WV

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEGREE OF
UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL
CHARACTERISTICS OF PRE-AND EARLY ADOLESCENTS
BY JUNIOR HIGH AND MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS

Dissertation for the Degree of Ph. D.
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
NICHOLAS C. TTMMER
1977

 

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LIBRARY

 

III/IIII/IlIIjIl/IIII/SI ’q I;
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This is to certify that the

thesis entitled

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEGREE OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE
DEVELOPMENTAL CHARACTERISTICSOF PRE- AND EARLY
ADOLESCENTS BY JUNIOR HIGH AND
MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS

presented by

Nicholas C. Timmer

has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for

Ph.D. Admin. & H.E.

 

 

 

degree in

  

 

I

A: pro essor

 

0-7639

ABSTRACT

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEGREE OF UNDERSTANDING
OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PRE-
AND EARLY ADOLESCENTS BY JUNIOR HIGH
AND MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS

By

Nicholas C. Timmer

This study was designed to assess the amount of under-
standing that teachers, presently working in our junior high
schools and middle schools, have about the developmental character-
istics of pre- and early adolescents. If middle schools seek to
meet the needs of the students they serve, then teachers should
have some knowledge of their students' developmental patterns.

A questionnaire was developed which assessed teacher under-
standings of pre- and early adolescent physical, intellectual,
social, and emotional developmental characteristics. The instru-
ment was administered to 161 middle school and junior high school
teachers during the spring of l976. }

In order to gain some insight into middle school theory
versus practice, comparisons of mean scores were made between
those teaching in junior high schools and those teaching in middle
schools. Some degree of understanding of student developmental
characteristics was assumed, and it was important to determine how

this understanding was acquired. Therefore three other comparisons

Nicholas C. Timmer

were made. Experienced teachers were compared with inexperi-
enced; secondary certified teachers were compared with those who
were not secondary certified; and teachers who desired to work with
pre- and early adolescents were compared to those who preferred
working with another age group.

Mean scores were obtained for each teacher group on each
subscale of student characteristics: physical, intellectual,
social, and emotional. Analysis of variance statistical proce-
dures were then used to test the four hypotheses. The alpha level
for determining significance was set at .05. The data were
processed by computer at Michigan State University. Based upon
the data, the research hypotheses were either accepted or rejected.

While the results are by no means conclusive, an analysis
of the main effects does seem to project a slightly favorable trend
toward middle schools and toward teachers who choose to work with
10 to 14 year old students. No significant differences were found
when the independent variables of experience and teaching certifi-
cate were analyzed.

Interaction effects among the independent variables of
school type, experience, certification, and commitment were also
examined.

When the interaction of school type and teaching certifi-
cate was subjected to analysis of variance, significance at the
.05 level was found on the variables of emotional and social char-
acteristics. Significance was also found on the variable of

emotional characteristics when the interaction of teaching certificate

Nicholas C. Timmer

and commitment was analyzed. The only significant interaction
involved the independent variable of teaching certificate, but in
every case the interaction was disordinal. For example, junior
high teachers who held certificates other than secondary (K-lZ or
elementary) had a higher degree of understanding than middle
school teachers with similar certification. But middle school
teachers who hold secondary certificates demonstrated a higher
degree of understanding of developmental characteristics than
secondary certified junior high teachers. These data indicate
that certification is a factor in understanding student char-
acteristics, but conclusions are difficult to state without
further investigation.

Middle school advocates point to an understanding of pre-
and early adolescent developmental characteristics as being an
important competency for teachers of this age group. The fact
that this study did not conclusively demonstrate that this compe-
tency is present among certain teacher groups to a higher degree
than in others does not diminish the importance of knowing as much
about youngsters' growth characteristics as possible. Further

investigation into teacher competencies in this area is recommended.

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEGREE OF UNDERSTANDING
OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PRE-
AND EARLY ADOLESCENTS BY JUNIOR HIGH
AND MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS

By

Nicholas C. Timmer

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Department of Administration and Higher Education

1977

To Jackie, Nick, Amy and Mandy, whose sacrifices
toward achieving this goal were much greater than

my own.

ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful to each person who so willingly gave his
time and talents to assist me in the completion of this study.

I will forever value the guidance and support of Dr. Louis
Romano, my chairman, my teammate, my friend.

Thanks, also, to Dr. Donald Nickerson and Dr. Walter Scott,
whose comments and suggestions were especially helpful and greatly
appreciated.

My deep appreciation to Mother and Dad, whose happy home
and loving encouragement inspired all their sons to high profes-
sional achievement.

And a very special thanks to Mr. Brad Haines and the staff
of Marshall Middle School. Their positive attitude, professional-
ism, and dedication to kids was not only the inspiration for this
study, but also a source of comfort in knowing that the "ship was

in good hands" during my frequent absences.

iii

I.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
LIST OF TABLES ........................ vi
Chapter
I. THE PROBLEM ..................... I
Introduction .................... l
Purpose of the Study ................ 3
Need for the Study ................. 3
Importance to Education ...... . ....... 6
Definition of Terms ................ 8
Assumptions of Delimitations of the Study ..... 10
Review of Related Literature ............ ll
Hypotheses ..................... ll
Procedures for the Analysis of Data ........ ll
Overview ...................... l3
II. REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE ........... l5
The Middle School Movement ............. l6
The Early Adolescent ................ 20
The Middle School Teacher ............. 26
Review of Related Studies ............. 30
Summary ...................... 34
III. DESIGN OF THE STUDY ................. 36
Introduction .................... 36
Source of the Data ................. 37
Instrument ..................... 38
Procedures ..................... 4O
Hypotheses ..................... 4l
Interaction .................... 43
Analysis of Data .................. 43
Summary ...................... 43
IV. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA ................. 46
Introduction .................... 46
Procedure ..................... 47
Presentation of Data ................ 48

iv

Chapter Page

Hypothesis l .................... 50
Hypothesis 2 .................... 52
Hypothesis 3 .................... 53
Hypothesis 4 .................... 54
Interaction Effects ................ 55

Data on School Type and Teaching Certificate . . . . 55

Data on School Type and Commitment ......... 58

Data on Teaching Certificate and Commitment . . . . 59
Summary ...................... 60

V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ............... 64
Summary ...................... 64
Procedure ..................... 66
Findings ...................... 67
Findings on Interaction Effects .......... 69
Conclusions .................... 69
Recommendations for Further Study ......... 74
Reflections .................... 75
APPENDICES .......................... 77

A. DIRECTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE PERSONAL DATA FORM
AND FOR ADMINISTERING THE TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE . . 78

B. PERSONAL DATA FORM .................. 80
C. TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE ................ 82
D. CORRELATION MATRIX .................. 92
BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................... 93

LIST OF TABLES

The Number of Teachers Tested by Sex, Experience,

Certification, and Commitment ............

Mean Scores for the Total Sample by Teacher Category

Mean Scores for the Four Subtests of Physical,
Intellectual, Social, and Emotional Developmental

Characteristics . ..................

Analysis of Variance of Mean Scores of Middle School
Teachers and Junior High Teachers on the
Developmental Characteristics of Pre- and Early

Adolescents .....................

Analysis of Variance of Mean Scores of Experienced
Teachers and Inexperienced Teachers on the
Developmental Characteristics of Pre- and Early

Adolescent Children . . . . .............

Analysis of Variance of Mean Scores of Secondary
Certified Teachers and Non-secondary Certified
Teachers on the Developmental Characteristics of

Pre- and Early Adolescent Children .........

Analysis of Variance of Mean Scores of Committed
Teachers and Non-committed Teachers on the
Physical, Intellectual, Social, and Emotional
Developmental Characteristics of Pre- and Early

Adolescent Children .................

Mean Scores of Interaction Effects for Physical,
Intellectual, Social, and Emotional Developmental

Categories .....................

Analysis of Variance of Mean Scores of School Type

and Teaching Certificate ..............

Analysis of Variance of Mean Scores of School Type

and Commitment ...................

vi

Page

44
49

50

51

52

53

54

56

57

58

Table Page

4.10 Analysis of Variance of Mean Scores of Teaching
Certificate and Teacher Commitment . . . . . . . . . 59

4.ll Summary of Significant F Ratios for Main Comparisons
and Interaction Effects by Developmental Category . . 63

Dl Correlation Matrix .................. 93

vii

CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM

Introduction
The transition from junior high schools to middle schools
has become a popular national trend. Raymer found in a l974 study
that l,096 educational organizations in the United States are

I This is in contrast to a T966 study by

2

'called middle schools.
Cuff that identified 499 middle schools nationwide.
Leading middle school advocates, such as Alexander, Bondi,
Eichhorn, Romano, Popper, and Grooms, have long claimed that the
junior high with its 7-9 grade organization has outlived its use-
fulness. The middle school, claim its advocates, with its flexible
schedule and individualized instruction, is better equipped to
meet the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs of
its students than the junior high with its academic departmental-
ization, competitive athletics, and sophisticated social activities.
Joseph Bondi noted:

The name "junior" has become all too descriptive of an
activity program (including interscholastic sports), a

 

1Joe T. Raymer, "A Study to Identify Middle Schools and to
Determine the Current Level of Implementation of Eighteen Basic
Middle School Characteristics in Selected United States and Michigan
Midd;e Schools" (Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University,
974 .

