Evaluating teacher training of sociology graduate students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Previous research on teacher training is rare in. the United States, especially when the training refers to graduate students. This study's focus is the effectiveness of teacher training for graduate teaching associates, more specifically the Department of Sociology's graduate teaching associates at the University of Tennessee, Kndxville. Data for this study were collected from three sources: a questionnaire, GTA syllabi, and student evaluations of GTA instruction. The questionnaire revealed the amount of teacher training, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the types of training programs for the graduate teaching associate. The evaluation of the associates' syllabi determined if any previous training was utilized in the construction of the syllabus. The student evaluations, better known as the Campus Teaching Evaluation Program (CTEP), assessed the use of teacher training in the classroom. The analysis suggests those graduate teaching associates who were trained through the Sociology Department's teacher training seminar (Sociology 510: Teaching Sociology) did utilize this training in the classroom thus achieving higher student evaluations.