypes revealed by the Mr. Novak questionnaire presents a delicate problem that is not necessarily solved by the comparison of the means for statistical significance. Harman describes the problem by stating: The distinction between statistical significance and "practical significance" should be borne in mind. Statistical significance should convey the thought of a technical test with an associated probability level, inferences about certain numerical values obtained from an empirical study cannot be made in an absolute sense, but must be made in terms of some kind of degree of belief, i.e., in a probabilistic sense. Statistical tests of hypotheses are then de scribed in terms of some arbitrary levels of signifi cance, which are usually expressed as percentages with popular values being 5 and 1 percent. Then, if the 55 difference between the theoretical value of a statistic and its value derived from the observed data were sig nificant at the 1 percent level one would conclude that the difference was "real/* rejecting the null hypothesis of no difference. However, there may be practical considerations which vitiate such a conclu sion. There may be real statistical additional infor mation, but it may have no practical importance. (36:363) Some of the main benefits of the analysis of factor variance for the Mr. Novak data, in summary, are: 1. Rather than M different analyses of variance, . one need only conduct one for each factor, or q analysis. 2. if M different analyses of variance were con ducted, the tests of significance would not be independent because typically the dependent variables are correlated, in contrast, in analysis of factor variance, the q composite variables are independent. 3. in analyses of factor variance, if the factor analysis achieves its goals, the factor scores are measures on psychologically meaningful dimensions, rather than on composites or dimen sions which may have little or no interpretable relation to the original set of variables. Summary The questionnaire and personal data form were ad ministered to the two samples of San Fernando Valley State College students (teachers and non-teachers) and it was de cided to process the resulting data by use of multiple fac tor analysis followed by analysis of factor variance. Teacher Non-teacher Experimental Design Actual ideal 1(n1> 2<n2) 3(n3) 4<n4> S (1) correlations (2) original => "R" => U (3) data 34 (4) 34 N Where N * n^ + n2 '+ n^ + n^ and M = 34 = # questions Then Matrix of factor loading where Q = # factors M N 34 34 Where S is matrix of factor measurements or the scores of individuals or the composite dimensions. Then employing a single factor for each analysis the experimental design is duplicated and an analysis of factor variance is conducted. CHAPTER V RESULTS This chapter presents the results of an analysis of data obtained from the Mr. Novak questionnaire. The anal ysis is reported in three major statistical categories. They are: 1. Results of the factor analysis of the responses. 2. Results of the analysis of the factor variance. 3. Additional findings. Results of the Factor Analysis An analysis of the combined responses to the thirty- four variables produced a reduced number of categories or dimensions called factors. Each of the factor loadings of the thirty-four original variables represents that vari able's contribution to the variance accounted for by the fac tor. The loadings of the thirty-four variables clustered about nine factors. The factors selected were limited by the criterion which excluded factors with an eigenvalue less 58 59 than 1.00. The highest factor loading for each of the variables was isolated and the cluster of variables on a factor dimension were compared and translated from statis tical symbols to the literary vernacular which conveys the common theme differentiating each factor. The following nine categories represent the results of the Mr. Novak varimax factor pattern. Factor I A social realist dedicated to involvement with students The seven highest loadings were variables 14, 22, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34. This cluster of loadings sug gests a no-nonsense approach to teaching and an acceptance of the idea that before you can improve the world, you must see it as it is. The respondents see Novak as deciding to change the world by becoming a teacher, making this deci sion on a Korean battlefield and now following through on that decision by involving himself with teaching young people. Factor II Understanding of and compassion for human error The highest loadings were variables 7, 8, 9, 10, 20 and 26. A quote from variable 7 sums up the idea 60 presented in all six loadings: NOVAK I'm not perfect - neither are you - no one is - I make mistakes - you make mistakes - we'll both make a lot more mistakes in our lifetimes but that one's behind both of us. It's over. It happened off-campus, away from here, be tween us. I want to forget it. I want you to forget it . . . Fresh start? Same rules? Do your work. No truancy. But the past is for gotten. Okay? (7274:67-68) Factor III Quick to reach and quick to act upon his decisions The most significant variables were 11, 13, 17, 19, 21 and 23. Novak is seen as a man of action who makes clear-cut decisions and acts upon his decisions with delib erate speed. This quickness is portrayed as being both physical and mental and is exemplified in a passage from variable 17. Novak enters briskly, snapping on the overhead light. The students who had been waiting out side - begin to filter in after him, finding their desks, talking, etc. Since he knows exactly what he wants to do, Novak's movements are quick, precise, preoccupied. (7205:12) Factor IV Honest and frank in reply to personal questions The most significant variables were 18, 27, 28 and 61 29. They suggest an extremely frank person who is so com mitted to his beliefs that he feels no need for concealing any facts about himself or his personal life. Variable 29 represents this trait. GRADY'S WIFE Do you drink, Mr. Novak? NOVAK Yes, I do. SPENCER Is that quite proper, Mr. Novak? NOVAK What do you mean? SPENCER Isn't that a bad example for your students . . .? NOVAK I never drink in the classroom, Mr. spencer. (7240:51C) Factor V Youthful in appearance There were two significant loadings in this factor, variables 15 and 16. Both stressed the youthful appearance of Mr. Novak. 