Traditional vs. Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs: A Meta-Analysis

Whitford, Denise K.; Zhang, Dake; Katsiyannis, Antonis

doi:10.1007/s10826-017-0932-0

Original Paper
Published: 13 November 2017

Traditional vs. Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs: A Meta-Analysis

Journal of Child and Family Studies volume 27, pages 671–685 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

A meta-analysis is presented of the academic achievement effects on students taught by teachers from alternative teacher preparation (ATP) programs, compared to students taught by teachers from traditional teacher preparation (TTP) programs. The literature has indicated mixed results on the student-level academic outcomes of ATP programs. Findings from this meta-analysis indicate an overall statistically significant, yet small, difference in ATP and TTP programs (g = 0.03; 95% CI = 0.01, 0.04, p = 0.001), with the mean achievement of students who had ATP teachers was about 0.03 standard deviations above that of students who had TTP teachers. Further, there were differences in student achievement by type of ATP program, school level, and academic subject area. These results, as well as implications for policy and practice are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

Department of Educational Studies, Purdue University, 100N. University Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
Denise K. Whitford
Department of Educational Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, USA
Dake Zhang
Department of Education and Human Development, Clemson University, Clemson, USA
Antonis Katsiyannis

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Denise K. Whitford
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Dake Zhang
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Antonis Katsiyannis
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Whitford, D.K., Zhang, D. & Katsiyannis, A. Traditional vs. Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs: A Meta-Analysis. J Child Fam Stud 27, 671–685 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0932-0

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Published: 13 November 2017
Issue Date: March 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0932-0

Keywords

Meta-analysis
Teacher preparation
Traditional
Alternative
Student academic achievement