Purpose . The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the perceptions of teachers concerning the desirability and effectiveness of selected alternatives to social promotion and grade retention, (b) the perceptions of elementary school principals toward selected alternatives to social promotion and grade retention, and (c) compare the differences and similarities of perceptions of teachers and elementary school principals toward selected alternatives to social promotion and grade retention. The rationale for this investigation was derived from empirical research demonstrating retention's negative impact on retained students. Procedure . The sample population in the study included 114 second and third grade teachers and 36 elementary school principals. The study determined and compared the effectiveness of alternatives to social promotion and grade retention as perceived by representative samples of second and third grade teachers and elementary school principals from Stockton Unified, Manteca Unified, Lincoln Unified and Lodi Unified School Districts of San Joaquin County, California. Data for the study were collected through mail survey, which contained 29 items. Participants in the study expressed their degrees of agreement or disagreement regarding each item by selecting the appropriate response on a four-point Likert-type scale. Data collected through the survey were statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) on a personal computer. Means, standard deviations, and rankings were computed for each survey item. A series of independent sample t tests were performed to determine if any significant differences existed between teachers' and school administrators' perceptions with regard to selected alternatives to retention. Findings . Principals and teachers strongly endorsed parental involvement, early identification and timely intervention, providing high-quality curriculum and instruction, high-quality professional development for teachers, and recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers as the best alternatives to social promotion and grade retention. Conclusions and recommendations . Schools need to identify at-risk children early and provide targeted intervention. Parental involvement in the education of their children is crucial. School Districts should also strive to hire, and retain well-trained teachers and equip every classroom with high-quality curriculum and rich learning environment.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of retention on the academic performance of students retained in the third and fifth grade during the 1985-86 school year. A follow up study was used to analyze changes in academic test results. Another purpose was to interview teachers who had retained students and teachers who had taught the children the next school year to determine what changes occurred in instructional practices. Forty retained students of Northeast Tennessee were matched according to sex and similar scaled scores on the Stanford Achievement Test. Scores were compared by grade and by year from 1986 through 1989. An interview guide was used to collect responses from teachers. Answers were categorized according to physical, social, academic, behavioral, emotional, programmatic and, instructional factors that were common to retained students. Findings indicated there were no statistically significant differences in test scores for students who had been retained, verses students who had been promoted two years after the retention occurred. Findings also indicated minimal programmatic interventions were conducted for students during the second year in the same grade. The primary factors teachers listed for causing students to be retained were lack of academic performance in the regular classroom and lack of listening and attention skills. Most teachers relied upon physical, social, and behavioral maturity to aid students in their academic success, rather than different instructional interventions.

The purpose of this study was to determine if teachers and administrators hold differing beliefs about grade retention. School districts in Northeast Tennessee participated in this study. Participants in eight school districts took an online survey designed to collect data on beliefs about grade retention. The survey consisted of two sections. Section A inquired about beliefs about grade retention. Section B collected demographic information and also included an openended response question. Respondents were also asked to choose a factor that has the strongest influence on their belief. Responses from 205 surveys were analyzed and informed the results of this study. A quantitative study was conducted to determine if significant differences about grade retention existed between teachers and principals. Overall belief scores were measured to determine if teachers and administrators favor grade retention as an effective intervention strategy. Independent variables in this study included: type of system, grade level, years of experience, and type of degree. Factors that had the strongest influence on beliefs about grade retention included: other people’s opinions, principal’s opinion, research, experience with a retained student, or other. Respondents choosing other were asked to explain their answer. 3 Findings from the study indicated that there is not a significant difference in beliefs about grade retention between teachers and administrators in a city school system versus a county school system. Additional analysis did not show significant differences in beliefs about grade retention between teachers in grades kindergarten through fourth grade (K-4) versus teachers in grades fifth through eighth (5-8). A teacher’s or administrator’s number of years of experience did not indicate significant differences in beliefs about grade retention. The type of degree held by teachers and administrators did reveal a significant difference in beliefs about grade retention between the two degree types (graduate or bachelor’s). Results from this test indicated that teachers with a graduate degree significantly favor retention over teachers who hold a bachelor’s degree. Additionally, an overall belief score for all respondents was calculated for significance. Overall belief scores showed that, in spite of the research showing retention as a negative practice, both teachers and principals are significantly in favor of grade retention as an effective intervention strategy.

