Factors that support and impede full institutionalization of the middle school concept PDF
Preview Factors that support and impede full institutionalization of the middle school concept
FACTORSTHATSUPPORTANDIMPEDEFULLINSTITUTIONALIZATIONOF THEMIDDLESCHOOLCONCEPT By BARBARALATHROPBUSH ADISSERTATIONPRESENTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOL OFTHEUNIVERSITYOFFLORIDAINPARTIALFULFILLMENT OFTHEREQUIREMENTSFORTHEDEGREEOF DOCTOROFEDUCATION UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA 1999 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writingadissertationmaybeanindividualaccomplishment,butitisajoint effort.Thisresearchwouldnothavebeencompletedwithouttheguidanceandsupportof mycommitteeandtheemotionalsupportofcolleaguesandfamilymembers. IamindebtedtoDr.PhillipClark,mycommitteechair.Heguidedmethroughthe journeyofdissertationresearchandkeptmefocused.Iamalsoappreciativeoftheadvice providedbyDr.PaulGeorgeregardingmiddleschoolorganizationandqualitative research.IthankDr.JamesDoudandDr.EugeneToddfortheirencouragementand assistance. Iamgratefultomycolleaguesandcohortmembers,VirginiaAbernathyand SharonVoorhees.Theyactedaseditorsbothincontentandsyntax. Ithankmyparentsfortheirsupport.Myfather,GordonLathrop,instilledinmea loveofeducation.Itwashewhoseededmycommitmenttoearnadoctoraldegree.My mother,BeulahLathropMartins,providedtheextrinsicmotivationthroughherconstant andcontinualsupport.Iamtheirlegacy. Aboveall,Iamindebtedtomyhusband,MichaelBush.Hesupportedmeand mademanysacrificesduringthe5yearsofmydoctoralprogram.Heencouragedmeat thelowpointsandcelebratedwithmeeachtimeIreachedabenchmark.Thisdegreeis his,too. n 5917991 TABLEOFCONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii LISTOFTABLES vii ABSTRACT viii CHAPTERS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 StatementoftheProblem 1 PurposeoftheStudy 12 GlossaryofTerms 12 DelimitationsandLimitations 1 Delimitations 15 Limitations 15 SignificanceoftheStudy 16 OrganizationoftheDissertation 1 2 LITERATUREREVIEW 1 HistoryoftheMiddleSchoolOrganization 1 TheDevelopmentoftheJuniorHighSchool 1 TheDemiseoftheJuniorHighSchool 23 TheEmergenceoftheMiddleSchool 24 DevelopmentoftheMiddleSchoolintheStateofFlorida 28 DevelopmentalNeedsofMiddleSchoolStudents 31 AdolescentGrowthandDevelopment 3 PhysicalDevelopment 34 EmotionalDevelopment 36 SocialDevelopment 37 CognitiveDevelopment 39 TheoreticalPerspective 40 MiddleSchoolTheory 40 AdvisoryPrograms 46 iii InterdisciplinaryTeamingOrganization 51 ExploratoryClasses 55 FlexibleScheduling;ActiveInstruction;SpeciallyTrainedTeachers 58 Flexiblescheduling 58 Activeinstruction 58 Speciallytrainedteachers 60 SharedDecisionMaking 62 SuccessfulStudentExperiences 63 HealthandPhysicalEducation 64 ReconnectingwithHomeandCommunity 66 NeedforFurtherMiddleLevelResearch 68 3 METHODOLOGY 77 Introduction 77 QualitativeResearch 77 ResearchDesign 78 MethodsandProcedures 80 SamplingandDescriptionoftheSubject 80 Observation 82 Interview 83 Documents 85 DataManagement 86 DataAnalysis 88 ValidityandReliablity 89 InternalValidity 89 ExternalValidity 91 Reliability 91 InvestigatorBias 93 EthicalIssues 94 Summary 95 4 RESULTS 99 Introduction 99 Interviewee'sBackgrounds,Experiences,andTraining 100 Observations 108 DocumentsandWrittenRecordsCollected 108 ResearchQuestion1 119 Interviews 120 Observations... 123 DocumentsandWrittenReports 125 IV ResearchQuestion2 130 InterdisciplinaryTeamingOrganization 132 Interviews 132 Observations 140 Documentsandwrittenrecords 141 ExploratoryProgram 142 Interviews 142 Observations 147 Documentsandwrittenreports 147 SuccessfulStudentExperiences 149 Interviews 149 Observations 155 Documentsandwrittenrecords 157 HealthandPhysicalEducationProgram 161 Interviews 161 Observations 166 Documentsandwrittenreports 167 ResearchQuestion3 168 AdvisoryProgram 169 Interviews 169 Observations 179 Documentsandwrittenreports 181 FlexibleScheduling.ActiveTeaching,andSpeciallyTrainedTeachers 182 Interviews 182 Observations 191 Documentsandwrittenreports 195 SharedDecisionMaking 199 Interviews 199 Observations 203 Documentsandwrittenreports 205 HomeandCommunityConnection 207 Interviews 207 Observations 212 Documentsandwrittenreports 214 Summary 217 5 CONCLUSIONS,IMPLICATIONS,ANDRECOMMENDATIONS 221 OverviewoftheStudy 221 Conclusions 228 SupportingFactors 228 ImpedingFactors 231 v Implications 236 RecommendationsforFutureStudy 245 APPENDIX INTERVIEWGUIDE 247 REFERENCES 250 BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH 258 vi 11 LISTOFTABLES Table page 4-1 Participants'Backgrounds 101 4-2 ChronologicalListingofObservations 109 4-3 DocumentsandWrittenRecordsCollected 11 4-4 MSA'sMOECSurveyResults 