2Nilliam A. Cuff, "Middle Schools on the March," NASSP
Bulletin 5l (February 1967): 83.

departmentalized schedule, and a social system that imi-
tates that of the senior high school.

Even though researchers such as Gatewood and Harris have
found little difference in practice between a good junior high and
a good middle school,4 middle school advocates claim that there
should be a difference, because middle school programs should
originate from the developmental characteristics of emerging ado-
lescents. The works of Mead,5 Gesell,6 and other observers of
child growth and development leave little doubt that there are
identifiable growth characteristics of human development between
childhood and adolescence. It is a knowledge of these character-
istics, then, that should be present among the staff of a middle
school organization if it is to provide a program based upon the
needs of the students it serves.

Logically, if middle school teachers are ignorant regard-
ing the basic developmental needs of the students they serve, it
would follow that middle schools are not achieving, and indeed
cannot achieve, the high purpose intended for them by their leading
advocates. William Alexander in his book The Emergent Middle School

states:

 

3Joseph Bondi, Developing Middle Schools: A Guidebook (New
York: MMS Information Corporation, 1972), p. 9.

4Heather Sielor Doob, Summary of Research on Middle Schools
(Carlington, Virginia: Educational Research Service, Inc., 1975),
pp. 24-27.

5Margaret Mead, "Early Adolescence in the United States,"
NASSP Bulletin 49 (April 1965): 5-10.

6Arnold Gesell, Frances L. 119, and Louise Ames, Youth: The
Years from Ten to Sixteen (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1956).

 

 

The nature of the middle school student is, in reality,
what differentiates teaching in the middle school from
teaching at any other level of the school organizational
ladder.

and:
A truly effective school program must be based on a
knowledge about the learner who is to be served by the
school.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to compare the degree to which
selected groups of middle school and junior high teachers under-

stand the developmental characteristics of pre- and early adoles-

cents.

Need for the Study

10 ll

and Elie in separate research all

Dilg,9 Nevins,
hypothesized that the middle school in concept and practice was

better able to meet the developing characteristics of the pre- and

 

7William 3. Alexander et al., The Emergent Middle School
(New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1968), p. 83.

8Ibid., p. 123.

9Charles Aaron Dilg, "The Middle School as a Curricular
Improvement for Educating Emerging Adolescents--A Descriptive Study"
(Ph.D. dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo, T970).

10James B. Nevins, "A Comparative Evaluation of the Curric-
ulum in an Innovative and a Traditional Junior High School Based
Upon Certain Characteristics of Student Educational and Personal
Development" (Ph.D. dissertation, Texas Tech. University, 1970).

nMarie-Therese Elie, "A Comparative Study of Middle School
and Junior High School Students in Terms of Socio-Emotional
Problems, Self-Concept of Ability to Learn, Creative Thinking
Ability, and Physical Fitness and Health" (Ph.D. dissertation,
Michigan State University, l970).

early adolescent than the traditional junior high. A review of
middle school literature also indicates that the distinctive
feature of a middle school program is that it is founded within
the theoretical framework of human growth and development.

If this theoretical base is in fact as important as the
advocates claim, then a study should find evidence of a knowledge
of these developmental factors present among the professionals
serving these children. It also follows that a knowledge of these
factors should be in evidence to a higher degree among middle
school teachers than among junior high teachers.

Given the relatively rare middle school/junior high
teacher training programs in our colleges and universities, a
study by Hedberg indicates that the more elementary certified
teacher is significantly less custodial than the secondary certi-
fied teacher. Therefore, he concludes the more humanistic-
oriented middle school would do well to have a good number of

12

elementary certified teachers on its staff. Lounsbury and Vars

refer to the child-centered elementary certified teacher and the

13 The implication

subject-centered secondary certified teacher.
being that the child-oriented teacher better understands, and

therefore teaches to the needs of the child. Do elementary

 

12James Douglas Hedberg, "Pupil Control Ideology of Middle
School Teachers and Its Relationship to Student Alienation and to
Selected Organizational and Teacher Variables" (Ph.D. disserta-
tion, Michigan State University, 1973).

13John H. Lounsbury and Gordon F. Vars, "The Middle School:
Fresh Start or New Delusion?" The National Elementary Principal 51
(November 1971): 18.

certificated graduates have a higher degree of understanding of
the developmental characteristics of the pre- and early adolescent
learner?

It must be assumed that a study will find evidence of a
knowledge of developmental characteristics to a significant degree
among some segments of the sample population. It is important to
determine if this knowledge is primarily acquired through experi-
ence or through some other learning method.

A survey done by Melbourne taken from a sample of present
junior high/middle school teachers indicated that very few had
junior high/middle school teaching as a career choice, that few
did their student teaching in a junior high/middle school, and

14 Does this lack

that few ever anticipated teaching at this level.
of commitment still exist in our middle schools? If so, does

this have any effect on understanding the characteristics of these
pre- and early adolescents?

Because of the claims of middle school advocates, a study
is needed to compare the degree to which middle school and junior
high school teachers understand the developmental characteristics
of pre- and early adolescents. It is also important to assess the
degree to which other factors such as experience, certification,

and commitment have on the acquisition of knowledge relating to

these developmental factors.

 

14Richard Sheehan Melbourne, "Junior High School Teachers'
Evaluation of Pre-Service Preparation" (Ph.D. dissertation,
St. Louis University, 1969).

Importance to Education

 

Without exception, the writings of middle school advo-
cates stress the importance of schools founded on the principles
of child growth and development. In addition, research conducted

15 16 17 18 found that an

by Frost, Underwood, Hubert, and Helder
understanding of the deve10pmenta1 characteristics of pre- and
early adolescents is an essential trait for teachers of middle
school students. Jerry Rottier, chairman of the Division of
Education at Findlay College, in a recent article outlining his
institution's new teacher preparation program stated:

The complexity of the transescent demands that teachers

of these youngsters possess the basic knowledge and under-

standing of the social, emotional, physical, and intellec-

tual factors that affect them.19
Surprisingly, then, a review of research failed to locate any
studies directed toward determining the degree to which a knowledge

of these factors is present among teachers currently working in

 

15Ernest R. Frost, "A Proposed Model for the Training of
Intermediate Level School Teachers" (Ph.D. dissertation, Ohio
University, 1975).

16Barbara Ann Underwood, "A Comparison of Perceived Concerns
of Beginning and Experienced Junior High School and Middle School
Teachers" (Ph.D. dissertation, Indiana University, 1974).

17James Burress Hubert, "A Survey of the Recommendations
of Selected Teachers for the Preparation of Teachers for Junior
High and Middle Schools" (Ph.D. dissertation, University of New
Mexico, 1972).

18William James Helder, "An Evaluation of the Preparation
of Junior High School Teachers at Michigan State University"
(Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1971).

19Jerry Rottier, "Preparing Teachers to Make a Difference--
for Transescents," Middle School Journal 7 (March 1976): 13.

our middle and junior high schools. Nor does a review find any
studies which indicate that this knowledge makes any difference in
the implementation of middle school concepts.

Therefore, this investigation will have the following
implications:

1. This study will determine whether the factor of
understanding the developmental characteristics of pre- and early
adolescents is presented to a higher degree among middle school
teachers than among junior high teachers. This would lend sub-
stance to the claim by middle school advocates that middle school
teachers better understand the needs of their students.

2. By investigating the variable of teacher experience,
this study will indicate whether this understanding of develop-
mental characteristics is present to a higher degree among experi-
enced teachers. This may indicate a learned-on-the-job factor
which will have implications for in-service training, particularly
for beginning teachers.

3. This study will indicate whether non-secondary or
secondary trained teachers have a higher degree of understanding
of developmental characteristics, thus having implications for
teacher training and placement.

4. This study will determine whether those who choose to
work with this age group have a higher degree of understanding of
developmental characteristics, and therefore indicate the validity

of a commitment to middle school/junior high teaching.