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Reading is one of the primary goals of the early elementary grades. When students start to struggle with this complex skill, educators and parents search for solutions to rectify quickly mounting gaps before a child falls too far behind. In the State of Oklahoma, lawmakers have passed a law requiring mandatory 3rd grade retention for students who do not pass the state reading test. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of stakeholders who had experienced implementation of mandated student retention in early childhood. The study is informed by Bourdieu's cultural capital theory of social distinctions, Bloom's taxonomy theory, and Festinger's social comparison theory. Seventeen participants, including 2 parents, 8 teachers, and 7 administrators, took part in face-to-face interviews and focus groups to provide data on 3rd graders in 4 schools in an Oklahoma district. Responses from interviews and focus groups were audiorecorded, transcribed, and coded for themes. Nine themes emerged from data analysis. These themes reflected participants' concern for the potential damage to students' self-esteem, an increase in dropout rates, and that the 3rd grade is too late for retention. On the positive side, participants indicated mandatory retention permitted retention that had been previously refused, and provides time for maturity, as well as the opportunity for success for struggling students. However, study participants also opined that mandatory retention created new challenges for students, teachers, and schools. Findings guided the development of a policy recommendation to create social change within the participating district, empowering educators to help parents better understand this law and prepare their children for the 3rd grade assessment by outlining a plan for early identification and creating programs for struggling students.

This dissertation evaluates disparate impact of test-based retention (TBR) policy on historically disadvantaged student groups in the State of Texas, and determines school characteristics that statistically predict retention and may contribute to disparate impact. The research literature on TBR is limited, as most grade retention research precedes the increase in use of TBR policy across the United States. Based on descriptive analysis, there were considerable increases in retention rates for low-income, African American, Latino, and English Language Learner (ELL) children compared to their less-disadvantaged counterparts, after TBR was implemented. Using multiple regression analysis, schools with higher percentages of low-income students, ELL students, beginning teachers, and higher percentages of low-income students in their school district were found to have higher retention rates while schools with higher percentages of White students, White teachers, and Latino teachers were found to have lower retention rates. Additionally, school retention rates were found to vary according to accountability rating. / text

Malgré une diminution de sa prévalence au cours des dernières décennies, le décrochage scolaire demeure une problématique inquiétante et ses effets ont de lourdes conséquences au niveau de l’individu et de la société. Parmi les nombreux facteurs de risque identifiés par les recherches dans le domaine de l’éducation, le redoublement est l’un des prédicteurs les plus puissants du décrochage scolaire. L’engagement scolaire a quant à lui été à plusieurs reprises identifié comme étant une variable prometteuse dans la prévention et l’intervention de l’abandon des études. L’objectif de cette étude est de vérifier l’effet potentiellement médiateur de l’engagement scolaire sur le lien entre le redoublement et le décrochage scolaire chez une population d’adolescents québécois provenant de milieux défavorisés. Malgré que les résultats ne démontrent pas un effet médiateur, ils permettent d’affirmer la présence d’un effet additif de l’engagement de l’élève au redoublement scolaire dans la prédiction du décrochage scolaire. / In spite of a reduction in its prevalence during the last decades, school dropout remains worrying problems and its effects have heavy consequences on the level of the individual and the society. Among the many risk factors identified by research in the field of education, the grade retention is one of the most powerful predictors of school dropout. School engagement was on several occasions identified as being a promising variable in the prevention and the intervention of the abandonment of the studies. The objective of this study is to check the potentially mediating effect of school engagement on the link between the grade retention and school dropout at a population of Québécois teenagers coming from low socioeconomic status. Although the results do not show a mediating effect, they make it possible to affirm the presence of an additive effect of the engagement of student on grade retention in the prediction of school dropout.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Malgré une diminution de sa prévalence au cours des dernières décennies, le décrochage scolaire demeure une problématique inquiétante et ses effets ont de lourdes conséquences au niveau de l’individu et de la société. Parmi les nombreux facteurs de risque identifiés par les recherches dans le domaine de l’éducation, le redoublement est l’un des prédicteurs les plus puissants du décrochage scolaire. L’engagement scolaire a quant à lui été à plusieurs reprises identifié comme étant une variable prometteuse dans la prévention et l’intervention de l’abandon des études. L’objectif de cette étude est de vérifier l’effet potentiellement médiateur de l’engagement scolaire sur le lien entre le redoublement et le décrochage scolaire chez une population d’adolescents québécois provenant de milieux défavorisés. Malgré que les résultats ne démontrent pas un effet médiateur, ils permettent d’affirmer la présence d’un effet additif de l’engagement de l’élève au redoublement scolaire dans la prédiction du décrochage scolaire. / In spite of a reduction in its prevalence during the last decades, school dropout remains worrying problems and its effects have heavy consequences on the level of the individual and the society. Among the many risk factors identified by research in the field of education, the grade retention is one of the most powerful predictors of school dropout. School engagement was on several occasions identified as being a promising variable in the prevention and the intervention of the abandonment of the studies. The objective of this study is to check the potentially mediating effect of school engagement on the link between the grade retention and school dropout at a population of Québécois teenagers coming from low socioeconomic status. Although the results do not show a mediating effect, they make it possible to affirm the presence of an additive effect of the engagement of student on grade retention in the prediction of school dropout.