117 4-5 NumberofTimesComponentswereListedinSchoolScrapbook 127 4-6 NumberofTimesComponentswereListedin"WeeklyBulletins" 128 4-7 NumberofTimesComponentswereListedinParents'Corner 129 4-8 Participants'ResponsestoFullInstitutionalizationofComponentsQuestions 13 4-9 ResultsoftheSafetyandDisciplineSurvey 159 4-10ResultsofTheNationalStudyofDelinquencyPreventioninSchools:Teacher Reports 160 4-11ResultsofCRESTMiddleSchoolStaffSurvey 162 4-12CTBSMedianPercentileTestScoresforMSA's8thGradeCohort 198 4-13SharedDecision-MakingOpportunities 206 4-14SupportingFactorsofFullyInstitutionalizedPractices 218 4-15FactorsImpedingFullInstitutionalizationofPractices 220 vii AbstractofDissertationPresentedtotheGraduateSchool oftheUniversityofFloridainPartialFulfillmentofthe RequirementsfortheDegreeofDoctororEducation FACTORSTFIATSUPPORTANDIMPEDEFULLINSTITUTIONALIZATIONOF THEMIDDLESCHOOLCONCEPT By BarbaraLathropBush December1999 Chairman:PhillipA.Clark MajorDepartment:EducationalLeadership,Policy,andFoundations Thepurposeofthisstudywastoidentifythefactorsthatsupportorimpedethe fullinstitutionalizationofthemiddleschoolconcept.Casestudyresearchwasemployed withdescriptivemethodsofdatacollection.MiddleSchoolAwasselectedasthe boundedunitsince(a)themiddleschoolconcepthadbeenineffectfor12years,(b)a cadreoffacultymembershadbeenonsitesinceimplementationofmiddleschoolreform, and(c)thestudentbodyhadbeenrecognizedforacademicachievement.Threequestions directedtheresearch. 1. Whichexemplarymiddleschoolpracticeshavebeensuccessfullyimplementedin MiddleSchoolAintheyearssinceitopened? 2. Whichoftheseexemplarypracticescontinuetobesuccessfullyimplementedin MiddleSchoolA?Whatsupportfactorshaveenabledthesepracticestocontinue? viii 3. WhichoftheseexemplarypracticeshavebeendiscontinuedatMiddleSchoolA? Whatsupportfactorswerediscontinuedtoallowthistohappen? Interviewsandobservationswereheldwhiledocumentsandwrittenreportswere reviewedovera5-monthperiodinthe1998-1999schoolyear.Categoricalcodingand analysiswereemployedusingacomputerized,textual,data-basemanager.Datawerefirst sortedbycodesreferencingtheeightexemplarymiddleschoolpracticesidentifiedinthe literaturereview.Datawerere-codedbasedonpatternsofsupportingandimpeding factorsthatemerged. Factorsfoundmostinfluentialincluded(a)dedicatedfacultymembers, (b)school-basedadministrativesupport,(c)practicesmandatedandsupportedbythe stateand/orschooldistrict,and(d)students’needsandattitudes.Factorsfoundmost impedingincluded(a)teacherresistance;(b)lackoftraining;(c)timemanagement; (d)accountabilityissues,curriculumstandards,andmandatesfromthestateand/or county;(e)negativestudentbehavior;(f)classsize;and(g)changesinschool-based leadership. Thisresearchisimportantasitwillaidmiddleschooladministratorstorecognize thefactorsinfluencingthefullinstitutionalizationofthepracticesofanexemplarymiddle school.School-basedmiddleschoolleaderswillbeabletodevelopstrategiestoreduceor eliminateconditionsthatimpedethisprogress.District-leveladministratorswillbeableto proactivelycreatestrategiesthatapplysupportingfactorsasnewmiddleschoolfacilities arebeingestablished. K CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Earlyadolescentsareinamultitransitionalstageoflife.Theygothroughpuberty, begintoidentifymorewithpeersthanfamily,developtheabilitytothinkabstractly,and transferfromtheprimarilyself-containedenvironmentfoundintheelementaryschoolto thelargerimpersonalsecondaryschool.Itisatthistimeearlyadolescentsstartmaking long-lastingpersonalandeducationaldecisions(Hargreaves,Earl.&Ryan.1996). Mostresearchers(e.g..George&Alexander,1993;Scales,1996:Stevenson.1992; Toepftr.1992;Wavering,1995)identifyearlyadolescenceasoccurringduringages10 through14or10through15.Theagesaremoreapproximatethanexactsincenotwo childrenenterearlyadolescenceatthesametimeorprogressatanequalrate(Milgram, 1992).'Thecentraldifficultyencounteredindescribingyoungadolescentsisthat althoughsomegeneralizationsmaybemadeaboutselecteddimensionsofchangethey undergo,thereisnotypicalyoungster”(Stevenson,1992,p. 10).Dorman,Lipsitz,and Verner(1985)summarizedadolescentgrowthanddevelopmentwiththefollowing: Earlyadolescenceisatimeofrapidgrowthandchangeasyoungpeople beginthephysicalandsocialtransitionfromchildhoodtoadulthood. Socially,youngadolescentsbegintoseparatefromtheirparents,testtheir developingsenseofautonomy,establishclosepeerrelationships,and reachoutbeyondthefamilytoconnectwithalargersocialsphere.They alsobegintodevelopthecognitiveability'tothinkabstractly,tothink seriouslyabouttheirpersonalfuturesinrelationtotheirsocialcontext,and toreflectonsocialandpersonalvaluesandmotives.Thesechangescome I
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