The problem of this study was to test the effects of teaching selected study skills and reading, writing, and listening skills as a specific course of study for ninth grade students. To study this problem, the performance of students enrolled in a study skills and reading, writing, and listening skills course was compared to that of a comparable group of ninth graders, electing the course but not permitted to take it, on the basis of performance as measured by mean gain on alternate forms of the Spitzer Study Skills Test and on the Sequential Test of Educational Progress--Reading-Writing-Listening.

Thesis advisor: Irwin Blumer / The transition from eighth grade to ninth grade is a critical time in a young person's educational career. Ninth grade programs and separate buildings for ninth graders have grown over the last ten years in an effort to meet their distinct needs. Research in this area reveals very little documentation of the teachers' voices on this subject. This researcher sought to add their perspective in identifying the salient features of effective ninth grade programs which make for a smooth transition to high school. More specifically, the researcher wanted to learn if teachers of only ninth graders believed that a separate facility eased the transition to high school. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2004. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration.

The transition to high school is a critical juncture of a student's educational career. The type of ninth grade transition program a high school has in place can be a deciding factor regarding whether students 'make it or break it' during their first year and, ultimately, have success throughout all of high school. Currently, resources are available about different aspects of the ninth grade transition, but nothing provides principals with a research-based and practitioner-endorsed comprehensive approach to designing and implementing a ninth grade transition program. A comprehensive approach starts with proper goals and objectives, includes essential specific components and ingredients needed in a ninth grade transition program, and requires data or measures to judge the effectiveness of the program. Therefore, a Delphi study was undertaken to answer the following research question: What should be the goals/objectives of a comprehensive ninth grade transition program (i.e., academic success alone or are there other things that also are important)? The secondary questions focused on the components or ingredients that are essential and how to evaluate the success of a ninth grade transition program. This Delphi study included three rounds during which data were gathered from a 20-member panel of experts that included both national leaders and education practitioners. The panel produced 21 consensus items on goals/objectives of a ninth grade transition program, 10 consensus items on essential components of a ninth grade transition program, and 15 consensus items on the data/measures to evaluate the success of a ninth grade transition program. Results indicated that transition programs need to address both academic and social/emotional needs of students. The data provided evidence that principals need to take great care in teacher quality, instructional practices, and a systematic approach to monitoring the performance of ninth grade students as well as ensuring students make a positive connection with an adult in the school. / Ed. D.

This study examined the effect of a freshmen transition program on student success. Success was measured by achievement in test scores and grades, retention, attendance, and discipline. This study also examined the differential effects of student outcomes by student characteristics to include, sex, race, previous middle school, economic status, disability status, and proficiency in English. There were no significant differences between participant and control groups in the bivariate analysis. There were limited findings when considering students characteristics. There were main effects on Earth Science and World Geography test scores when previous middle school was held as a constant, and there was a main effect on the Earth Science test when disability status was held as a constant. There were two interaction effects. One of these was a negative effect in which males in the participant group actually scored worse on the Algebra I SOL score than did males in the control group. The other interaction effect was that black students in the participant group had fewer disciplinary incidents than did black students in the control group.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

No description available.

Concerns over the academic success of first-time ninth-grade students transitioning into the high school setting continue to stimulate substantial interest in identifying the various factors that cause the ninth-grade bottleneck.  Extensive research shows that when ninth-grade students transition into the high school setting, students have a difficult time navigating the more academically rigorous, less nurturing, usually larger and anonymous high school setting.  Studies have shown that transition practices to help ninth-grade students are successful in making this transition smoother and more successful for incoming freshmen, thereby leading to more credits and a stronger chance for students to earn a diploma. This dissertation is a replication of a previous Virginia Tech study completed by Henry Johnson titled High School Transition Practices for Ninth Graders: A Descriptive Study of Maryland Public High Schools, but it focuses on public schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The primary data collection method was a survey that was sent to all Virginia principals.  First, results from the survey were analyzed to develop a description of the various transition practices existing in Virginia\'s public high schools in relation to school size, demographics, and community type.  Second, the survey data were analyzed to determine the various perceptions of school officials concerning the effectiveness of reported transition practices.  The data provide a description of the transition practices in Virginia's public schools.  Results from this study give administrators and policymakers an idea of what type of transition practices exist in the various public schools in Virginia as well as the perceived effectiveness of the practices in place. / Ed. D.

This paper is a comparative study of the effectiveness of two methods of teaching a structured introductory art appreciation course for ninth grade students.

This problem involved a study of relationships between vocational preferences and certain selected variables of ninth grade students in a junior high school in a large city school district. The selected variables were intelligence, socio-economic status or parental occupational level, school achievement, participation in school activities, only or non-only child status, parental vocational aspirations for the child, educational level of parent or guardian, and family cohesiveness.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 1973. / Title from title page screen, viewed Oct. 13, 2004. Dissertation Committee: Richard A. Salome (chair), Max Rennels, Jack Hobbs, Macon Williams. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-73) and abstract. Also available in print.