62 Factor VI With good teaching all students can succeed The most significant variables were 2, 4, 5 and 6. The central theme of this factor is contained in variable 5. NOVAK About dropouts? (Peeples nods) I think the trouble begins when a kid starts in school. Learning is a challenging, exciting thing to him or it's a kind of hell that he has to go through every day as long as he lives. Peeples, Lloyd, E. Johns and Dawson exchange looks - awed by Novak's maturity. E..JOHNS (sobe rly) You talk as if you knew what you're talking about. NOVAK I do. I thought about dropping out myself not too long ago. PEEPLES What changed your mind? NOVAK A good teacher like you, Stan. (7251:46) Factor VII Dedicated to the teaching profession Loadings on variables 11, 12 and 19 were seen as imparting the idea that Mr. Novak loves teaching, but is aware of the negative public image. In variable 12, he states this awareness. NOVAK I want you to listen to me, Mil and I want you to understand. MIL I'll understand. NOVAK I know you will. Mil, there'a a phenomena [sic] in our society that makes a teacher resented and suspected . . . MIL Why for heaven's sake? NOVAK . . . Resented and suspected for reasons no more valid than the fact that a teacher is and was the first authority figure away from home in everyone's life. Yours, mine, everyone's. MIL Go on. NOVAK I'm a teacher, Mil. 64 MIL Go on. NOVAK People hardly ever think of me - or any teacher as a human being, Mil. (7240:54) Factor VIII Total commitment to whatever he is involved in There were two high loadings for this factor, 3 and 24. In variable 3, which was by far the highest loading of the two, Novak implies this commitment when asked a question by a student. JULIE (pleased) You looked up my record? Julie cannot hide her satisfaction - Novak notices it. NOVAK Before the semester's over I'll look up the record on all my students, Julie. (7205:4-5) Factor IX Unmarried The highest loadings were on variables 5 and 25. The theme of this factor is simply that Mr. Novak is un married and, therefore, an eligible bachelor. 65 Results of the Analysis of the Factor Variance An analysis of factor variance, as suggested by Pinneau, Levine, Schurr and Butler (65), was conducted re garding the data as a 2 x 2 factorial design. Table 10 provides the essentials of the factorial design and the "N's" in each cell of the design. Factor scores for Factor I through Factor IX were individually employed in the anal yses of factor variance. Since the "N's" within each cell were not equivalent, the normal factorial analysis procedure was not applicable. The data was thus submitted for analy sis under the factorial design to the General Linear Hypoth esis program (BMD05V). Results of the nine analyses of variances are presented in Tables 1-9. F ratios which ex ceeded 3.89 at 194,1; degrees of freedom, are considered to be significant differences, at the .05 percent level of con fidence, for this experiment. Results Factor I.— The results demonstrate no statistical significance on the Teacher/Non-teacher scale. The null hypothesis is accepted. The F ratio obtained on the Ideal/Actual rating 66 scale was 65.036. Statistically this was the most signifi cant F ratio of the total experiment. This finding suggests the subjects scoring on the Actual scale disagreed with the image of Mr. Novak being a reflection of reality. The vari ance is considered statistically significant at the .01 per cent level of confidence. Factor II.— The results demonstrate no statistical significance on the Teacher/Non-Teacher scale. The null hypothesis is accepted. The F ratio obtained on the Ideal/Actual rating scale was 23.914. Statistically this is significant at the .01 percent level of confidence. This variance suggests disagreement with the image conveyed by Mr. Novak. Factor 111.— The results domonstrate no statistical significance on the Teacher/Non-Teacher scale. The null hypothesis is accepted. The F ratio obtained on the Ideal/Actual rating scale was 5.393. Statistically this is significant at the .05 level of confidence. This is the only case in which the means for the Ideal group were higher than the means for the Actual group. 67 Factor IV.— The results demonstrate no statistically significant differences of the Teacher/Non-Teacher or Ideal/ Actual scales. The null hypothesis is accepted for both categories. Factor V .— The results demonstrate no statistically significant differences on the Teacher/Non-Teacher or Ideal/Actual scales. The null hypothesis is accepted for both categories. Factor VI.— The results demonstrate no statistical significance on the Teacher/Non-Teacher scale. The null hypothesis is accepted. The F ratio obtained on the Ideal/Actual rating scale was 5.399. Statistically this is significant at the .05 percent level of confidence. The Actual group’s means score was higher than that for the Ideal; this suggests agreement with the image of the teacher conveyed by Mr. Novak. Factor VII.— The F ratio obtained on the Teacher/ Non-Teacher rating scale was 8.87. Statistically this is significant at the .01 percent level of confidence. This variance indicated Teacher disagreement and Non-Teacher 68 agreement with this cluster o£ variables. This is the only test of significance which supported the research hypothesis with respect to Teacher/Non-Teacher difference. The results demonstrate no statistical significance of the Ideal/Actual scale. The null hypothesis is accepted. Factor VIII.— The results demonstrate no statisti cally significant differences on the Teacher/Non-Teacher or Ideal/Actual scales. The null hypotheses is accepted for both categories. Factor IX.— The results demonstrate no statistically i significant differences on the Teacher/Non-Teacher or * Ideal/Actual scales. The null hypothesis is accepted for both categorbs. Additional Findings An additional finding that was reported in the statistical results was a comparison of those who watched and those who did not watch the television program, Mr. Novak. In all nine factors there is no statistical significance revealed. The null hypothesis is accepted. 69 TABLE 1 SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (FACTOR I) Source of Variation Degrees of Sum of Freedom Squares Mean Square F Test Teacher/Non-Teacher 1 2 2 .027 Ideal/Actual 1 4964 4964 65.0369^ Interaction 1 5 5 .075 Error 194 14809 76 F-3.89, d.f. (194,1) is necessary for signif icance at the .05 percent level ♦Actual Mean = 55.119 Ideal Mean = 45.83 70 TABLE 2 SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (FACTOR II) Source of Degrees of Sum of Mean Variation Teacher/Non-Teacher Ideal/Actual Interaction Error F^ 3.89, d.f. (194,1) is necessary for significance at the .05 percent level ♦Actual Mean = 55.43 Ideal Mean - 46,706 Freedom Squares Square F Test 1 139 139 1.66 1 2142 2142 23.914* 1 • 35 35 .503 194 17374 89 71 TABLE 3 SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (FACTOR III) Source of Degrees of Sum of Mean Variation Freedom Squares Square F Test Te ache r/Non-Te ache r 1 176 176 1.795 Ideal/Actual 1 529 529 5.393* Interaction 1 58 58 .582 Error 194 19012 98 FJ> 3.89, d.f. (194,1) is necessary for significance at the .05 percent level *Ideal Mean = 51.633 Actual Mean= 48.303 72 TABLE 4 SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (FACTOR IV) Source of Degrees of Sum of Mean Variation Freedom Squares Square F Test Teacher/Non-Teacher 1 21 21 .204 Ideal/Actual 1 133 133 1.326 Interaction 1 166 166 1.654 Error 194 19483 100 FJ> 3.89, d.f. (194,1) is necessary for significance at the .05 percent level 73 TABLE 5 SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (FACTOR V) Source of Degrees of Sum of Mean Variation Freedom Squares Square F Test Te ache r/Non-Teache r 1 234 234 2.321 Ideal/Actual 1 8 8 .080 Interaction 1 3 3 .025 Error 194 19558 101 F^ 3.89, d.f. (194,1) is necessary for significance at the .05 percent level 74 TABLE 6 SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (FACTOR VI) Source of Variation Degrees of Sum of Freedom Squares Mean Square F Test Te ache r/Non-Te acher 1 211 211 2.156 Ideal/Actual 1 528 528 5.399* Interaction 1 59 59 .599 Error 194 18973 97 F^ 3.89, d.f. (194,1) is necessary for significance at the .05 percent level Actual Mean = 51.701 Ideal Mean - 48.366 75 TABLE 7 SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (FACTOR VII) Source of Degrees of Sum