Teachers Professional Growth: Examining the Effect of Teacher Maturity on LOC Orientation

Abstract

In this research, a modified version of Rose and Medway's Teachers' Locus of Control (TLOC) instrument was used to investigate the relationship between a selected group of high school teachers' age, length of service, and their teachers' locus of control orientation. Several studies have suggested a high correlation (r=0.845) between age and length of service; one from the US showed increasing internality with length of service and the other from Israel showed increasing internality with age. In this study, a sample of 205 high school teachers in Kingston, Jamaica participated in the research. T-test and analysis of variance showed no significant difference between Jamaican high school teachers' length of service, age, and their teachers' locus of control orientation. These results imply that Jamaican teachers are not developing in their perception of personal control and responsibility for students' outcomes in the classroom. It is suggested that in-service development programmes should address these particular shortfalls in the professional growth of Jamaican teachers.