The status of teacher education institutions in Texas related to new standards for competency-based teacher education and certification in Fall 1972

The purpose of this study was to determine the status of teacher preparation institutions in Texas as they were related to the State Board of Education statement of 'intent and direction for instituting a competency/performance-based program of teacher education and certification' at the beginning of the five-year transitional period. Three specific questions were researched: (1) What is the reaction of teacher educators responsible for program planning in the teacher education institutions in Texas to the new standards for teacher education and certification in Texas? (2) What is the current status of the diffusion and adoption of CBTE in Texas?, and (3) What forces or variables can be identified as active in affecting the status of diffusion and adoption of the new standards in the teacher education institutions in Texas? The data were gathered using a questionnaire developed for the study. The questionnaire was distributed to the program planner of each of the 58 teacher education institutions in Texas. Data from 41 respondents (71%) were subjected to two successive configuration approaches to prediction. The rationale for this method was that any force or variable that can be used to predict diffusion-adoption behavior must be active in causing that behavior. The first configuration was used to identify the variables that were active in the diffusion-adoption process. The second configuration was used to illustrate and explain the effect and interaction of the identified variables. The following conclusions were based on the outcomes of the study: 1. There was a weak positive reaction by the program planners to the new standards. 2. The pattern of responses to the questionnaire items suggested that the respondents tended to resist change. 3. The correlation of positive-negative responses to specific parts of the standards with reaction to the standards as a whole implied that the respondents tended to base their responses on negative perceptions. 4. The Commission for Professional Competencies was not understood nor accepted by the program planners. 5. The responses of program planners on the questionnaire confirmed that there have been changes in teacher preparation institutions as a result of the new standards and/or the CBTE movement. 6. The data indicated that three variables appeared to be active in diffusion-adoption behavior in Texas at the time of the study: (1) Reaction to CBTE, (2) Familiarity with CBTE, and (3) Opinion Leadership. These three variables seemed most closely associated with the individual who assumed the role of program planner. 7. On the basis of questionnaire responses, there was no evidence that the perceived characteristics of CBTE affected diffusion-adoption behavior. 8. On the basis of questionnaire responses, there was no evidence that perceived characteristics of the institution's faculty affected diffusion-adoption behavior within the institution. 9. There was no evidence that size of the institution affected diffusion-adoption behavior. The nine conclusions were studied collectively and synthesized into a single unifying conclusion: There was a strong indication that at the time of this study (Fall 1972) the Dean or Chairman of Education of each institution was the major influence that affected diffusion-adoption behavior; and, further, that the Deans or Chairmen of Education were influenced more by emotion than by objective study and consideration of the new standards.