5. This study will determine the importance of the
presence of this understanding to middle school implementation.

If there are good middle schools with a substantial number of
teachers who do not understand developmental characteristics, or
if this factor is present to the same degree in junior high
schools as it is in middle schools, then perhaps the factor is not
as important as the advocates indicate. Therefore, its importance
to middle school concept implementation is not significant.

6. This study will indicate the need for more pre- and
in-service training for teachers, if understanding is present to
a low degree.

7. The instrument developed for this study, if reliable,
could be used by school administrators to determine whether
teachers understand these deve10pmenta1 characteristics of stu-
dents, thus being significant for use in the selection of teachers

for the middle school.

Definition of Terms

Middle school: A middle school is an educational organi-

 

zation with grades 5-8 or 6-8 with the expressed purpose of pro—
viding an educatibnal program based upon the developmental char-
acteristics of the children it serves.

Junior high school: A junior high is an educational organi-

 

zation with grades 7-9 whose program reflects many of the char-
acteristics found in the senior high school, and therefore not
specifically geared to meeting the needs of pre- and early

adolescents.

Developmental characteristics of pre- and early adolescents:
The developmental characteristics of pre- and early adolescents
refer to the distinct physical, emotional, social, and intellectual
characteristics of 10 to 14 year olds as identified by leading
physiologists.

Pre-adolescent: A pre-adolescent is a child whose develop-

 

mental characteristics indicate that he is between childhood and
early adolescence, usually about 10 to 12 years of age.

Early adolescent: An early adolescent is a child whose

 

developmental characteristics indicate that he is about to enter the
adolescent stage of human develOpment, usually 12 to 14 years of age.

Transescent: A transescent is a child whose developmental

 

characteristics indicate that he is between the stages of childhood
and adolescence, usually 10 to 14 years of age.

Pre-service training of teachers: Pre-service training

 

refers to the training that a prospective teacher receives before
entering the profession.

In-service training of teachers: In-service training is

 

the training that a teacher receives while working as a member of
the teaching profession.

Experienced teacher: An experienced teacher is one who has

 

taught for more than two years.

Inexperienced teacher: An inexperienced teacher is one who

 

has taught for less than two years.

Non-secondary certified teacher: A teacher holding either

 

a provisional or permanent certificate which certifies him to teach

10

all subjects in grades K-8 or which certifies him to teach in a
specialized area K-12.

Secondary certified teacher: A teacher holding a provisional

 

or permanent certificate which certifies him to teach in specific
areas in grades 7-12.

Committed teachers: A committed teacher is one who makes a

 

positive response to the question, "If given a choice would you
prefer to continue working with this age group?"

Non-committed teacher: A non-committed teacher is one who

 

makes a negative response to the question, "If given a choice would

you prefer to continue working with this age group?"

Assumptions of Delimitations of the Study

The validity of this study is affected by the following

factors:

1. The reliability and validity of the survey instrument.

2. The study assumes that the responses given on the
questionnaire are valid perceptions of the teacher's
own understandings.

3. The study concentrates on one area of middle school/
junior high teacher competency. Many other factors
contribute to the successful implementation of middle
school concepts.

4. The difficulty in defining what constitutes a good

middle school and a good junior high school.

11

Review of Related Literature

A review of the literature will include:

I.

The Sample

 

Studies relating to the developmental characteristics

of pre- and early adolescents.

Studies of middle school and junior high school theoreti-
cal foundations.

Studies of the competencies needed for teachers of the
pre— and early adolescent.

Studies involving the use of a Likert-type question-

naire.

Hypotheses

 

Middle school teachers will have a significantly higher
degree of understanding of the developmental character-
istics of pre- and early adolescents than junior high
teachers.

Experienced teachers will have a significantly higher
degree of understanding of the deve10pmental char-
acteristics of pre- and early adolescents than inexperi-
enced teachers.

Non-secondary certificated teachers will have a sig-
nificantly higher degree of understanding of the
developmental characteristics of pre- and early ado-
lescents than secondary certificated teachers.

Teachers who choose to work with pre- and early adoles-
cents will have a significantly higher degree of under-
standing of the deve10pmental characteristics than
teachers who would prefer to be working with another
age group.

Procedures for the Analysis of Data

The sample for this study was three middle schools and

three junior high schools in Michigan whose programs typify

12

the concepts commonly associated with the two groups of

schools.

The Instrument

 

The survey instrument was developed by the researcher.
It is a Likert-type questionnaire which measures the degree of
understanding of the developmental characteristics of pre- and early
adolescents on the part of the junior high/middle school teachers.
The instrument was screened by a panel of experts and field tested

for reliability prior to its use in this study.

Administration of the Instrument

The researcher visited each school and administered the
surVey instrument to all teachers attending a faculty meeting called
by the principal for this purpose. This assured anonymity for the

participants and controlled for test reliability.

Treatment of the Data

The data were programmed and processed by the computer at
Michigan State University.

1. A four-way analysis of variance table was used to
determine the significance of difference between mean scores of
the junior high and middle school teachers, between committed and
non-committed teachers, between elementary certified and secondary
certified teachers, and between experienced and inexperienced

teachers.

13

2. Possible interaction effects among the four indepen-
dent variables were investigated by the analysis of variance
procedure.

3. The four-way ANOVA procedure was selected because of

the four independent variables identified in the study.

Overview

This research is an attempt to determine whether there are
differences among selected groups of teachers as to their under-
standing of the physical, intellectual, social, and emotional
developmental characteristics of pre- and early adolescent children.
The study is limited to selected junior high schools and middle
schools in Michigan.

Chapter 11 contains a review of literature related to the
middle school movement and its theoretical foundations. The char-
acteristics of both middle school teachers and students are dis-
cussed. A review of research relative to the developmental
characteristics of pre- and early adolescents is also presented.

The research design is described in Chapter III. The
composition of the sample and the instrument used to gather data
along with the procedures used to analyze data are also discussed
in this chapter.

Detailed hypotheses of the study and an analysis of the
data are presented in Chapter IV. Tables describing the data and
the statistics employed to determine the acceptance or rejection

of the research hypotheses are shown.

14

A summary of the study with the significant findings is
presented in Chapter V. Conclusions, implications, and suggestions

for further study are included in this chapter.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE

A discussion of literature has been undertaken to empha-
size the concept that the middle school is a school founded on the
principle of meeting the needs of youngsters ages 10 to 14. Lit-
erature was reviewed and summarized in this chapter for the follow-
ing reasons:

1. To show that the middle school evolved out of a desire
to implement a school program based upon the develOp-
mental characteristics of pre- and early adolescence.

2. To demonstrate that students between the ages of 10 and
14 have unique growth characteristics, and therefore
are themselves unique.

3. To point out the woeful lack of training and commitment
on the part of teachers working with this age group.

4. To summarize studies which involve the growth character-
istics of early adolescents and demonstrate that a
knowledge of these characteristics is a desirable trait
for teachers to have.

Therefore this chapter has four sections: the middle school

movement, the early adolescent, the middle school teacher, and

studies related to deve10pmental characteristics of early adolescents.

15

16

The Middle School Movement

 

The middle school movement began in the early 1960's when
pioneer schools in several midwestern states emerged. Although
many advocates claim that this movement is a new concept, there are
strong indications that middle schools are rededicating themselves
to the principles on which the 7-9 junior high schools were founded
some 60 years ago. Bossing and Cramer summarized seven purposes of
the junior high school. This summary was taken from their review
of early junior high literature.

They noted that junior high schools should:

1. Provide a gradual transition from the elementary school to
the secondary school.

Exercise a holding power function and reduce drop out
during this period.

Help youth understand the nature of the society of which
they are a part.

Provide an exploration period for youth to discover and
understand their capacities,’interests, and aptitudes.
Assist pupils to make the fullest adjustments possible for
self-realization and service to society.

Provide vocational career preparation.

Recognize the uniqueness oflthis school to provide for the
needs of early adolescence.

NO} 01 45 (.0 N
c o o o o 0

These purposes are very similar to those espoused by middle
school advocates as this review will demonstrate. Why, then, the
substantial movement away from the junior high concept over the
last 10 years? The answer to this question seems to lie in the
concept of rededication. Alexander states, "In our judgement,
today's interest in a new middle school stems in part from dissat-

isfaction with what the junior high has become, not with the

 

1Nelson L. Bossing and Roscoe V. Cramer, The Junior High
School (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1965), p. 35.

