Dissertation

AN ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS OF PENNSYLVANIA'S NORMAL SCHOOL TRANSITION TO TEACHERS COLLEGE STATUS

BAKER, JANET M

1987

Overview

The study uses organizational theory to analyze the historical event of Pennsylvania's normal school transition to undergraduate teachers college status, from 1919 to 1937. Analysis is framed within organizational change theories that focus on the relationship between an organization and its environment. Although little is known about how U.S. normal schools made the transition to college status, the historical literature on teacher education points to the changing educational environment as a key factor, which, in turn, supports the choice of an environmental perspective for an initial organizational analysis of the event. The purpose of the investigation is to determine how the Pennsylvania normal schools reorganized to attain college status. The following questions guided the research: (1) What changes were made in the schools' missions, curricula, and administrative structures during the transition, from 1920 to 1937? (2) How were these changes made--through environmental pressures, administrative decisions, or negotiation between school administrators and other groups? Two Pennsylvania schools, Indiana State Normal School and Clarion State Normal School, are used as examples of how changes in goals, curricula, and administration occurred as all of the state's normals achieved teachers college status. State and institutional documents were examined to trace the changes in the schools and their environment. Results of the investigation indicate that although state officials dominated the initial reorganizational phase, between 1919 and 1937 the transformation into teachers colleges reflected a negotiated change process in which both environmental and school forces shaped organizational behavior. Throughout this period, the schools' administrative leadership and organizational processes influenced the way in which plans were formed, revised, and implemented. The schools' dramatic change from local control and relative autonomy and the introduction of a narrowly vocationalized curriculum distinguished the Pennsylvania transition. Ultimately, however, Pennsylvania's unique story ended like that of other U.S. teachers colleges. Increased interdependence, competition from liberal arts colleges, and a normative network of educational professionals promoted similarity. By 1937, the state's teachers colleges offered the combination of academics, educational courses, and vocational specialties found at most teachers colleges across the nation.

• Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• Subject: Education history
• ISBN: 9798643163572