of Mean Variation Freedom Squares Square F Test Te ache r/Non-Te acher 1 844 844 8.869* Ideal/Actual 1 39 39 .408 Interaction 1 4.66 Error 194 F^ 3.89, d.f. (194,1) is necessary for significance at the .05 percent level * Teacher Mean ■ 52.143 Non-Teacher Mean = 48.029 76 TABLE 8 SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (FACTOR VIII) Source o£ Degrees of Sum of Mean Variation Freedom Squares Square F Test Teacher/Non-Teacher 1 1 1 .0049 Ideal/Actual 1 146 146 1.436 interaction 1 7 7 .0641 Error 194 19649 101 FJ£ 3.89, d.f. (194,1) is necessary for significance at the .05 percent level 77 TABLE 9 SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (FACTOR IX) Source of Degrees of Sum of Mean Variation Freedom Squares Square F Test Teache r/Non-Te ache r 1 138 138 1.431 Ideal/Actual 1 14 14 .144 Interaction 1 910 910 9.437 Error 194 18715 96 ' F^> 3.89, d.f. (194,1) is necessary for significance at the .05 percent level 78 TABLE 10 2 X 2 FACTORIAL DESIGN ACTUAL IDEAL - Teacher nl n2 44 51 Non-teacher n3 n4 53 50 n. + + n, + n. * N 1 2 3 4 79 Discussion of the Findings Analysis of professional teacher and teacher trainee responses to the Mr. Novak questionnaire showed only a slight degree of difference between the two groups. There fore, the null hypothesis, that there are no differences between teachers and non-teachers, is accepted and this re search hypothesis is rejected. Of the numerous possible explanations as to why this study did not produce statistical significance between the two teacher groups, one that appears plausible is that the people attracted to the teaching profession have already 0 internalized the teacher stereotype. This supports the theory that the stereotype is self-sealing in that it attracts persons who will nurture and sustain the stereo type. This possibility has already been stated and dis cussed in chapter I. To support this self-sealing premise, the statis tical treatment of the data on the Ideal/Actual scale re vealed considerable significant variance within Factors l, II, and VI. In all three Factors the tendency was to re ject the reality of the image of the teacher presented by Mr. Novak, thus supporting the Ideal/Actual hypothesis of 80 this study. This suggests that the significant differences appear to be within the overall respondents and not within the Teacher/Non-Teacher differential. Factors IV, V, VIII and IX indicated no significance on either scale, which again suggests the teacher trainees are not significantly different in their responses from the professional teachers. This would also seem to support the self-sealing concept and explain, in part, why the Teacher/Non-Teacher hypothesis of this experiment was rejected. Another finding that could be interpreted to support the self-sealing concept is that watching or not watching Mr. Novak on television apparently- had little effect upon the teacher stereotypes held by the subjects. This would seem to say that their stereotypes were set prior to viewing Mr. Novak and that exposure to the Mr. Novak image had no demonstrable effect. Summary The results of this research, investigating the images held by professional teachers and teacher trainees, produced nine descriptive factors. These factors are in dicative of how the total sample viewed the image presented 81 by Mr. Novak. The nine factors resulting from 198-subjects reacting to the Mr. Novak questionnaire produced a heroic image of the teacher. They saw Mr. Novak as an unmarried, forthright, honest young man who has great compassion for people and is accepting of human error. He is totally committed to teaching and the teaching profession, and is extremely concerned about every student benefiting from his or her contact with members of that profession. He sees, and is involved in, a real world where one must have the courage of his convictions and the ability to- make quick de cisions based upon these convictions. This dynamic, aggressive, virile, male image of the teacher seen by the subjects in Mr. Novak. is not recognizably related to the teacher stereotypes discussed in Chapter II. This heroic image was arrived at by the factor analysis of the data and subsequent analysis established that although the subjects saw this heroic teacher in Mr. Novak. they rejected the idea that this positive teacher image exists in the reality of the school. Even though a statistically significant variance was found within responses to the Mr. Novak image, it was not demonstrated as a group difference. The existing significant differences are seemingly individual and not re lated to either professional teacher or teacher trainee classifications. An analysis of responses of those who watched and those who did not watch Mr. Novak on television, produced no significant findings. CHAPTER VI SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary The problem This study attempted to reveal if teacher stereo types are perceived differently by teacher-training candi dates and professional teachers, and, if these stereotypes are modified in some degree by the image of a teacher hero, Mr.- Novak. A questionnaire, derived from the scripts of the television program Mr. Novak. was administered to two groups drawn from the School of Education at San Fernando Valley State College. One group consisted of 95 practicing profes sional teachers and the other group consisteid of 103 teach er-training candidates. Procedures A questionnaire containing fifty-nine variables was given to 198 subjects. Variables one to twenty-five were 83 84 personal information questions about the subjects, the thirty-four remaining variables were situations extracted verbatim from the Mr. Novak television scripts. The sub jects were asked to rank their responses to the flavor or cast given by the pictorial- description, action or point of view which Mr. Novak characterized in each variable. Bach subject was given a randomly distributed scoring sheet marked either Ideal or Actual. The subjects responded on the scoring sheet to questions concerning Mr. Novak on either an Ideal or Actual rating scale. Validation of hypotheses Hypothesis 1. that professional teachers and teacher-candidates will differ in their perception of the Mr. Novak image was not supported. Of nine factors, only one, Factor VIII, was significant at the .05 percent level of confidence. Hypothesis 2. that professional teachers and teacher-training candidates, if given the choice of ranking the teacher image projected by Mr. Novak on an Ideal/Actual scale will reject the reality of this image, was supported. Factors I and II were significant at the .01 percent level of confidence. Factor VI was significant at the .05 percent 85 level of confidence. This indicates they reject the reality of the Mr. Novak image and support this research hypothesis. Conclusions The limitations of a study of this nature necessi tates deliberate caution in any attempt to draw conclusions based upon its findings. The findings are limited by such factors as hypotheses, the research instrument and the population. It must be stated that all conclusions are re stricted to the two groups studied in this research, and, any generalizing about comparable publics would need further investigation. With these limitations in mind, the follow ing conclusions are presented: 1. The general "life style" presented on television by the program Mr. Novak represents the first attempt of this mass media to present a positive image of the American school teacher. 