A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE LEGAL KNOWLEDGE OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLTEACHERS IN THE STATE OF ALABAMA.

摘要

The problem of the study was to determine the legal knowledge of Alabama elementary schoolteachers. In particular, the study sought to describe the extent to which teachers were knowledgeable of the law in the areas of torts, certification and tenure, contracts, duties and responsibilities, and constitutional law. A second part of the problem was to find if significant differences existed among groups of teachers classified according to sex, race, degree held, grade taught, and prior years of teaching experience in their responses to test items in each of the same areas.;A test was designed to elicit information concerning Alabama teachers' knowledge of the law as it pertained to education. The School Law Test consisted of fifty items classified under five major categories. The five categories were: torts, certification and tenure, contracts, duties and responsibilities, and constitutional law. The test instrument was based upon questions that were illustrative of Alabama or federal statutes and principles of case law relating to education.;The data from the test were tabulated, classified, and organized according to frequencies and percentages for the total group and for subgroups. Analyses of variance were made to identify significant differences among the various subgroups based on sex, race, degree held, grade taught, and prior years of teaching experience.;The following major findings resulted from the analyses of the data: (1)Teachers had a mean score of 68.6 percent correct responses on the test. (2)Black subjects had a significantly higher number of incorrect responses than did white subjects on the total number of test items missed. (3)Black subjects had a significantly higher number of incorrect responses than did white subjects on test items in the categories of torts and certification and tenure. (4)Subjects holding a bachelors degree scored significantly lower on the test category of certification and tenure than did subjects holding a masters degree. (5)No other differences among groups based on sex, race, degree held, grade taught, and prior years of teaching experience were found to be statistically significant.;The population for the study consisted of ninety-eight randomly selected Alabama elementary schoolteachers. Subjects were randomly selected by the Alabama State Department of Education for the purposes of the study.;The findings of the study seemed to indicate that Alabama elementary schoolteachers need to improve their knowledge of school law. It would seem essential that preservice and in-service educators receive more training to improve their knowledge of school law so that they may understand better their duties and responsibilities under the law.