Attitudes of Middle Grades Principals toward Online Teacher Preparation Programs in Middle Grades Education: Are Administrators Pushing “Delete”?

Abstract

This descriptive study investigated the attitudes of middle school building principals toward the desirability of preservice teacher preparation programs conducted wholly or almost wholly online. This project included middle schools in the states of Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio where random cluster sampling was utilized to select participants from a population list of schools and districts. After districts were determined, each middle school principal in the selected district was provided with a questionnaire. Seventy-five of 120 principals (16 from Indiana, 36 from Kentucky, 23 from Ohio) completed questionnaires for a response rate of 63%. The principals expressed apprehension about teacher dispositions and the social aspects of teaching that may be compromised in an online program, as well as general ethical concerns surrounding online courses. If middle grades principals are to acknowledge ultimately the marketability of online teacher preparation, the degree-granting institutions need to address these concerns and actively seek the input of administrators in program design.