2. Although there is no consensus of opinion about the positive nature of Mr. Novak, more teachers agree than disagree with the positive view. Teachers perceive the personal qualities pro jected by Mr. Novak as fitting the stereotype of the traditional American hero. 86 3. This study suggests that the teaching profession attracts those who are carriers of the teacher stereotypes prior to becoming teacher-training candidates. 4. The teacher image presented by Mr. Novak is seen by teachers as ideal. They identify with this ideal, but deny that it is present in the real ity of the contemporary school. Teachers do, in fact, reflect the negative teacher stereo type, for they are the reality of the contempo rary school. This suggests that the self-con cept of the teacher reflects acceptance of the traditional negative teacher stereotype present ed in this study. Recommendations Recommendations made on the basis of the study The teaching profession represents the largest pro fession in the United States, but size and quality are not necessarily correlated. The image of the teaching profes sion in general, and its membership in particular, is nega tive and low in status. To explore means of improving the 87 teacher image is the primary goal of this study. It is ob vious that before the public will afford higher status to the teacher for the role he or she plays, the teacher images of the public will somehow have to be altered. Mr. Novak might be a step in the direction of posi tive alteration of the commonly held teacher stereotype. This program was seen weekly for two years by an audience of millions. The impact of this program cannot be measured in any absolute way, but one can assume that this exposure is one of the few positive contacts the general public has had, through the mass media, with the teaching end of education. The public is bombarded by school bond issues and school tax problems, but the nature of the teacher has remained in the context of the traditional negative stereotype. As has been discussed in the review of the literature, all the mass media have used the same icon-like negative stereotypes of the teacher for years. The effect has been to keep re-en- forcing this negative image until it has become institution- alized into a rigid occupational type. It doesn't take much imagination to see the possibility of modifying this image with programs reaching a weekly audience of millions. Since the close of the Second World War, there has been a concerted move throughout our society to remold the 88 public image of professions, big business, labor and even such mundane things as cigarettes, deodorant and toothpaste. To attempt to alter the image of the teacher would seem to be in the mainstream of American contemporary tradition and with the methods already tried and proven by the institu tions of mass media, it would seem the possibility of suc cess is highly probable. This study found that the subconscious image of the teacher, held by teachers, is that of a virile, aggres sive, humanist, dedicated to social action. With this so cial type as a guide, the image-making techniques of the mass media could be employed to stimulate acceptance by the public of this heroic teacher image. The wider public acceptance of this positive teach er image woulc, hopefully, attract a broader sample of the younger, more able students to the teaching profession. The present attraction to teaching produces doubtful re sults. William H. Whyte, Jr., succinctly described this situation: No one likes to make invidious remarks about people who have entered a field that calls for so much work for so little pay, but the facts are too critical for euphemism. It is now well evident that a large proportion of the younger people who will one day be in charge of our secondary school system 89 are precisely those with the least aptitude for education of all Americans attending college. In connection with its draft deferment program, the Army has had the Educational Testing Service administer a series of nationwide scholastic apti tude tests to undergraduates, and the by-product of this has been the brutally objective index of the caliber of students in different fields and in dif ferent institutions. Of students majoring in a par ticular field, students majoring in education have been scoring at the very bottom of the heap— no more than about 27 percent have been able to make a passing grade. (89:91) This study concluded that the impact of television on adults' teacher stereotypes is not significant. There fore, the wider the exposure on mass media of the new teach er image, the greater the possibility of reaching the younger generation whose imagery, hopefully, has not con gealed. This country is on the threshold of becoming a na tion with a majority of citizens under twenty-five, and from this, one would conclude, the time for changing teacher stereotypes is now. Recommendations for further study 1. A study should be made comparing the teacher stereotypes of professional teachers and other groups within the college community. These other groups should have no direct connection with the School of Education and should be 90 chosen from such groups as the freshman class, graduate schools or foreign students. The focus of this research would be to determine if any significant difference in teacher stereotypes could be found in groups outside the School of Education, if any significance were found, it would add to the understanding of the self-sealing nature of Schools of Education. 2. The Peace Corps now has returnees from all over the world, many of whom were teachers. A study could be made of the teacher image reflected by these returnees, as compared to the teacher image held by teachers in the United States. 3. It would be of particular interest to compare the teacher stereotypes of students in upper-middle class and lower-middle class Schools of Education to see if they reflect variance in their teacher stereotypes. 4. A follow-up study of teachers who drop out after one of two years of teaching could be made to test the theory that they leave because they cannot conform to the prevailing teacher stereotypes. 5. A repeat of the research done in this study could be done with the teacher candidates being replaced by a sample of high school students and comparison made with the findings of this research. 6. Does the homosexual stereotype of the female physical education teacher reflect reality? This study could compare the stereotype with a sample of practicing female physical education teachers to see if there is any validity in this widely held stereotype. This process could be repeated with other categories of the teaching occupa tion. B I b l i o g r a p h y 92 BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Barkley, Margaret K. "The Concept of the Home Economics Teacher Held by High School Students." Unpublished Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois, 1956. 2. Barzun, Jacques. Teacher in America. 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The Psychology of Occupations. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1956. Rogers, Dorothy. "A Study of the Reactions of Forty Men to Teaching in the Elementary School," Journal of Educational Sociology. XXVII {September, 1953), 24-35. Ryans, David G. Characteristics of Teachers: Their Description. Comparison, and Appraisal. Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Company, 1960. Saltz, Joanne W. "Teacher Stereotype— Liability in Recruiting?" School Review. LXVIII (1960), 105-111. Schwartz, Jack. "The Portrayal of Educators in Motion Pictures, 1950-58,” Journal of Educational Sociol ogy. XXXIV (October, 1960), 82-90. Solomon, Benjamin. "A Profession Taken for Granted," School Review. LXIX (Autumn, 1961), 286-299. Staats, A. W., and Staats, Carolyn K. "Attitudes Established by Classical Conditioning," Journal of Abnormal Social Psychology.-LVII (1958), 37-40. Stanley, William 0., Smith, B. O., Benne, K. D., and Anderson, A. W. (eds.). Social Foundations of Education. New York: Dryden Press, 1956. Stinnett, T. M. The Profession of Teaching. New York: The Center for Applied Research in Education, 1962. Stone, James C., and Schneider, Frederick W. Readings in the Foundations of Education: Commitment to Teaching. Vol. II, New York: Thomas Y.*Crowell Company, 1965. Thomas, Donald R. "Who Wants to Be a Teacher?" Teachers College Record. LX (December, 1958), 164-171. 100 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. ■ 87. 88. 89. 90. Thorndike, Robert L., and Hagan, Elizabeth. Character istics of Men Who Remained in or Left Teaching. Washington, D.C.: U. S. Office of Education, Cooperative Research program, Project No. 574, 0E23016, 1959-60. Thorslev, Peter L., Jr. The Bvronic Hero. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1962. Turner, Ralph H., and Killiam, Lewis M. Collective Behavior. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1957. Waller, Willard. The Sociology of Teaching. New York: Russell & Russell, 1961. Warner, w. Lloyd, Meeder, Marchie, and Eells, Kenneth. Social Class in America: The Evaluation of Status. Chicago: Science Research Associates, 1949. Wecter, Dixon. The Hero in America: A Chronicle of Hero-Worship. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1941. Wells, W. D., Goi, F. J., and Seader, S. "A Change in a Product Image," Journal of Applied Psychology. XLII (1958), 120-121. Whiteford, Emma. "Administrators' Stereotype of the High School Home Economics Teacher." Unpublished Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois, 1955. Whyte, William H., Jr. The organization Man. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1956. Wittlin, Alma S. "The Teacher," Daedalus: Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. XCII (Fall, 1963), 745-763. 101 Scripts Mr. Novak. No. 7205. "To Lodge and Dislodge." Written by E. Jack Neuman. July 10, 1963. . No. 7207. "X is the Unknown Factor." Written by Preston Wood. August 8, 1963. . No. 7232. "The Risk." Written by E. Jack Neuman. August 15, 1963. _________. No. 7236. "A Single Isolated Incident." E. Jack Neuman. August 29, 1963. _________. No. 7239. "The Song of Songs." Emmet Lavery. November 9, 1963. _________. No. 7240. "A Feeling for Friday." E. Jack Neuman. September 23, 1963. . No. 7246. "Sparrow on the Wire." Lionel E. Siegel. December 10, 1963. _________. No. 7250. "Fear is a Handful of Dust." Carol O'Brien. January 9, 1964. _________. No. 7251. "The Exile." E. Jack Neuman. November 18, 1963. _________. No. 7267. "The Death of a Teacher." E. Jack Neuman. December 22, 1963. _________. No. 7273. "Day in the Year." Sidney Marshall. February 15, 1964. _________. No. 7274. "One Way to Say Goodbye." E. Jack Neuman. January 28, 1964. _________. No. 7282. "Fare Thee Well." Carol O'Brien. March 5, 1964. a p p e n d i x 102 THIS I S A ftUSSTl CNNAI RE. NOT AN £XAM NO NAME PLEASE Age: Sex: M F Single:_ Married Divorced Place of bl rth:_______________ College degreea:_____ Major field of study: Minor field of etudy: Number of ohlldren: _ Occupation of father: _ mother: Your religion: _ Present status in school: Religion of father: __ Undergraduate 1 2 3 4 Graduate 1 2 3 4 Present credential held: Religion of mother: _ Political affiliation: _ Credential now working for: _ . . . Non-teaching Jobs held (list):__ Present occupation:."________ . ' TEACHING EXPERIENCE Private school (years): Grades taught: Subjects: _ Other positions (adm., registrar, etc.): _ _ _ _ _ Public school (years): Grades taught: Sub.leots: Other positions (adm., registrar, eto.): Have you watched Mr. Novak: regularly occasionally rarely never Mr. Novak Is an (accurate, fairly accurate, Inaccurate) representation of the practicing professional teacher. Mr. Novak represents a (positive, negative) Image of the teaching profession. 103 Quote 1 NOVAK (patiently) "At this particular time your son Is not responding to his academic situation. I hope we can put our heads together — ■ call Eernie In — and work out a plan b o he can get the full benefit of his high school experlence. PERRY, SR. How do we do that? NOVAK (Indicates chairs) Well let's try sitting down for openerB, Mr, Perry. MR3. PERRY I don't feel like sitting down. And I think you're besting around the bush. Now I want to know exactly what Is happening with my Bon. PERRY, SR. Yeah? NOVAK He's flunklng. MRS. PERRY I don't believe you. FERRY, SR. Neither do I . NOVAK It's true, Mr. end Mrs. Perry. Kls current recordB and tests show... MRS. PERRY (to Perry, Sr. Can you beat that? Pan you beat that? PERRY, SR. Why's he flunking? NOVAK At the moment, Mr. Perry, he's doing nothing. He's only putting In time around here. Tima? HRS. PERRY NOVAK Time. MRS. PERRY (to Parry, Sr.) Did you hear that? PERRY, SR. (to Mrs. Perry) I heard that! (to Novak) I don't "like It one bit! NOVAK Neither do I, Mr. Perry. But your eon has consistently refused to do hi a homework or perform In class. His truancy Is well recorded In the attendance office. Bernle Is about an Inch away from falling completely at this high school - that means we're falling here or you're falling at home or both." (7240:5-7) Quote 2 NOVAK "He completed fourteen units and then dropped out. Peeples looks at the file then shakes his head. PEEPLES 1 remember him now. He was a rough one when he was here. 1 always thought he could've made a hood with a little encouragement. NOVAK What made you think that? PEEFL&S He came that close... (holds up two fingers) to swinging on me In clasB one day. He would've done It If I hadn't told him about the law. NOVAK What 1s the law? 106 PEEPLES Automatic expulsion If a kid ever swings on a teacher. What's your Interest In a bum llko this? NOVAK I don't know. I've been trying to answer that question myself. Stan. He was hanging around here this morning - sort of all alone and nothing to do. Didn't strike me aa a hoodlum at all. PEEPLES That makes sense. NOVAK It does? PEEPLES Let's see... he walked out two years ago. NOVAK Three... PEEPLES (nods his head up and down) Three years... that'd be enough time for him to get religion. Three years'd take the fight all out of him. seeing his friends graduate...get Jobs...go to oollege...get married. Yeah. Three years'd do It. NOVAK You say he walked out, Stan? PEEPLES He sure did. Right out of my class, too. NOVAK Tell me about that. PEEPLES (narrowly) Why? NOVAK I'd like to know." (7251:14-15) Quote 3 NOVAK "What's on your mind? JULIE Ms. I mean am I good, bad, average - what an I, Mr. Novak? NOVAK According to your records, Julie, You're an average student. JULIE (pleased) You looked up m^ record? Julie cannot hide her sntlsfactlon- Novak notices