Dissertations
Date of Award
5-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Educational Leadership
Advisor
Dr. Clay Beason
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation was to study the effect of school configurations on ninth grade summative assessment scores by gender. This study aimed to provide additional insight to educational leaders through a causal-comparative comparison of three secondary school configurations using quantitative evaluation. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory provided the core theoretical framework. Each hypothesis focused on a subject on the ACT Aspire Summative Assessment of ninth-grade students except writing, using a 3 x 2 factorial ANOVA causal-comparative study. No significant interaction between configuration type and gender was found in the four hypotheses. Two hypotheses had significant main effects. Hypothesis 2 for school configuration type for mathematics achievement, F(2, 234) = 6.15, p = .002, ES = 0.050, was significant. The freshman academy students’ mathematic achievement was not significantly different compared to the 7th-9th grade students’ mean; conversely, the freshman academy students’ mean was significantly higher compared to the 9th-12th grade students’ mean, and the 7th-9th grade students’ mean was significantly higher compared to the 9th-12th grade students’ mean. The second significant main effect was evident for gender for English achievement. The female students’ mean for English achievement was statistically higher than the male students’ mean for Hypothesis 3, F(1, 234) = 5.66, p = .018, ES = 0.024. The results of this study suggested that the interaction of school configuration type and gender did not significantly affect summative standardized assessment scores in reading, mathematics, English, and science. One of the limitations of this study is that only a few districts in Arkansas have implemented the freshman academy model in a separate building and the Grades 7-9 configuration, which limited the number of available school districts that could be considered for this comparison study. A policy that requires professional development for district and building leaders to become informed of early predicable cumulative risk factors improves a district’s programming and intervention to safeguard students’ social well-being and academic achievement. Policies to require academic tutoring or academic support companion programs by districts at the secondary level may benefit and increase student subject mastery and persistence for graduation.
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Recommended Citation
Daughety, Kerry, "Effects of School Configurations on Ninth-Grade ACT Aspire Summative Assessment Scores in Arkansas" (2023). Dissertations. 83.
https://scholarworks.harding.edu/hu-etd/83
