A study to determine the current level of implementation of eighteen selected critical attributes of middle schools in the United States

• Main Author: Nesper, David
• Other Authors: Riegle, Jack D.
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Education > United States.; Middle schools > United States.; Educational surveys > United States.
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/179040; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/250928

The growth of the middle school movement has been rapid. During the first two decades of middle school growth, 1960-1980, experts in the field of middle school education began to identify the guiding principles which appeared best able to meet the special needs of middle school age youngsters. The purpose of the study was to determine the level of implementation of eighteen guiding principles, or critical attributes, of middle school programs as currently manifested in middle schools in the United States.A review of literature and related research encompassed a history of the junior high and middle school, characteristics of transescent youth, pertinent literature of the 1970-1980 decade and an examination of related similar studies. Findings from the review confirmed that the eighteen critical attributes advocated in the 1960-1970 period were still advocated during the 1970-1980 period by the leading advocates in the field of middle school education.A survey instrument containing 62 items was used to determine the level of implementation of each of the eighteen critical attributes. Numerical values were assigned to every possible answer for each item in the survey instrument. The instrument was sent to 250 randomly selected administrators of three and four year middle schools. The instrument was also administered to 15 randomly selected representatives of middle schools at the National Middle School Association Annual Convention, One hundred nineteen usable responses were obtained.The findings indicate that tae overall level Of implementation of the eighteen critical attributes nationally was 53.48 per cent. The data produced a finding that the attribute currently being used least was in the area of flexible scheduling. Reported in high use were social and physical experiences, student services and use of multi-materials in teaching.In comparison to levels of implementations found in identical studies at the state level, the use of auxiliary staffing and team teaching were markedly higher than in any of the states. Most of the attributes were reported to have increased from surveys in the states. No new major critical attributes were found to be advocated in the review of the literature from 1970-1980 andnone of the eighteen attributes used in the study were criticized as being either obsolete or poor.Conclusions drawn from the data gathered in the study show that twenty years of expert advocacy of the eighteen critical attributes have not produced a high level of implementation of the attributes in middle schools. The literature of the 1970-1980 decade supports and continues to advocate the founding principles of the middle school movement without major changes in the attributes. Use of team teaching, one of the eighteen attributes most advocated in the literature, is the most rapidly increasing attribute. Other conclusions were that middle school practices nationally did not differ significantly from practices in states which were individually surveyed, and that the eighteen critical attributes of middle schools do not significantly differ from the proposed attributes of the junior high school as proposed early in the twentieth century.Recommendations for further study included research to determine the actual effectiveness of the eighteen attributes, surveys of junior high schools to compare junior high school practices and middle school practices regarding the eighteen attributes, and surveys to determine why middle school attributes are or are not adopted.