17

original conception of function."2 Thus, dissatisfaction with the
American junior high seems to emanate from a sense of lost purpose.
Junior high schools were not achieving what their advocates said
that they should be achieving relative to their stated purposes.
The reasons for this lost purpose seem to focus in the

word "junior." Literature indicates that over the years the junior
high gradually assumed the character of the senior high. It could
never establish itself as anything more than a step-child of the
high school. Although blessed with a distinct and unique philosophy,
rationale, and student population, it never did establish distinct
and unique programs. It lacked its own identity and floundered,
for several reasons, one of which is pointed out by John R. Dettre.
He writes:

It [the junior high] failed to achieve its announced goals

not because it lacked right on its side; rather it failed

in part because the overall mentality of those in education

was such that they were not capable of intellectually and

psychologically capitalizing on the emergence of a "third

force" and moving to create for themselves 3 separate and

equal status with elementary and secondary.

The most important reason, however, seems to be the failure

of the junior high school to meet the needs of students. Several
factors such as social change, and the individual characteristics

of each student have not been taken into account when typical junior

high school programs have been implemented.

 

ZAlexander et al., op. cit., p. 4.

3John R. Dettre, "The Middle School, A Separate and Equal
Entity," The Clearing House 48 (September 1973): 20.

I8

Dissatisfaction with the junior high school has led to the
development of the middle school concept as an educational alter-
native. Basically this concept is an attempt to redefine the
functions of schools in the middle. In general, middle school
concepts are a composite of the 60-year-old rationale of the junior
high, new research into the nature of pre-adolescent learning
needs, and an awareness of the cultural forces which impact a
child of today.

Eicchorn notes that there are at least three factors present
in motivating educators to redefine the purposes of schools in the
middle:

1. There is a growing body of knowledge relating to the char-
acteristics of boys and girls in late childhood and early
adolescence that is causing a reaffirmation of the prin-
ciple of uniqueness espoused by early junior high leaders.
The fact that biological maturation is occurring at an
earlier age adds to its impact.

2. There are significant changes in our culture such as popu-
lation shifts, population mobility, the dream of racial
equality, deve10pments in transportation and communication,
and the forces involved in a deve10ping technology which are
prompting a reconsideration of school building as well as
organizational pattern.

3. There is a growing realization that schools in the middle
have become rigid and institutionalized. A variety of
deve10ping educational concepts such as continuous learner
programs, flexible schedules, nongrading, interdiscipline
curriculum, cooperative planning and teaching and affec-
tive programs, appear to succeed in a revised framework.

Upon what justification, then, are emergent middle schools
being conceived? Alexander and Kealy in a review of statements of

rationale of numerous middle schools suggest the following:

 

4Donald H. Eichhorn, "Middle School in the Making,"
Educational Leadership_31 (December 1973): 196.

 

19

1. To provide a program especially adapted to the wide range
of individual differences and Special needs of the "in-
between-ager."

2. To create a school ladder arrangement that promotes con-
tinuity of education from school entrance to exit.

3. To facilitate through a new organization, the introduc-
tion of needed innovations in curriculum and instruction.
It is interesting to note the similarity between this

summary of middle school justification and the summary of junior
high school purposes as stated earlier by Bossing and Cramer.
They are virtually the same!

For the purposes of this research, however, particular
attention must be focused upon the function of meeting the needs
of the pre- and early adolescent learner. Without exception, the
leading middle school advocates emphasize the creation of a learn-
ing program based upon the developmental needs of the pre- and
early adolescent. The statements of several are as follows:

Bondi: "Each school must consider the characteristics of
its students and develop an instructional program that will take
into consideration the unique needs of those students it serves."6

Romano and Georgiady: ". . . The middle school concept
will require the following important principles:

1. To recognize clearly the unique physical, emotional,

social, and psychological characteristics of children in
this age group.

 

5William M. Alexander and Ronald P. Kealy, "From Junior
High)School to Middle School," The High School Journal 52 (December
1969 : 152.

6

 

Bondi, op. cit., p. 18.

20

2. To utilize knowledge concerning characteristics of these
EHFIEHEH a; major criteria for deve10ping school programs
Eichhorn: "The emergence of the middle school . . .

promises to bring the needed focus to this Special period of growth
and development in a child's school life."8
Alexander: "These changes that occur during the period of
transition from childhood to adolescence should be reflected, we
believe, in a transitional school program. The program for the
'in-between-ager' should be developed with direct concern for his
characteristics."9
Curtis: "The middle school is a transitional school con-
cerned with the most appropriate program to cope with the personal

and educational developmental needs of emerging adolescence."10

The Early Adolescent
Literature on the development of the American middle
school strongly emphasizes the need for educational programs based
upon the unique characteristics of the emerging adolescent.
Leading middle school advocates claim that the junior high school

is failing to provide learning experiences that meet the needs of

 

7Louis G. Romano, Nicholas P. Georgiady and James E.
Heald, The Middle School (Chicago, Illinois: Nelson Hall Company,
1973), p. 466.

8James E. Hertling and Howard G. Getz, Education for the
Middle Years: Reading§(Glenview, Illinois: Scott Foresman and
Company, 1971), p. 102.

9

 

Alexander et a1., op. cit., p. 42.

10Thomas E. Curtis, "Preparing Teachers for Middle and
Junior High Schools," NASSP Bulletin 56 (May 1972): 61.

 

21

their students, primarily because the junior high has assumed

many of the practices more appropriate to what is commonly found
in high schools. Literature reviewed later in this chapter

points out that fact that there are few pre—service programs for
middle School teachers, and a lack of commitment on the part of
teachers and students in training to work with emerging adoles-
cents. This only perpetuates the notion that emerging adolescents
are being serviced by those who have little understanding of their
needs and who don't really care about working with them.

Strangely, even though the developmental period of early

adolescence is one of the most complex, schools, programs, and
professionals have not been geared to deal with this age group.
Bondi states, "At no time in the schooling of our children do we
find greater differences in the physical, social, emotional, and
intellectual development of youngsters than during the middle
years of 10 to 14 years of age."H

Romano notes that there is a definite lack of scientific

studies on the transition period of pre-adolescence. And,

. because of the lack of information, educators and
parents have not provided the necessary experiences to meet
the pre-adolescents' basic needs. This is especially
reflected in the junior high school organization where the
early adolescent is looked upon merely as a "junior" rather

than a? a transescent with definite and unique characteris-
tics.

 

HBondi, op. cit., p. 19.

12Romano, Georgiady, and Heald, op. cit., p. 91.

22

A thorough understanding, therefore, of this complex youngster,
particularly on the part of teachers, is essential if we are going
to meet his educational needs.

Who is this unique character? The character with the
unfamiliar names like "transescent," "emerging adolescent," and
"in-between-ager?" What are some of the developmental character-
istics that make him so complex?

Physically, as Thornburg notes, all youths, male and
female, will experience significant physical changes during the

13 Although the developmental sequence is

pre-puberty period.
essentially the same for all individuals regardless of sex, the
chronological age at which physical changes occur varies with the
individual. The main point for educators is that all changes
taken together make each individual unique, and therefore create
the need for a learning program which meets the needs of each
individual. Several examples of major physical changes which have
implications for learning programs follow.

Emerging adolescents:

l. Grow rapidly.14

2. Have poor posture and are awkward.15

3. Bones grow much faster than muscles.16

4. Energy production varies with changes in the thymus
and thyroid glands.17

 

13Herschel Thornburg, "Learning and Maturation in Middle
School Age Youth," The Clearing House 45 (November 1970): 152.

14

 

Romano, Georgiady, and Heald, op. cit., p. 187.

17

15Ihid., p. 191. Iélbid” p. 189. Ibid., p. 188.

23

5. Vision is altered.18

6. Sex organs begin assuming adult characteristics.19

7. Physical coordination is poor compared to other growth
periods.20

Mental development of emerging adolescents follows the same
patterns of unique individual characteristics as does physical
development. Eichorn notes that there are wide variations in the
rate of mental development among individuals.21 This period is
generally characterized as a period of intellectual awareness.
Studies indicate that the pre- and early adolescent's intellect
is no longer tied to the concrete and immediate, but enters a
period of logical and deductive reasoning. So even though indi-
viduals differ in their rate of mental development, certain char-
acteristics are common to this period.

Emerging adolescents:

1. Are into the period of critical thinking.

 

2. Can deal with cause and effect relationships.
3. Are interested in man's relationship to man.22
4. Need individual learning activities.23

18

Gesell, 119, and Ames, op. cit., p. 282.

19Romano, Georgiady, and Heald, op. cit., p. 188.

20mm, p. 176.

2IDorothy H. Eichorn, "Variations in Growth Rate,"
Childhood Education 44 (January 1968): 286.

22

 

Hertling and Getz, op. cit., pp. 71-72.

23Romano, Georgiady, and Heald, op. cit., p. 206.

