Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Karen Kimball
Committee Member
Lucille Beisner
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
academic achievement, archival data, attendance, attendance improvement, attendance management system, class size, class-size reduction, descriptive design, educational achievement, elementary school students, Fairview Elementary Magnet Academy, mathematics achievement, Ohio Department of Education, Ohio Off-Year Proficiency Test, parental involvement, parent liaison, proficiency test scores, reading achievement, reduced class size, school attendance, student achievement, third-grade students
Abstract
The major purpose of this study was to determine the extent that 3 variables influence the student achievement of 3rd-grade students in this elementary school setting. More specifically, the researcher was concerned with the extent to which the independent and combined effects of the variables parental involvement, attendance, and reduced class size had on the academic performance of 3rd-grade students on the reading and mathematics section of the Ohio Off-Year Proficiency Test (Ohio Department of Education, 1997).
The design that was most conducive for this applied research is a descriptive design. An experimental design was not feasible because control groups and random assignments were not conducive to the Fairview Elementary Magnet Academy setting and goals. A descriptive design was employed in this investigation to collect and analyze the archival data.
Forty-seven 3rd-grade students were randomly selected to participate in this empirical study. The Ohio Off-Year Proficiency Test scores were used to gather data.
The researcher implemented intervention strategies that targeted each of the problem areas, thereby, increasing academic achievement through parental involvement, attendance improvement, and class-size reduction. The 1st area of the parental involvement program was to secure a parent liaison. The 2nd aspect of this improvement initiative focused on identified attendance problems--the district attendance officer and the judicial system printed from the attendance management system a daily report of students who are absent. Class-size reduction is another intervention for improvement at Fairview Elementary Magnet Academy. The researcher requested 4 additional teachers in order to meet the recommended class size. The outcome of the applied dissertation included increasing the attendance rate to 90% for the 2002-2003 school term and acquiring additional teacher units.