It. NOVAK Before the semester's over I '11 look up the record on all my Btudents, Julie. (7205:4-5) Quote 4 NOVAK "He's beaten, Stan - If that's what you mean. PEEPLES No, that Isn't what 1 mean. I don't feel good about It. But what do you do with a kid who has no respect for learning, no reBpect for teachers, basically, no respect for himself. He defies you In olass; he defies you all around this school. If It gets too tough we're supposed to send him to the principal's office. I think It's a personal thing myself. Me, I stand up to them every time. NOVAK I think you have to give a kid a chanoe to save face. If a kid gets boxed Into a corner sometimes the only thing for him to do Is walk out. I guess I'm saying never oulte box them In. PEEPLES (suddenly harsh) You know something, Novak, you*re still wet behind the ears and you don t know what you're saying! Novak Is surprised at Peeples' touchiness. NOVAK (evenly) I think I do, Stan. PEEPLES I think you don't! A couple of people are looking at them. Peeples lowers his voice. PEEPLES You give a kid a chance to save only so much face - the class Is the Important thing - not that one class member. The prerequisite for supervision Is disci oil ne - let me tell you another thing the Central Office and that bald-headed principal down the hall Judge a teacher on his ability to control a class - even before they consider his teaching skills! I didn't have any choice In front of that class with Charlie Payne!" Novak Is overwhelmed at Peeples' Intensity - realizes he has opened a raw wound. So he merely nods his head. (7251*6-9) Quota 5 NOVAK "About dropouts7 (Peeples nods) I think the trouble begins when a kid starts In school. Learning Isa challenging, exciting thing to him or It's a kind of hell that he has to go through every day as long as he lives. Peeples, Lloyd, E. Johns and Dawson exchange looks awed by Novak's maturity. E. Johns (soberly) You talk as If you knew what you're talking about. NOVAK I do, I thought about dropping out myself not too long ago. PEEPLES What changed your mind? NOV AX A good teacher like you, Stan." (7251s46) QUOTE 6 NOVAK "This book report has your name on 11 Mike. Did you turn It In? MIKE Yeah, sure. That's mine. I wrote It. NOVAK I ’m surprised at that, Mike. Thia--- (Indicating report) Is padded and empty of meaning frankly. MIKE I'm sorry, Mr. Novak. Lit Just Isn't my oup of tea. NOVAK Lit Is, my cup of tea, Mike and as long as you're taking the oourse for credit you're going to have to do the work. Mike touches the paper - flips a page. MIKE (some surprise) You haven't graded It yett NOVAK No, I wanted to talk to you first. It's a shame to wade through seven hundred pages of Crime and Punishment and then turn In a report aB Incomplete as this." (7207 s3-4) Quote 7 NOVAK "Tony - I *m as ashamed of myself as I am of you about what happened last night. I wish It hadn't happened but It did. Maybe both of us can learn something from It. TONY (suspiciously) What do you mean? NOVAK I 'm not perfect - neither are you - no one Is - I make mistakes - you make mistakes - we'll both make a lot more, mistakes In our lifetimes - but that one's behind both of us. It's over. It happened off-campus, away from here, between us. I want to forget It. I want you to forget It. TONY You're kidding me. NCVAK No. Believe me - I'm not kidding anyone this morning. Why don't you put those things back In your locker, sit out your three-day suspension, and Btart over? (no answer) Your father loves you and he's concerned about you. So am I . No matter what you think I've always been for you. TONY I .. .1 never meant to go as far as I did last night. I was drinking NOVAK Do you do that often? TONY No, no, I thought I *d try It. NOVAK Well you tried it. That's over, too? Yeh. Yes TONY Ill NOVAK Fresh start? Sams rules? Do your work* No truanoy. But the past Is forgotten. Okay?1 1 (7274:67-68) Quote 8 When faced with a young female student who states she Is In love with him, Hr. Novak responds. NOVAK (gently) "You're not a woman, Julie. JUU £ I know more about what Z am than you do, Mr. Novak. Don't think because I 'm seventeen that I don't know my own mind of feelings. What do you think lt'sillke every time I walk out on the end of a diving board and Jump Into the water I oan’t Bee? What do you think It's like for me every day - counting and listening and feeling my way around? I never ask for help but I want help now, Mr. Novak. Oh, please, please, please, don't oall me a child! NOVAK All right, Julie, you're not a child. In some ways you're more of a woman than moBt women can ever hope to be. You're not pretty. Julie, you're beautlful because of that I 'm very humbled and t *m very honored by what you feel for me. But... (slowly, simply, poatltlvely) As si mply and as qulckly as I would speak to any woman, I tell you that I do not feel about you the way you feel about me. I never will feel that way, Julie. I'm not your boy friend, I'm not your secret love, I'm simply your teacher - t and you are my student - and that Is all that will ever exist between us. I want you to put that In your mind right now - keep It there - get aocustomed to It. I'll never speak to you about this again. Julie beglnB to oryj Novak stands. NOVAK Go ahead, Julie, if you're old enough to love, you're old enough to cry." (7205:66-67) 112 Qaglg-2 Hr. Novak comments on a shy student In conversation with Miss Pagano. NOVAK "Oh l t ' B Just a feeling I got today - I don't even know whether or not It's valid - I think she's right on the brink of finding herself - as I say It's Just a feeling I have. MISS PAGANO Mr. Novak, I have a feeling that you have a feeling that you can help her across the brink? NOVAK Yes, I suppose I do." (7250125) Quote 10 An unmarried student reveals that she is pregnant and Mr. Novak reacts. NOVAK "Let me help you with those things, CATHY No. No, you've done enough for me, Mr. Novak. They stand looking at each other awkwardly for a long moment - the kids swirling past them. NOVAK How do you feel? CATHY Soared. The doctor said It was only natural - but I don't think he ever had a baby. (Novak smiles) He says I'm healthy - the baby's healthy - and all of ue are going to be very healthy In the maternity home. NOVAK Whe re's that, Cathy? CATHY One-oh-one Lowell Boulevard. It'B oh the North side of town. A big building with no name on the front. Would you write me a letter7 NOVAK I '11 oome and aee you, If you'd like. CATHY I'd like that, Yea. (suddenly a look of hope) It's easy to talk to you, Mr. Nowak, and I have a lot of decisions to make. You know my Mother and Dad? NOVAK Sure. Of oourse." (7282:61) Quote 11 GRADY "Of course. (to wife) This Is Mister er uh... NOVAK ...Novak GRADY Yes. Novak. He's a ... NOVAK Teacher. GRADY'S WIPS How nice? What university, Mr. Novak? NOVAK High Bchool, Mrs. Grady. Mrs. Grady looks blank. NOVAK They need teachers, too. GRADY'S WIFE Of course. 