24

5. Can test hypotheses.24

6. Move from the world of Eantasy and begin dealing with
the real and possible.2

7. Are intellectually curious.26

8. Can assume much responsibility for their own work.27

9. Can memorize facts.28
The emerging adolescent's social development is char-
acterized by a striving for independence from the family while
seeking closer relationships with peers. This change in social
emphases is often confusing to the 10 to 14 year old. This beha-
vioral change frequently results in erratic behavior, and has
implications in attempting to meet the needs of this group for
both parents and teachers. Bondi indicates that guidance in social
relationships is essential to the emerging adolescent:
During the middle school years the child will need guidance
in working with his peers within the classroom, with other
people outside the classroom, and in adjusting to the oppo-
site sex. As he grows more independent of his family, he
will need guidance in family adjustment.2
A good summary of several Specific social characteristics
of pre-adolescents is found in a booklet published by the Michigan

Association of School Boards. An emerging adolescent:

 

“Ibid., p. 180.
25

26
27
28

Alexander etIal., op. cit., p. 34.

Bondi, 0p. cit., p. 23.

Romano, Georgiady, and Heald, 0p. cit., p. 182.
Ibid.

29Bondi, op. cit., p. 21.

25

Needs to be a member of a peer group.

Seeks prestige rather than adult approval.

Respects good sportsmanship, but is highly competitive.
Develops an interest in a worthy self.

Wants a stable environment.

Possesses a keen sense of right and wrong.

Attempts to break away from the family, but is lost
without security.

Is noisy and restless. 30

Often doesn't follow responsibilities.

\Dm \IOSMDWN-H
o o o o o o o o 0

Perhaps the strangest set of developmental traits is found
in the emerging adolescent's emotional makeup. Wattenburg uses the
word "queer" to describe the behavior of the 10 to 14 year old.

He also notes, ". . . a skilled psychologist observing pre-
adolescent children for only a brief period often will not be sure
whether they are being 'normal' or are emotionally disturbed."31
Emotional traits are characterized by mood instability and the
intense desire on the part of these children to leave childhood
behind. Research by Gesell, Ilg, and Ames provides an insight
into specific emotional characteristics of children aged 10 to 14.
Emerging adolescents:

Have trouble controlling their emotions.

Have strong feelings about fairness.

Are very self-critical.

Appreciate humor and often have a strong sense of humor
themselves.

Experience extreme shifts of behavior between childish-

ness and SOphistication.
Are quick to show anger.

0‘ m boom—1
0 o o o o o

 

30The Middle School (East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan
Association of School Boards, 1965), p. 6.

3William W. Wattenberg, The Adolescent Years (New York:
Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1955), p. 66.

 

 

26

7. Experience dramatic Shifts in moods often for no apparent
reason.

8. Are very fearful and experience a wide variety of fears,
particularly of animals and the dark.

The growth period of pre-adolescence is identified by
change and difference. The meshing of dynamic physical, mental,
social, and emotional growth characteristics within each individual
makes for a very complex child. These complex children thus have
needs--Special needs-~which must be provided for both by the school
and home if we are to help these youngsters through this difficult
growth period. Bondi notes that certain needs seem to be basic to
the pre-adolescent child:

The need to be loved.

The need to be safe and free of threat.

The need to be part of a group with identification and
acceptance.

The need to be recognized.
The need to be independent.33

U'l-b wN-d

In order to meet these needs, teachers must have a basic
understanding of the developmental characteristics that make up

these unique individuals.

The Middle School Teacher
In light of what we now know about the pre-adolescent,
more and more educators and child psychologists are urging a school
program based upon the growth characteristics of this age group.
Middle schools have been established to provide programs to meet

these needs. While much attention and many resources have been

 

32
33

Gesell, Ilg, and Ames, op. cit., pp. 329-53.
Bondi, 0p. cit., p. 22.

27

given to the establishment of middle school facilities and programs,
a review of literature indicates a lack of resources devoted to
improving the quality of teachers for this age group.

It would not be an over-simplification to state that the
teacher is the key ingredient to the success of any school program.
Yet, as Vars notes: "The junior high after 60 years of existence I

"34

is still a school without teachers. Clark states:

Most junior high school teachers are prepared in college for
high school teaching; a smaller number have been prepared for
elementary schools. If this form of preparation has been
demonstrably inadequate for junior high school teaching, it
is certainly foolish to assume that middle schools can become
successful if they, too, depend on the same pool of teachers.35
Unfortunately, the situation doesn't seem to be improving.
In a survey done several years ago by Krinsky and Pumerantz, it
was revealed that only 23 percent of the 160 teacher-training
institutions had middle school teacher preparation programs.
Despite the growth of the middle school concept, this survey rep-
resented little change from a 1962 study. The researchers thus
concluded that teacher training in intermediate education is "static
and neglected."36
Just as unfortunate is the lack of commitment toward work-

ing with pre-adolescents often exhibited by students in education

 

34Romano, Georgiady, and Heald, op. cit., p. 480.

35Sanford Clark, "The Middle School--Specially Trained
Teachers Are Vital to Its Success," The Clearing House 46 (December
1971). p. 218.

36Judith L. Krinsky and Philip Pumerantz, "Middle School
Teacher Preparation Programs," The Journal of Teacher Education
23 (Winter 1972): 468.

 

28

and by teachers in the field. Students are not choosing middle
school preparation programs even when they are offered. Vars

suspects that the problem could be a lack of visibility for such

programs.37 However, without middle grade certification by state

agencies, students in education have only two choices when they
enter college--elementary and secondary. To many this means
elementary teaching or high school teaching.

Several basic conflicts over the direction of teacher
training programs for middle school teachers are advanced by
Gordon Vars, and therein may lie the reasons for the lack of
such programs. Vars found:

1. A lack of agreement on whether it is better to have
students interact with children or better to emphasize
the science of pedagogy.

2. A lack of agreement on what Should be stressed--more
subject area specialization or more methods courses?

3. A lack of agreement on whether middle school teachers
Should be specialists in one subject area or somewhat
familiar with several.

4. A lack of agreement On which should come first--special
teacher preparation programs or Special state certifica-
tion requirements.

5. A lack of agreement on where effort should be concen-
trated to get middle school teacher preparation programs
headed in the right direction. Should college educators
push harder to get programs established? Or should
hiring officials exert more pressure on college adminis-
trators and certification officials?38 ‘\

Many teachers presently working in our intermediate
schools are there simply because it is a job, and are waiting for
the opportunity to transfer to a high school or an elementary

school. For example, research done by Adeline Konsh among New

 

37Romano, Georgiady, and Heald, op. cit., p. 480.

381bid.. pp. 482-85.

29

York City English teachers reveals several reasons why teachers
requested transfers from the junior high to the senior high. She
found that:

1. Junior high teachers neither planned for nor prepared
for junior high teaching.

2. Their interests were basically subject-matter content
and their own intellectual interests.

3. Many factors, such as too many teaching periods, lack
of materials, and discipline problems, contributed to
their dissatisfaction.

7. Junior high teaching failed to provide prestige, a
rewarding emotional experience, and sufficient intel-

lectual challenge.39

While much literature on the subject of middle schooll

junior high teacher training, certification, and commitment is
quite pessimistic, it is still a fact that our intermediate schools
employ many fine teachers dedicated to this age group.

It is also a fact that new and exciting programs are

underway in several of our colleges and universities that focus
on training teachers for our middle schools. Gordon LawrenCe at
the University of Florida headed a state project which identified

30 measurable teacher competencies for middle school teachers.

 

39Adeline Konsh, "Teacher Turnover in New York City Junior
High Schools, Some Common Factors in the Backgrounds of English
Teachers Who Have Transferred From the Junior High School to the
Senior High School of New York City and Their Reactions to
Selected Junior High School Practices and Personnel" (Ph.D. disser-
tation, New York University, 1966).

30

These 30 competencies were subdivided into three sets: personal
qualities, understandings, and instructional skills. Teachers
trained in this competency-based program must demonstrate a com-
mitment to the education of transescents, and an understanding of
the physical, intellectual, and socio-emotional nature of the
pre-adolescent.40
A Similar competency-based program was recently launched
at Findlay College in Ohio. Jerry Rottier lists eight specific
program components for training teachers to work with middle
grade students. The first component is "To understand the social
emotional, physical, and intellectual deve10pment of the trans-
escent."4]
Even though programs such as these leave room for optimism,
the present lack of pre-service training, separate certification,
and commitment places a heavy strain on teacher selection proce-
dures and in-service programs within our present school organiza-
tions. Worse, the students served by uncommitted and untrained

teachers who don't know, like, or understand them are being

cheated. This is a tragedy in American education.

