Page 53 - 2018_Jour_85-1_Societal-Issues

Schools and Societal Issues 53

School H housed three participants and School K housed four participants in this
research study. Both schools had similar student populations. School K was a higher
performing school than School H as evidenced by their range of test scores. Teachers from
School K had a stronger overall perceived behavior control. These teachers seemed less
overwhelmed, had to deal with fewer behavior issues, and had smaller class sizes than
teachers from School H; these factors enabled teachers at School K to be more comfortable
taking risks. The school culture in School K was collaborative and positive, with teachers
tending to be more independent. Subjective norms indicated that they perceived themselves
as being skilled and cared about what their colleagues thought but ultimately engaged in
practices that worked for their students. Teachers in School H looked more to the observer
for ideas and did not seem as sure of their abilities or as sure that it was accepted to take
risks.

Observer Expertise
In the case of this research study, saying that the observer had expertise indicated his or
her ability to provide effective feedback in a timely manner and in a supportive environment.
Hattie and Timperley (2007) asserted that effective feedback answers the following questions:
“Where am I going?”, “How am I going?”, and “Where to next?” Butler and Winne (1995)
hypothesized that teachers who are effective learners develop strategies to self-regulate.
Frequent formative evaluations provide constructive feedback to teachers about their teaching
performance (Ovando & Harris, 1991). Such evaluations provide relevant information to
teachers so they can make adjustments, modifications, or further development to their practice
and grow as professionals (Ovando & Harris, 1991) in a performance-focused culture (The
New Teacher Project 2.0, 2010) through instructional leadership (Danielson, 2013).
Attitude regarding observer expertise. Participants found that the effective feedback
that could assist in differentiation or specific classroom practices was helpful in making self-
reflection easier. The immediacy of the SOAP-formatted post-observation conversations
helped teachers to have the lesson fresh in their minds and, as the research continued, the
process became habitual to them. This was evidenced by the fact that they self-reflected
during the lesson and were prepared with their answers to the researcher’s questions because
they were aware of the topics for reflection. According to the participants, relevant, actionable
feedback was not often found in traditional post-observation conversations, and the SOAP
format was a source of such feedback for them. The conversations definitely assisted teachers
in thinking about instruction and how their practices affected student achievement.
Subjective norms regarding observer expertise. A cultural norm in the schools
studied was that observers were pleasant and provided teachers with positive feedback.
The observer engaged in positive feedback during each SOAP-formatted post-observation
conversation in order to promote participants’ comfort with the process and the
constructive criticism provided, and as well as to build rapport. The researcher made
these conversations meaningful to teachers through constructive, actionable feedback
and provided that feedback immediately after each classroom observation. Participants
revealed their trust of the observer and willingness to take risks by changing instructional
practices. Teachers noted that, in traditional post-observation conversations, evaluators
were deficient in quality of feedback and immediate conversations did not often occur. Of
the participants in the study, eight of nine highlighted that they would continue to practice
the instructional changes attempted during the study after its conclusion. Two of the nine
participants mentioned that they were going to use the SOAP model with mentees and
were going to share the process with others.