114 GRADY You eventually hope to teaoh In a university, 1 suppose? NOVAK No, I don't. DUNKIN Why not, Novak? NOVAK I like to work with young people who still have thelr Ideals." (7240s21A-21E) Quote 12 NOVAK "I want you to listen to me, Mil and-I want you to understand. MIL I '11 understand. NOVAK 1 know you will. Mil, there's a phenomena [bIc ] in our society that makes a teacher resented and suspected... MI L Why for heaven's sake? NOVAK .,.Resented and suspected for reasons no more valid than the fact that a teacher Is and was the first authority figure away from home In everyone's life. Yours, mine, everyones. MIL Go on. NOVAK I*m a teacher, Mil. MIL Go on. NOVAK People hardly ever think of me - or any teacher as a human being, Mil." (7240s54) 115 Quota 15 Mr. Novak states his Income and reacts to criticism. NOVAK "Five thousand, Mil. MIL Five? Is that all? NOVAK No. Five thousand two hundred and forty-two to be exact. MIL Walter makes more than that. NOVAK Does he? Novak looks at Walter In a new light. MIL Oh yes. You could do ever so much better, somewhere else, doing something else. NOVAK Maybe I can get Walter's Job. What for Instance? MIL Punching cows, deep-sea diving, maybe get up a trapeze act and go on the road... Novak laughs, ploks up his third drink, and takeB a sip. MIL ...I dunno, speak to Father, he has Ideas. NOVAK I know, I heard them. Then It comes - along with Dietrich - who pushed INTO the SHCT. MIL You certainly don't Intend to remain in a high school with all those mean kldB and their big shoulders? Novak stiffens slightly with disappointment, glances at Dietrich, then looks at Mil evenly. NOVAK Yea, I do. Mil* MIL Why? NOVAK I *m a teacher." (7240:58-59) Quote 14 JENNY (smiles) "Somehow I feel truant... (Novak laughs) ...after all, you*re a teacher. Why are you doing what you*re doing? NOVAK Kimball. (Jenny looks puzzled) - In Korea. X was a kid at the time and there was an attack. It seemed a long way off but the man In' the bed next to me didn't get up. I turned on the light and there was a bullet hole In the center of his forehead. Right here. I was glad It wasn't me and...does that disappoint you? JENNY No. NOVAK But it was him - someone did die, and that's not right, Jenny, life being the very precious thing that It is. Right then - there - I decided that Information, knowledge...wldsom - not bullets - can dolve the problems of this world. 1 suppose everyone knows that. JENNY Yes. But not everyone works at it every day." (7274 48 117 Quote 15 Parent to Hr. Novak. DANIELS (testily) "You're nothing but a wet-eared kid yourself. When I saw you come In that door I wasn't Bure you were one of the kids here or a teacher. But I am sure that world out there Is pretty fast and books and phamplets... . (Indicates the phamplet In Novak's hand with disdain) ...don't have anything to do with It." (7207:43) Quote 16 0 A parent expresses surprise at his youthful appearance. MAMIE "Youi're a lot younger than I thought you'd be, Mr. Novak. It lj» nice meeting you." (7274:42) Quote 17 A typical description of Mr. Novaks physical movements. "Novak enters briskly, snapping on the overhead light. The students who had been waiting outside - begin to filter In after him, finding their desks, talking, etc. Since he knows exactly what he wants to do, Novak's movements are quick, preolse, preoccupied. He dumps his books and papers on his desk, glances at his watch, then moves to the windows. Novak moves rapidly down the line of windows, snapping them open. Once that Is accomplished he fishes another set of keys from his pocket and moves back across the front of the classroom toward the supply locker by the door." (7205:12) 118 Quote 18 COHEN "1've had all the advlce 1 want from you for one day, Hr. Novak. I've been in thla business eighteen years and you're still wet - Novak slams the looker with his open palm. NOVAK -wet behind the ears' How I wish you people'd find a new expression along with a couple of new Ideas! Look, Hr. Cohen, when I'm too si ok or too old or too tired or too muoh of a liar to oare, I might feel differently. Right now, I don't and I won't! I '11. bend and bargain with the* best one around here, but this Isn't a small thing In my estimation and there Isn't any room for compromise! And I still don't think you're looking at the situation for what It Is! (7246:62) Quote JL2 A typical morning arrival at school. GEORGE "Don't be late for school, Mr. Novak! Novak feeds him a grin. NOVAK How are you, George? Novak plunges through the doors. Novak oomes In quickly, bounds up the stairs and turns down the corridor toward the Faculty Room. There Is a small scattering of students at their lookers but most of the traffic Is composed of teachers coming In and going out of the Faculty Room and Admlnlstrati on Offlces." (7267*1) 119 Quote 20 TONY "Who do you think you're shoving? Tony sweeps up a knife - the handiest thing on the handiest table. TONY (to Randy) Watch thi s I Randy watches, fascinated. Novak flushes angrily and counters by sweeping up an ampty pop bottle, knocking off the top and turning to face him. Randy's eyes go wide; It's no longer funny. Jenny bites back an Impulse to scream. NOVAK (quietly) Put that down and get out of here:" (7274:59) Quote 21 "Novak pulls Into the Faculty Parking lot, climbs out, and scoots for the entrance. Novak hurries toward the school, Novak enters the corridor that Is beginning to bustle with the day's activity and plunges past Miss Pagano with a - • — NOVAK Good Morning. MISS PAGANO Good morning! - and on Into the Faculty Room." (7274:61) 120 Quote 22 •It's early morning before school. The teachers are arriving, everyone looking bright, chipper and young, A few students In evidence. Novak and-other faculty, smiling and brisk, are arriving." (7282:52) Quote 25 Mr, Vane, the Principle, suggests Mr. Nomak get busy and he reacts. "The second bell rings and everyone begins plunging madly. Vane indicates the stairs. VANE You better get up there and teach those kids something. NOVAK Yes, sir! Vane watches Novak charge up the stairs with the last stragglers. And before the bell Is finished ringing the corridor Is miraculously clear." (7239:70) Quote 24 Mr. Novak plays tennis. DIETRICH "Ready, Mr. Novak? Novak For anything. Dietrich hesitates - then waves to the opposite court. Novak and Dietrich spread out to receive the service and the game begins. 121 SHOT - DIETRICH take a powerful forehand zinging the ball baok across the net. SHOT - BARNEY returns to Novak on the baok court. SHOT - NOVAK Novak slams at the ball with a vicious backhand - then catches Dietrich's eye. Dietrich nods approval and goes after the returning ball." (7240:44) Quote 25 FSROUSON "Are you married? Do you have a family? NOVAK (shakes his head) No...no..." (7232:6) Quote 26 RACHAEL "Do you pray, Mr. Novak? (Novak looks puzzled) Just now In olass - when you were talking about Joan I had the feeling that - NOVAK Yes, Rachael, 1 pray. 1 learned to do It when X was In the Army. RACHAEL Will you pray for me, Mr. Novak? Rachael 1b deadly serious and desperately helpless. Novak waits for her to go on. RACHAEL X..X..my parents are separated, Mr. Novak, they're getting a divorce. X...don't know what to do but pray. Will you? NOVAS Yea. Of course." (7274:53-54) quote 27 NOVAK "I wouldn't worry about it too much, Pete. BUTLER But you aren't the committee chairman*. - NOVAK I learned not to volunteer when X was in the Army.n (7274:3) quote 28 JENNY "But moat of them did and it pleased you. You oome from a long line of scholars. NOVAK I come from a long line of coal miners. Where do you come from? JENNY Here. But I 've lived in New York City ever since I left here. My family's there. Where's yours? NOVAK Right where I left them in Pennsylvania. My Mother's dead now, my Father's living. Yours?" (7274:47) quote 29 GRADY'S WIFE "Do you drink, Mr. Novak? NOVAK Yes, I do. 123 SPENCER 1s that auite proper, Mr. NovakT NOVAK What do you mean? SPENCER Isn't that a bad example for your students.