Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Dissertation

Keywords

Middle schools--Iowa; Junior high schools--Iowa;

Abstract

Iowa middle level schools during the spring semester of 1988 were described in terms of grade level groupings, titles, instructional patterns, and pupil control orientations of teachers. This data was compared to data about Iowa middle level schools collected during the 1970-71 and 1979-80 years as well as data collected in recent years form studies across the nation. Changes in middle level education were documented.

The study was divided into two major parts with separate samples, instruments, data collection, and data presentation procedures. During the first part of the study, all 4-6, 4-8, 5-6, 5-8, 6-8, 6-9, 7-8, and 7-9 middle level principals were mailed postcard questionnaires to ascertain of title, community size, district enrollment, building enrollment, and instructional pattern practiced at each grade level in each school. Frequency distributions were created to summarize the results form a 100% return of the postcard questionnaires.

During the second part of the study a sample of fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers practicing the self-contained, team, or departmental instructional pattern were mailed questionnaires consisting of demographic information and the pupil and the Pupil Control Ideology (PCI) form. Using analysis of variance and/or t-tests, six hypotheses were tested concerning possible difference in PCI scores among various subgroups of teachers varying in gender, age. teaching experience, instructional patterns practiced in the fifth and sixth grades, instructional patterns practiced in the seventh and eighth grades, and type of engrossment(s) held. Significance was set at the .03 level.

Results of the study indicated that: (a) There has been a major shift in recent years in the number of 6-8 and 7-9 schools; (b) the titles of Iowa middle level schools have changed in recent years; (c) Iowa middle level schools reflect an emphasis on departmentalization as the dominant instructional pattern with an increasing tendency towards the departmental pattern as grade level increases; and (d) significant differences in PCI scores were found between subgroups of Iowa middle level teachers categorized by gender and type of endorsement held.

Year of Submission

1988

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

Gregory P. Stefanich

Date Original

1988

Object Description

1 PDF file (ix, 186 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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