The purpose of this study was to determine whether the academic achievement of students moving from elementary to middle school could be predicted by certain easily identified variables (race, sex, academic aptitude, level of parent income, and parental educational level), or by differences in the type of facility (open or nonopen) in which they were housed. Were these relationships such that they might be used as predictors of academic achievement in making the elementary/middle school transition? / A random sample of 415 students from four of the six middle schools in the Leon County, Florida School District was drawn from the seventh grade middle school population during the 1979-80 school year. / Achievement as shown by the fifth and seventh grades scale scores on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills in reading, language, and mathematics, was entered as the dependent variables into a stepwise multiple regression analysis to determine which independent variables (race, sex, academic aptitude, level of parent income, and parental educational level) had significant relationships with student achievement. A chi-square analysis was used to determine whether there were significant differences in the sample distribution in each learning environment: from open elementary facilities to open middle school facilities (O-O); from open elementary facilities to closed middle school facilities (O-C); from closed elementary facilities to closed middle school facilities (C-C); and from closed elementary facilities to open middle school facilities (O-C). / The significant findings in this study were the following: (1) There were no significant differences in the sample of each learning environment based on race, sex, and academic aptitude. (2) There were significant differences in the sample in the learning environments based on income and parental educational levels. The open schools had lower income and lower parental educational levels. (3) Academic Aptitude showed a positive relationship with student achievement in reading, language, and mathematics. (4) Level of parental education showed a positive relationship with student achievement in mathematics. (5) Coming from open elementary facilities and going to open middle school facilities showed a negative relationship with language achievement for male students. (6) A negative relationship between sex and achievement in mathematics was found for all male students. (7) Coming from open elementary facilities and going to closed middle school facilities showed a negative relationship with language achievement. (8) Coming from open elementary facilities and going to open middle school facilities and academic aptitude showed a negative relationship with mathematics achievement. (9) White students in the income bracket between $5,000-$7,500 showed a positive relationship between race and language achievement. / Major findings did not always support previous findings reported in the literature related to race and socioeconomic differences in achievement. Students in the lower socioeconomic levels had received intensive remedial instruction in reading, language, and mathematics in this district for two years which might have a positive effect on achievement of traditional educationally disadvantaged students. Students, therefore, did not show negative relationships in academic achievement related to race and socioeconomic status. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-11, Section: A, page: 4672. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74339 |
| Contributors | BEASLEY, NICKIE N., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 116 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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