The purpose of this study was to determine whether differences existed in academic achievement, attitude toward school, and self-concept of seventh and eighth grade junior high school students in comparison to seventh and eighth grade middle school students who changed from a junior high school or an elementary school to a middle school in Jonesboro, Arkansas. A further concern of the study was to determine middle school principles of the Jonesboro Middle Schools.The subjects who furnished data for the study were 808 randomly selected seventh and eighth grade students. The students participated as control seventh and eighth grade junior high school students during the first year of the study (197576), or as experimental middle school seventh and eighth grade students during the second year of the study (1976-77). Five groups were formed for each grade. Two groups of each grade participated as the control groups, and the remaining three groups of each grade served as experimental groups.The Gordon How I See Myself Scale and the McElhinney Middle School Questionnaire Pupil Attitude Toward School scale were administered to accommodate a separate-sample-pretest-posttest control group design. Data from the Metropolitan Achievement Test and the SRA Achievement Test were used to fit a nonequivalent control group design. The data pertaining to self-concept and attitude toward school were analyzed by a multivariate analyses of variance technique. Achievement data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance. On-site interviews were conducted to determine the Jonesboro-actual-middle school principles.Six null hypotheses were tested at the .05 level of statistical significance. Hypotheses one and two were stated to compare mean achievement scores of seventh and eighth grade Junior high school students to seventh and eighth grade middle school students. No statistically significant difference was found between the seventh grade junior high and middle school students. A statistically significant difference was found between the eighth grade junior high school and middle school students. The difference favored the junior high school students.Hypotheses three and four were stated to compare self-concept mean scores of seventh and eighth grade junior high school students to seventh and eighth grade middle school students. No statistically significant difference was found between mean scores of either grade.Hypotheses five and six were stated to compare mean scores on attitude toward school between seventh and eighth grade junior high and middle school students. No statistically significant difference was found between mean scores of either grade.The results of the interviews indicated elimination of "inappropriate" social and physical activities, more emphasis on intramural activities, and development of extensive exploratory programs as strengths of the Jonesboro Middle Schools. The lack of provision for continuous progress, team teaching, independent study, planned gradualism and use of multi media material appeared to be weaknesses.Conclusions drawn from the findings were:1. Students who experience a rigid academic schedule of a junior high school may tend to score significantly higher on achievement tests than students who attend less rigid middle schools.2. Students who have experienced the junior high school may tend to form some negative feelings toward school if placed in a middle school, but not to a statistically significant degree.3. The attitude and self-concept of seventh and eighth grade students appeared to be unaffected by the reduction of "inappropriate" social and physical activities.4. Little change in instructional procedures of classroom teachers appeared to be apparent.5. The major change seemed to be the addition of exploratory programs in middle schools.6. During the in-service program too much emphasis may have been placed on exemplary middle school programs at the expense of providing emphasis on the best middle school for Jonesboro.

The decision to undertake this research was a pragmatic response to the debates which followed the introduction of a new innovative secondary education system in Ghana. This paper will investigate the said innovation during its formation since 1974, inception from 1987 and, in respect of field research, aspects of its operation from 1998 to 2000. The innovation was designed as a complex package offering an integrated approach to change educational values, orientation and learning outcomes. The changes subsumed in each aspect of the innovation have far-reaching implications for the entire education system. One element, the vocationalised curriculum, caused immediate concern at the time of implementation because of pre-existing evidence of similar attempts made previously in Ghana and other countries which yielded unsatisfactory results. This concern was increased by the complexity of subsequent changes in the examination system and in the new structure of Junior Secondary Schooling (JSS). Furthermore, there were mixed opinions regarding a new emphasis on the individual learner as the focus of school activities augmented by the introduction of guidance and counselling. The primary aim of the research was to monitor the implementation processes in as many aspects as possible. This was done in order to see what benefits might be gained, and what lessons in order to continue the innovation. In order to conduct this assessment it was necessary to examine critically the characteristics of each element of the reform and their implications, using a variety of research methods to generate relevant data. This approach yielded a substantial amount of original evidence on the dynamics of educational change. While this evaluation specifically helps to deepen understanding of the said innovation, it also makes a contribution to the literature on educational innovation in developing countries. The particular theoretical framework used to direct analysis of the processes is derived from the IAC evaluation model developed by Havelock and Huberman (1977) and is used in their study of educational innovations in the developing countries. The theory proposes that a large and complex problem requires a sophisticated level of competency to handle it. An innovative situation requires an efficient system in order to muster the relevant level of IAC factors as were required. This paper explores and extends the IAC model by incorporating the new research regarding the Ghanaian educational innovation. In this new dimension, the Ghanaian model has tended to display far more interactive and cohesive characteristics than in the original Havelock and Huberman study, thus making the measure for success relatively more complex. There is overwhelming evidence to show that by the end of its second cycle in December 1999, none of the JSS innovation components had been in any way implemented. In all respects, the level of systemic competency was far below what was demanded by the innovation. When placed in the framework of the IAC theoretical model, analysis of the conclusive empirical findings provides key recommendations for future innovative educational projects. Crucial coordinating factors must be considered and necessarily established to ensure that strategies are put in place which strengthen the infrastructure. This coordinating initiative should encompass internal and external logistics coordination for resource persons and materials, while simultaneously linking the organizational management of the project with key administrative, political, and social interest groups.

Thesis (Ed.D)--Baylor University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 158-166).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Includes tables. Sponsor: Frank W. Cyr. Dissertation Committee: John W. Polley, . Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (ED. D.)--Johns Hopkins University, 1930. / Vita. Published also as Johns Hopkins University studies in education, no. 17. Bibliography: p. 51-52.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993.

Thesis (M. Ed.), Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1998. / Bibliography: leaves 55-56.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Also available in print.

Thesis (ED. D.)--Johns Hopkins University, 1930. / Vita. Published also as Johns Hopkins University studies in education, no. 17. Bibliography: p. 51-52.

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions held by junior high school principals, their spouses, and school counselors regarding occupational stressors of the junior high school principals in the State of Texas. The occupational stressors center around five areas of concern: (1) administrative constraints, (2) administrative responsibilities, (3) interpersonal relations, (4) intrapersonal conflicts, and (5) role expectations. A randomly selected sample of 300 junior high school principals were sent questionnaires for themselves, their spouses, and their school counselors. Descriptive statistical methods were employed to calculate means and standard deviations of the principals', spouses', and counselors' perceptions of the occupational stressors of the principals. T-test and one-way analysis of variance were used to analyze the data.