Alternatively certified and traditionally certified novice teachers: An evaluative compariso

The purpose of this study was to determine if the DeKalb County Alternative Certification Program educated novice teachers who demonstrated effective teaching behaviors commensurate with behaviors of traditionally certified novice teachers. The study was a pre-test/post-test nonequivalent control group design: A field experiment in a natural setting.;Data were collected in the fall and spring of 1996--97 and 1998--99 using the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SCQ) and the Teacher Evaluation Scale (TES). Principals observed and rated both alternatively certified (AC) and traditionally certified (TC) novice teachers on the TES, which measures effective teaching behaviors. All of the novice teachers completed a SCQ, a self-reported questionnaire that classifies teachers' concerns into developmental stages: Self, Task, and Impact of Teaching.;The review of the literature yielded mixed results concerning the competency of AC teachers. Twenty-four studies indicated that AC teachers were as or more effective than TC teachers and 24 studies reported that TC teachers were more effective than AC teachers. Using an independent t test, this study found no statistically significant difference in the mean scores on the SCQ or the TES between the two groups of teachers. Also no correlation was found between the mean scores on the Impact subscale of the SCQ and the mean overall scores on the TES.;The study highlights the disparate results found by researchers as to the competency of AC teachers compared to TC teachers. It demonstrates the need for broader based, tighter controlled research to determine if alternative certification programs produce teachers who are as effective as those who complete traditional college of education programs.