Review of Related Studies

 

A review of literature on the history, philosophy, defi-

nition, and function of middle schools substantiates the view that

 

40Gordon Lawrence, "Measuring Teacher Competencies for the
Midd;e School," The National Elementary Principal 51 (November
1971 : 62.

41

 

Rottier, op. cit., p. 13.

31

middle school programs must be founded upon the developmental
needs of early adolescence. It is essential that teachers as
facilitators of these programs have an understanding of these
students and their physical, social, intellectual, and emotional
growth patterns.

Even though there are very few teacher training insti-
tutions with middle school programs and even fewer states that
require middle school certification, middle school advocates,
administrators, and teachers emphasize the need for an under-
standing of the students served.

Surveys of professional people as to their recommendations
for junior high/middle school teacher competencies have Shown the
competency of understanding the growth characteristics of trans-
escents to be of very high priority. Although these studies are
limited in number, several are cited to emphasize this point.

Typical is a survey done among middle school and junior
high teachers in Indiana. James Stainbrook found that the teachers
surveyed ranked "a basic understanding of individual differences
in the social, emotional, mental and physical development of young
adolescents as a prerequisite to good teaching in our intermediate
schools."42

And similarly, Jerome Weiser, who surveyed teachers,

administrators, and teacher educators, found that there was

 

42James Stainbrook, "A Current and Comparative Analysis
of the Professional Preparation of Teachers in the Junior High
and Developing Middle Schools of Indiana" (Ph.D. dissertation,
Indiana University, 1970).

32

agreement by all surveyed that junior high teachers should know
the growth characteristics of middle-aged youngsters.43

Through the writings of middle school experts and prac-
titioners and the findings of several researchers, it can be
concluded that a viable competency for teachers of pre- and early
adolescents is an understanding of their growth characteristics.

A number of studies have been completed involving the
developmental characteristics of early adolescents. In general,
research of this nature has attempted to determine if middle
school program concepts were instrumental in meeting the growth
needs of students serviced.

John Fenlon in a 1975 study examined various middle school
practices, comparing them to the cognitive characteristics of pre-
and early adolescence. He found that most of the practices were
compatible with these particular needs of students.

In a 1970 dissertation, Charles Dilg attempted to determine
if the middle school differed from the junior high in attempts to

develop curricula based upon emerging adolescent needs. He

concluded that several practices of the middle school, particularly

 

43Jerome A. Weiser, "An Analysis of the Perceptions of
Selected Junior High School Teachers, Principals and Teacher
Educators in Regard to Desirable Outcomes for Junior High School
Teacher Education" (Ph.D. dissertation, Wayne State University,
1969 .

44John L. Fenlon, "An Examination and Development of
Recommendations for Implementing Selected Components of a Middle
School Instructional System Based Upon the Cognitive Character-
istics of Pre- and Early Adolescence" (Ph.D. dissertation, Univer-
sity of Denver, 1975).

33

its flexiblity, were better able to meet students' needs.45

Teachers' understandings of students were not involved in this
research.

John Vaughn analyzed research on the physical and intel-
lectual growth characteristics of 10 to 14 year olds. A survey
of several schools led to a conclusion that program changes were
necessary for education in the middle years because of changing
human growth patterns and cultural forces such as racial integra-
46

tion.

A Similar study was done by John Hefner. He made several
recommendations for a middle school program based upon the develop-

47 Many of his recommendations

ment of pre- and early adolescents.
are current practices in middle schools today.

‘Although a review of research indicates substantial
interest in the developmental characteristics of early adolescent
children, these studies have been directed into the area of middle
school and junior high practices. No research was found which

focused on teachers and their knowledge (or lack of knowledge) of

these early adolescent characteristics.

 

45Dilg, 0p. cit.

46John Warren Vaughn, "Implications of Physical and Intel-
lectual Growth Characteristics, Interests and Cultural Forces for
the Improvement of the Middle School Program" (Ph.D. dissertation,
Michigan State University, 1969).

47John Earl Hefner, "What Research Says About the Years
10-14: A Guide to Middle School Organization" (Ph.D. dissertation,
Ball State University, 1969).

34

m1

Dissatisfaction with the education of youngsters in the
early adolescent stage has focused upon the 7-9 junior high school.
Critics have claimed that while the rationale for the junior high
educational programs is sound, practice has deviated from rationale.
Out of this dissatisfaction has come a new school organization
called the "middle school."

Middle school advocates and practitioners claim that this
new organizational structure is better equipped than the junior
high to implement programs which will improve education for emerg-
ing adolescents.

The key to the middle school concept, according to experts
like Alexander, Eichhorn, Romano, Bondi, and many others, is its
focus on the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual deve10p-
mental characteristics of the individual student.

The key to success in any educational institution is the
teacher. Unfortunately, programs for training and certifying
middle school teachers has lagged far behind the implementation of
the concept. Teacher training institutions and state certifica-
tion agencies have not recognized the need for special programs
that train and certify teachers to work with these unique young-
sters. Perhaps evey more unfortunate is the lack of commitment
toward working with this age group exhibited by many teachers
presently working in our junior highs and middle schools. Without

specific training and without a desire on the part of many to

35

work with youngsters of this age, can there be any understanding
of their individual needs which is so essential to a middle school
organization?

Previous studies have indicated disenchantment with the
methods used for training teachers. They have also indicated
that understanding the needs of the students should be a desirable
trait among intermediate grade teachers. Although few studies
have been done in the area of developmental characteristics,
research does tend to substantiate that middle school practices
such as flexible scheduling, team teaching, individualized
instruction, and exploratory offerings do offer opportunities for
better meeting the educational needs of these youngsters.

Without proper training and selection of middle grade
teachers, however, it is doubtful whether any program can be

successfully implemented which focuses on that individual child.

CHAPTER III

DESIGN OF THE STUDY

Introduction

 

The major purpose of this study is to compare the degree to
which selected groups of middle school and junior high school
teachers understand the developmental characteristics of pre- and
early adolescents. Theoretically, intermediate grade teachers
should have a knowledge of these characteristics if they are to
implement programs which meet the needs of the children they serve.

A review of literature indicated a lack of specific train-
ing in deve10pmental characteristics for teachers working with
this age group. Therefore, this study attempts to determine if
there are differences in the degree of understanding among the
teachers selected for this study. Specifically, does an under-
standing of developmental characteristics vary with experience,
certification, type of program, and commitment to this age group?
Considering the above factors, is there any difference in under-
standing the variables of physical, intellectual, social, and
emotional characteristics?

An instrument was developed which assessed the under-
standings of selected teacher groups in regard to samples of pre-

adolescent growth criteria. The data were statistically analyzed

36

37

by comparing the scores of various groups and subgroups within
the teacher population selected.

It is the primary concern of this chapter to look at the
composition of the sample, the instrument used, the methods used

to collect the data, and the procedures used for data analysis.

Source of the Data

 

This researcher, in consultation with a team of middle
school theorists and practitioners, selected three middle schools
in lower Michigan for this study. The 18 basic characteristics of
good middle schools which were developed and tested by Riegle,
Georgiady, and Romano1 were used as selection criteria. The
selection was made without regard to grade organization. It made
no difference whether they were 5-8 or 6-8 middle schools. The
team has Spent many years in the Michigan middle school movement.
Therefore, identifying three exemplary middle schools was not
difficult.

The selection of the junior high schools proved to be a
more difficult task. We were confronted by the question, what is
an exemplary junior high? By what criteria is a junior high
evaluated? Finally, a list of several junior high schools all
with grades 7-9 was developed. The principals of these listed
schools were contacted, and the final selection was based upon
telephone inquiries which indicated a lack of typical middle

school practices within the school.

 

1Romano, Georgiady, and Heald, op. cit., pp. 73-84.

38

It should be stressed that the major area of concern was
not the schools nor their programs, but the teachers working within
these organizations.

It was important that the teachers responding to the ques-
tionnaire work with a cross-section of students from various socio-
economic backgrounds. Even though research doesn't yet indicate
variance in developmental characteristics between students of
different racial or cultural backgrounds, teaching situations and
perhaps teacher perceptions of developmental traits could vary
because of these factors. Therefore, these assumed variables were
controlled by selecting one junior high and one middle school each

from an urban area, a suburban area, and a small town.

Instrument

 

The purpose of the test instrument was to measure the
teacher's understanding of the developmental characteristics of
pre- and early adolescents, and then to compare the results among
the various groups and subgroups within the sample population.