••? NOVAK I never drink In the classroom, Mr. Spencer." (7240:510) Quote 50 Mr. Novak Is kidded by a fellow teacher about his involvement In teaching. PEEPLES (to Novak) "Is it true you're going to be Faculty Advisor for the Prom Committee? NOVAK It's t rue • PEEPLES Congratulations, Madam Chairman. You'll'have a lot of fun. Won't he Pete? BUTLER Barrels of It. PEEPLES Of course you won't get any sleep between now and then - but you'll have a lot of fun. NOVAK I'm having fun now. I'm coaching the Debate Team - directing the Drama Club - handling the pop con cession In the gym - and, Incidentally, teaching six classes a day. I'm having a ball." (7246:29-30) 124 Quo f 31 Mr. Novak tells an irate parent about bis experience with teaching. NOVAK "Our young people have to be regarded as serious young human beings getting on with the serious business of growing up and growing outl 1 found that out the first day I walked Into a high school olassroom, Mr. Whittier - you should try It some time yourself. You can't fool these kids - you can't avoid their thoughts or evade their questions - If you do they'll put a label on you and stick you In a comer where you belong - they're growing men and growing women - Just like your daughter - and the worst offense I can think of 1s to retard them In any wayI" (7239*65) Quote 32 NOVAK "I said I think you're acting like a fool about this. D3AVBR Mr. Novak, you don't use that language or that tone of voloe with a Senior member of the Faculty - I'd be very offended if you weren't so Inaccurate. To straighten you out I have been acting like a fool around here for a good many years but not any more. There's air and light and life and other kinds of work out there and 1 'm going to take advantage of it. NOVAK I can't quite believe you, Mr. Deaver and I don't know why. You're standing there saying it - I'm hearing It - but I still can't quite believe you mean It. There's air and light and life right here. God knows there's life, Mr. Deaver. It comes through those doors every morning, up those stairs, Into those classrooms - the place la filled with life. 125 DEAVER Well, I 'm facing the hard, brittle facts of It, Mr. Novak. Overwork and didl cation put Jim O'Nall In hi a grave today. He was a fool - a damn fool - and I *m not going to be one. 1 don't want to get near any grave - even Jim O'Neil's. Is that a reasonable enough explanation for my absence today? NOVAK No. Not for me. DEAVER You do take chances, Mr. Novak. NOVAK I'm going to take another one, Mr. Deaver. I'm going to tell you that you aren't the only one who feels badly [sic] about Mr. O'Neil's death. I feel badly [slo] about It. There's no one In thlB school who doesn't feel badly [sic] about It. But you can't atop the living from living. I haven't heard of any kid leaving school because of it. No one else on this Faculty Is quitting because of It - except you, Mr. Deaver. Just you. I don't think that's right, I don't think you're right. I don't think you're facing anything, and most of all I don't like to hear you call Mr. O'Neil a damn fool! (Deaver starts to speak) It Isn't quite ten o'olock In* the morning, Mr. Deaver, and I 've already had a hard day. THE BELL FUNGS - I still have five classes to teach and a counselling session to get through. I'm going to think of Mr. O'Neil while I'm doing all that and I'm going to try to do it Just the way he'd do It. DEAVER You misunderstand — NOVAK I don't misunderstand anything about you. Mr. Deaver! You're a scared cookie right now and you've handed In a letter telling them you're going to run! (kids begin to stream Into the corridor) I oan get over It - the Faculty'll live through It - but I don't know how they'll take It! Novak Indicates the kldB. The anger leaves Deaver's face as he looks past Novak and says:" (7267:64-66) 126 quote. .32 SIX O'CLOCK A.M. NOVAK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT It la not really night but la early morning and JOHN NOVAK la the aleeplng figure In the pull-down bed. The alarm clock rings to life; Novak stirs, makea an obscure grunting noise, rises, and stumbles across the room to the desk. Novak silences the alarm, clicks on the desk lamp, then Btands there tossle-halred and bleary-eyed, trying to rid himself of sleep. He looks at the agony of hard work around him - the books plied seemingly everywhere - and at the lesson preparations spread out on his desk. He shivers slightly, - surrenders to one massive Jaw-breaking yawn and the day begins. He heads for the bathroom, Jerking off his pajama top. The CAMERA UNGERS on the clock, old-fashioned and tough, which says It Is exactly slx-thlrty A.M. SEVEN-FIFTEEN A.M. JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL Novak comes from the direction of the parking lot, heading for the entrance toting a bulging briefcase, wearing a rain coat. Novak moves purposefully toward the closed doors glancing at his watch. He codes up, tries the door which Is locked, then rattleB It. Almost Immediately MIKE McCANN, a custodian, moves Into the SHOT dragging a ring of keys from his belt. McCann ceremoniously unlocks the door to admit Novak. NOVAK ’ Good morning, Mr. MoCann. McCANN How are you, Mr. Novak? Early again? NOVAK Early again. Yes.w (7251*1-2) 127 Quote 34 NOVAK "You know 1*ve always felt that a teacher gets everything from his students that he goes after. If he goes after a little - he gets a little - If he goes after a lot - he gets a lot. If It takes a field trip to get a lot, Mr. Deaver, then I *10 for a field trip." (7267*47) 128 ANSWER SHEET The flavor or cast given by thla pictorial description, action,"or point of view of Hr. Novak characterizes the Ideal teacher. Strongly agree agree disagree strongly disagree 1. _____________________ 3*. _______________ _____ ________ _________________ ANSWER SHEET The flavor or cast given by this pictorial description, action, or point of view of Mr. Novak characterizes the actual teacher. Strongly agree agree disagree strongly disagree 1. ___ '
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The Legal And Professional Aspects Of The Teacher'S Workload
Asset Metadata
Creator
Colwell, Maurice Joseph
(author)
Core Title
A Study Of The Teacher Stereotype: The Image Of 'Mr. Novak' As Seen By Undergraduate Teacher Candidates And Practicing Professional Teachers
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Degree Program
Education
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
Education, general,OAI-PMH Harvest
Language
English
Contributor
Digitized by ProQuest
(provenance)
Advisor
Martin, David W. (
committee chair
), [illegible] (
committee member
), Donagh, Edward C. (
committee member
)
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c18-125272
Unique identifier
UC11360135
Identifier
6708006.pdf (filename),usctheses-c18-125272 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
6708006.pdf
Dmrecord
125272
Document Type
Dissertation
Rights
Colwell, Maurice Joseph
Type
texts
Source
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Access Conditions
The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...
Repository Name
University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location
USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA