Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Carolyn S. Buckenmaier
Committee Member
Michael Griffin
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
9th-grade challenges, 9th-grade students, academic achievement, alienation, attendance, chi-square analysis, discipline, English I, failure rates, formative feedback, freshman academy, grade point average, grade retention, high school, interventions, Kremper, literature review, Mauldin High School, MHS, nurturing environments, program evaluation, remediation, repeat 9th graders, self-esteem, student achievement, student alienation, student data, student support, suburban high school, summative feedback, transitional programs, transition to high school, treatment, young adolescents
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to evaluate 2 programs aimed at increasing student achievement at Mauldin High School (MHS), a suburban high school with a population of 1,850 students in Grades 9-12. The focus of the study was to provide formative and summative feedback using the Kremper and Achilles (1979) program evaluation outline. Two research questions addressed English I failure rates that were reduced through a freshman academy for 1st time 9th graders and remediation for repeat 9th graders.
A review of the literature concerning 9th-grade challenges effecting on student achievement from the transition to high school reflects the need to provide support for 9th-grade students. Needs of young adolescents seeking autonomy and high school stressors from transition can lead to feelings of alienation. Repeat 9th-grade students are at risk from low self-esteem and alienation. Nurturing environments can increase students’ sense of belonging, decreasing their feelings of alienation. Archived student data for MHS 9th-grade students supported the need for interventions.
First time 9th-grade students in MHS’s freshman academy improved slightly in areas of student achievement and discipline. However, attendance and failure rates were not improved. All 5 intended outcomes were not met. The terminal objective of increased passage rates in English I by 5% each year was not reached. A chi-square analysis confirmed the hypothesis was not true and that the variables were not related to the treatment.
Repeat 9th-grade students in the MHS remediation program improved in all measured variables of discipline, attendance, grade point average, and failure rate. Data collected for discipline and attendance may have been skewed. The terminal objective of a 50% passage rate was exceeded and a chi-square analysis confirmed the relationship between the variable and the treatment.