The development of the instrument began with a survey of the
writings of middle school experts and behavioral psychologists.
Certain typical developmental traits of emerging adolescents were
listed, and further reading was done to determine their common
acceptance.

It became apparent during this survey of literature that
the uniqueness of these children of interest made questions with
right and wrong answers difficult if not impossible to design.

It was also assumed that many teachers would respond to a yes-no

39

type question based upon knowledge of a specific student or a
recent experience with a student. Thus the concept of degrees of
understanding was decided upon as the best method to gather data
which better reflected the teachers' true perceptions of all their
students. This concept of degrees also allowed for individual
variations in defining what typical really means when dealing with
such untypical students.

A Likert-type response to each developmental trait was
developed. The direction of the response along a continuum was
weighted inversely to the correct end of the scale as determined
' by research into the developmental traits. Thus varying degrees
of understanding could be plotted numerically.

A rough draft of the questionnaire was first reviewed and
revised by the researcher's doctoral committee. Another revision
was done with consultant help from Dr. Arvo E. Juola of the
Department of Learning and Evaluation Services at Michigan State
University. This copy was then field tested, first by five pe0ple
who had many years of experience in working with emerging ado-
lescents, and then by a volunteer group of 24 teachers from a well-
known middle school. After their input was considered the ques-
tionnaire was put into its final form.

The questionnaire employed in this study contains 60
questions, and is divided into four subsections of physical,
intellectual, social, and emotional characteristics. Preceding

the questionnaire section was a page with directions for completion

40

of the instrument, and a page devoted to obtaining necessary per-

sonal information from the respondents.

Procedures

 

Principals in each of the selected schools were asked to
schedule a faculty meeting. The researcher attended each meeting
to explain and administer the questionnaire. All the meetings
were scheduled after the regular school day during the month of
May; 1976w 'The total faculty was present in all cases except for
the few teachers who were involved in after-school activities or
who were absent that day from work. The faculties to whom the
instrument was administered represented a cross-section of sex,
race, age, teaching style, educational phi1050phy, and subject
area competencies.

The completed questionnaires were hand scored by the
researcher. Because each response was weighted inversely, lower
scores indicated a better understanding of student growth char-
acteristics. Individual scores on the total instrument and on
each of the subtests were keypunched for computer analysis.

In order to obtain the coefficient of reliability, the
computer package SPSS was used, and the coefficient alpha computed.

The resulting coefficients were:

0.957 for the total test

0.8166 for subtest I (physical characteristics)
0.8698 for subtest II (intellectual characteristics)
0.8239 for subtest III (social characteristics)

0.8477 for subtest IV (emotional characteristics)

41

On the basis of these results, it was concluded that the
instrument was highly reliable as a whole, and was measuring the
same aspects of understanding for all teachers tested. The sub-
tests appear to be less reliable than the total questionnaire,
but the number of items in the subtests is approximately one-fourth
of the total number of items, and therefore negatively influences
the reliability coefficient.

The data for this research project were programmed for
computer analysis. The raw scores from the questionnaire forms
were keypunched and coded for individual number, total instrument
score, subtest scores, personal and school information. The data
were then processed by computer at Michigan State University.
Statistics were generated by using an analysis of variance statis-

tical technique.

Hypotheses

 

It was the purpose of this study to compare teachers in
several junior highs and middle schools as to their understand-
ings of the growth characteristics of pre- and early adolescents.
The variables of school, experience, commitment, and certifica-
tion were explored as to their effect on the knowledge of physical,
(intellectual, social, and emotional characteristics.

The first hypothesis was designed to provide a measurement
relative to the degree of Understanding of deve10pmental character-
istics of middle school teachers compared to junior high school

teachers.

42

H]: Middle school teachers will have a higher degree of
understanding of the physical, intellectual, social
and emotional characteristics of pre- and early ado-
lescents than junior high school teachers.

The second hypothesis was designed to compare the degrees
of understanding between teachers with more than two years in
either the middle school or junior high with those of less than
two years of experience.

H2: Experienced teachers will have a higher degree of under-
standing of the physical, intellectual, social, and
emotional characteristics of pre- and early adolescents
than inexperienced teachers.

The third hypothesis was developed to compare the certi-
fication and therefore pre-service training of teachers in several
junior highs and middle schools. Teachers with secondary certifi-
cates were compared to those who held either K-12 or elementary
certificates as to their understanding of pre- and early adolescent
developmental characteristics.

H3: Non-secondary certified teachers will have a higher
degree of understanding of the physical, intellectual,
social and emotional growth characteristics of pre- and
early adolescents than secondary certified teachers.

The fourth hypothesis was designed to compare those who
wanted to teach in either a junior high or middle school with those
who expressed a preference for teaching at a different age level,
either elementary school or high school.

H4: Teachers who choose to work with pre- and early adoles-
cents will have a higher degree of understanding of the

physical, intellectual, social and emotional growth

characteristics of this age group than those who prefer

to work with another age group.

43

Interaction

 

Three main factors of school type, teaching certificate,
and commitment were analyzed statistically in order to determine
possible significance at the .05 alpha level for the effects of
the interaction of these variables on the physical, intellectual,
social, and emotional characteristics of pre- and early adoles-

cents .

Analysis of Data

 

Initially, the researcher in discussion with the Office
of Research Consultants at Michigan State University assumed that
the four-way ANOVA model was the most appropriate for analysis of
the four null hypotheses. Once the population data were tabulated,
however (Table 3.1), it was obvious that the small number of
inexperienced teachers in the junior highs and middle schools
tested made the classification by experience a rather risky one
for statistical analysis. Therefore, an ANOVA model with three
factors--Schools, certification, and commitment-—was used to
analyze the data.

It was assumed that both interaction and main effects
were possible, and therefore an ANOVA design was judged to be the

most powerful for generating statistics.

Summary

Theoretically, emerging middle schools are developed on

the basis of meeting the needs of the students served. Therefore

44

an understanding of the developmental characteristics of students

Should be present among the teachers working in our middle schools.

Table 3.l.--The number of teachers tested by sex, experience,
certification, and commitment.

 

Type of School

 

 

Middle School Junior High
Males 38 40
Females ' 47 36
LeSS than two
years experience 10 8
More than two
years experience 75 68
Secondary certified 47 50
Other certified 38 26
Committed (desire to
teach pre-adolescents) 69 46
Non-committed (desire not
to teach pre-adolescents) 16 30

 

In this study, teachers in selected junior highs and middle
schools were tested as to their understanding of the physical,
intellectual, social, and emotional growth characteristics of pre-
and early adolescents.

The data-gathering instrument was developed by the
researcher, and was administered to 161 teachers in the Spring of
1976. It contains 60 questions relative to the growth character-

istics of pre- and early adolescents. Personal data were also

45

gathered so that comparisons could be made in the areas of experi-
ence, commitment, and certification as well as comparisons between
schools.

The statistical model of a three-way analysis of variance
was used to test the hypotheses. The data were processed by the

computer at Michigan State University.

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS OF THE DATA

Introduction

 

An analysis of the data and the findings resulting from
this analysis are presented in this chapter. The four hypotheses,
which examine comparisons between middle school and junior high
teachers, experienced and inexperienced teachers, secondary certi-
fied and non-secondary certified teachers, and committed and
non-committed teachers, are stated. The-data for each of the
dependent variables of physical, intellectual, social, and emo-
tional developmental characteristics of pre- and early adolescent
children are presented for each of the four hypotheses. The data
of the interaction effects among the independent variables of school
type, certification, and cammitment are discussed.

The data presented in this chapter were collected by survey
questionnaires developed by the researcher and administered to 161
teachers in 6 middle schools and junior high schools in Michigan
during the spring of 1976. The questionnaire assessed the under-
standings of the sample population toward pre- and early adolescent
physical, intellectual, social, and emotional developmental char-
acteristics. The data were processed by computer at Michigan

State University.

46

47

Procedure

An analysis of variance was performed on the teacher ques-
tionnaires using the four subtotal scores for each individual as
the dependent variables. The four subtotal scores on physical,
intellectual, social, and emotional dimensions of the question-
naire were believed to be more representative of the situation
than the one total score on each of the individual questionnaires.
Therefore, individual teacher scores on each of the four subtests
were analyzed because they represent different areas of under-
standing. Also, the correlation for the total sample (n = 161)
was projected in order to determine correlations among the four
subscores. The correlation matrix is presented in Appendix D.

The alpha level of .05 was used to determine significance.
Research hypotheses were either accepted or rejected based upon
the significance projected by the analysis of variance procedure.

The analysis of data from the survey of teacher under-
standings of pre- and early adolescent growth characteristics
will be presented as follows:

1. Mean scores for the total sample and for each of the
four subtests of physical, intellectual, social, and
emotional deve10pmental characteristics will be pre-
sented and discussed.

