Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Publication Date

5-28-1970

Abstract

This study was concerned with the problems of curriculum in disadvantaged areas. The purposes were to evaluate present curricula and also to discover the relationship of teacher training and teacher attitude to the major problems in low socio-economic areas.

Three third grade classes of various percentages of ethnic and racial groups were used. All schools were located in deprived areas.

Class One had 64.3 per cent Black, 25 per cent Spanish surnamed, 3.5 per cent Indian, and 7.2 per cent Anglo students. Class Two's percentages were 80 per cent Spanish surnamed, 8 per cent Black, 8 per cent Anglo, and 4 per cent Indian. Class Three was 65.4 per cent Spanish surnamed, 3.8 per cent Indian, 27 per cent Anglo, and 3.8 per cent Black students.

The questionnaire and sociogram methods were employed to compile the data.

One of the significant results was the children's general dislike of school. The curriculum changes they felt pertinent were the irrelevant work, the “busy" work, and the difficult work. The classes also felt their early primary teachers, kindergarten through second grades, were their favorites.

The sociometric study was conducted to discover the students' attitudes toward themselves and others.

There were two self-concept questions: "Who would you like to be like if you could be like anyone in the room except the teacher?" and "If the principal wanted to take some one from this class to the zoo or to the circus, who would he take?" The academic acceptance question was: "Who would you like to do arithmetic with in this room?" The social acceptance question was: "Who would you like to take home to play with after school?"

A new sociometric category was found to be necessary and was called the self-isolate category; this person usually received no choices and refused to choose anyone else.

There is a definite need for a curriculum based on the real and the concrete in deprived schools. A curriculum that also stresses self-concept development as an essen­tial part of the deprived school, to insure academic growth, is needed.

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Elementary Education

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy

First Committee Member (Chair)

David Lawrence Bachelor

Second Committee Member

Miles Vernon Zintz

Third Committee Member

Horacio Ulibarri

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