Timetabling and extracurricular activities: a study of teachers’ attitudes towards preparation time

Abstract

Many models of timetabling exist in secondary schools in Western educational jurisdictions. This study examines whether or not teachers teaching a full course load without preparation time during a semester are willing to volunteer to participate in extracurricular activities. This research was conducted in a rural school district in British Columbia, Canada. Teacher workload, preparation time and willingness to volunteer for extracurricular activities were addressed. Over 70 per cent of respondents to the survey indicated that they found their workload unmanageable during the semester in which they had no preparation time while over 90 per cent of respondents indicated they wanted to have preparation time distributed evenly over the full school year. A significant majority of teachers do not supervise extracurricular activities when they have no preparation time. A comprehensive literature review examining advantages and disadvantages of the semester timetable and an extensive bibliography are included.