The effectiveness of assessing teacher dispositions in the teacher selection processes of Taiwan's junior high schools

The purpose of this study was to identify the ways to effectively assess teacher dispositions, and to incorporate the processes of assessing teachers' dispositions into the teacher selection processes of Taiwan's junior high schools. This research was conducted by using a mixed methods design with quantitative and qualitative research methods to identify the essential teacher dispositions that were used to effectively assess targeted dispositions in the teacher selection processes in Tainan City's junior high schools. This study collected important teacher dispositions from viable literature sources to identify a list of research-based teacher dispositions that included potential essential teacher dispositions. A quantitative survey was developed that included a list of research-based teacher dispositions in order to obtain relevant information from principals and directors of Tainan City's junior high schools, and to understand essential dispositions that teachers should possess. Based on the survey's results, this research made use of the teacher dispositions checklists for evaluating candidate's essays, interview process, and candidate's self-assessment which included qualitative and quantitative data to identify teacher candidates' dispositions in the teacher selection processes of Tainan City's junior high schools. The results of the Teacher Dispositions Scale Survey led to the identification of five most important teacher dispositions. Further, this research suggested that the Teacher Dispositions Scale Survey is a reliable and valuable tool to identify the top five essential dispositions for creating a checklist to effectively assess the dispositions of teacher candidates in the selection processes. This study's results of assessing teacher dispositions led to the identification of a number of identified dispositions and a rating score for the self-assessment of each teacher candidate. These results provided specific data for hiring committee members to further know about the dispositions of these teacher candidates from the assessing processes of teacher dispositions. This research suggested that teacher dispositions checklists can be an effective and efficient tools to identify the essential dispositions from teacher candidates in the selection processes.