2. Each hypothesis for each teacher comparison on the four
growth characteristics will be presented hlthe same

order as in Chapter I.

48

3. The statistical findings will be stated for each
hypothesis along with appr0priate data tables.

4. The .05 level of confidence will be used to accept or
reject each research hypothesis.

5. A discussion of the findings for each research hypoth-
esis will follow the presentation of the data.

6. Significant interaction effects will be presented and

discussed along with apprOpriate data tables. 1 .1

Presentation of Data

 

Mean scores for each of the eight teacher categories of
middle school/junior high school, experienced/inexperienced,
secondary certified/non-secondary certified, and committed/non-
committed are presented in Table 4.1. These means were deter-
mined by adding the scores on each individual questionnaire and
dividing by the number of teachers responding in each of the eight
categories. Teachers were placed in categories based upon their
response to the personal data form which accompanied the ques-
tionnaire (Appendix B). Lower mean scores indicate a higher degree 1 i
of understanding because favorable responses on the continuum were I

given lower numbers.

 

49

Table 4.l.--Mean scores for the total sample by teacher category.

 

 

Teacher Category N SSEFA Mean
Junior high 76 11166 146.921
Middle school 85 12263 144.270
Experienced 143 20800 145.455
Inexperienced 18 2629 146.056
Secondary certified 91 13232 145.407
Non-secondary certified 70 10197 145.672
Committed 113 16359 144.770
Non-committed 48 7073 147.354

 

Discussion: Except for the comparison between secondary

 

certified and non-secondary certified which Slightly favors secon-

dary, the mean scores in each of the other three comparisons favor

the middle school teachers, eXperienced teachers, and committed

teachers--the research hypotheses of this study.

The teacher responses are presented as mean scores in

Table 4.2 for each of the four major comparisons of junior high/

middle school, experienced/inexperienced, secondary certified/

non-secondary certified, and committed/non-committed.

Within each

comparison category, the mean scores of each of the four subtests

will be examined as to their statistical significance.

scores indicate a higher degree of understanding of the develop-

mental characteristics.

Lower

50

Table 4.2.--Mean scores for the four subtests of physical, intellec-
tual, social, and emotional deve10pmental characteristics.

 

 

Teacher Physical Intellectual Social Emotional
Category N Character- Character- Character- Character-
istics istics istics istics
Junior high 76 27.83 47.04 34.53 37.62
Middle school 85 28.24 46.00 34.14 35.89
Inexperienced 18 27.53 48.47 34.65 35.53
Experienced 143 28.10 46.26 34.28 36.85
Non-secondary
certified 64 28.41 46.61 34.02 36.67
Secondary
certified 97 27.80 46.41 34.53 36.73
Non-committed 46 27.98 48.02 34.83 ' 37.39
Committed 115 28.07 45.88 34.12 36.43

 

Discussion: When the mean scores are presented by develop-

 

mental categories, comparisons between the teacher groups are not
consistent. For example, junior high school teachers have a better
understanding of the physical characteristics of pre- and early
adolescents than middle school teachers, while middle school
teachers better understand intellectual, social, and emotional
characteristics. In the following section these data are statis-

tically analyzed and the implications for this study are diScussed.

Hypothesis 1

 

Middle school teachers will have a higher degree of
understanding of the physical, intellectual, social

and emotional characteristics of pre- and early adoles-
cents than junior high teachers.

51

Table 4.3.--Ana1ysis of variance of mean scores of middle school
teachers and junior high teachers on the deve10pmental characteris-
tics of pre- and early adolescents.

 

 

Source of Variation Mean Square df F p
Physical

characteristics 6.6252 1 .4834 .4880
Intellectual

characteristics 43.3544 1 1.9895 .1605
Social

characteristics 5.9517 1 .3067 .5805
Emotional

characteristics 119.2982 1 5.1382 .0249*

 

*Significant at the .05 level.

Findings: There is a significant difference between middle
school and junior high school teachers as to their understanding of
the emotional characteristics of pre- and early adolescents. How-
ever, there is no significant difference on the other three vari-
ables.

The research hypothesis that middle school teachers under-
stand emotional characteristics of pre- and early adolescents is
accepted at the .05 level of confidence.

The hypothesis is rejected for differences in understand-
ing the physical, intellectual, and social characteristics of pre-
and early adolescents between middle school and junior high school

teachers.

52

Hypothesis 2

 

Experienced teachers will have a higher degree of under-
standing of the physical, intellectual, social and
emotional characteristics of pre- and early adolescents
than inexperienced teachers. .

Analysis of variance was used to evaluate this research

hypothesis. The results are reported in Table 4.4.

Table 4.4.--Ana1ysis of variance of mean scores of experienced
teachers and inexperienced teachers on the deve10pmental char-
acteristics of pre- and early adolescent children.

 

 

Source of Variation Mean Square df F p
Physical ,

characteristics 5.5255 1 .3949 .5307
Intellectual

characteristics 79.4355 1 3.6234 .0589
Social

characteristics 2.2965 1 .1147 .7353
Emotional

characteristics 21.9910 1 ..9163 .3400

 

Findings: There is no significant difference between
experienced and inexperienced teachers as to their understanding of
the developmental characteristics of pre- and early adolescents.

Therefore, the research hypothesis that experienced
teachers have a better understanding of the growth characteristics
of pre- and early adolescent children is rejected for the four
developmental categories of physical, intellectual, social, and

emotional characteristics.

53

Hypothesis 3

 

Non-secondary certified teachers will have a higher degree
of understanding of the physical, intellectual, social,
and emotional growth characteristics of pre- and early
adolescents than secondary certified teachers.

The analysis of variance technique was used to evaluate

this research hypothesis. The results are reported in Table 4.5.

Table 4.5.--Analysis of variance of mean scores of secondary
certified teachers and non-secondary certified teachers on the
developmental characteristics of pre- and early adolescent children.

 

 

Source of Variation Mean Square df F p
Physical .

characteristics 12.1341 1 .8853 .3483
Intellectual

characteristics 3.7613 1 .1726 .6784
Social

characteristics 8.5464 1 .4404 .5080
Emotional

characteristics .6414 1 .0276 .8683

 

Findings: There is no significant difference between
secondary certified and non-secondary certified teachers as to
their understanding of the developmental characteristics of pre-
and early adolescents.

Therefore, the research hypothesis that non-secondary
certified teachers have a better understanding of the growth
characteristics of pre- and early adolescent children is rejected

for all deve10pmental categories.

54

Hypothesis 4

Teachers who choose to work with pre- and early adoles-
cents will have a higher degree of understanding of the
physical, intellectual, social and emotional growth
characteristics of this age group than those who prefer
to work with another age group.

Analysis of variance was used to evaluate this research

hypothesis. The results are reported in Table 4.6.

Table 4.6.--Ana1ysis of variance of mean scores of committed

teachers and non-committed teachers on the physical, intellectual,

social, and emotional developmental characteristics of pre- and
early adolescent children.

 

 

Source of Variation Mean Square df F p
Physical

characteristics .0116 1 .0008 .9769
Intellectual

characteristics 123.2233 1 5.6546 .0187*
Social

characteristics 12.5314 1 .6457 .4229
Emotional

characteristics 9.4948 1 .4089 .5235

 

*Significant at the .05 level.

Findings: There is a significant difference between teachers
who choose to work with emerging adolescent children and those who
don't as to their understanding of the intellectual characteristics
of these children. However, there are no significant differences on

the variables of physical, social, and emotional characteristics.

55

The hypothesis that committed teachers have a higher degree
of undersatnding of the intellectual characteristics of pre- and
early adolescents is accepted at the .05 level of confidence.

The research hypothesis is rejected for differences in the
understanding of physical, social, and emotional characteristics

between committed and non-committed teachers.

Interaction Effects

 

A report of the results of this study should include an
examination of possible interaction effects. Three main factors
of school type, teaching certificate, and commitment were analyzed
statistically in order to determine possible Significance at the
.05 level of confidence of the effects of these variables on each
other. The fourth variable, that of experience, was not included
in the interaction analysis because the small sample Size of
inexperienced teachers did not lend itself to reliable statistical
analysis.

Mean scores of interaction effects were analyzed by com-
puter for each of the four developmental categories of physical,
intellectual, social, and emotional characteristics. The inter-

action means are listed in Table 4.7.

Data on School Type and TeachingCertificate
The mean scores of the variables of school type and teach-
ing certificate were subjected to the analysis of variance procedure

in order to analyze interaction effects on the four dependent

56

Table 4.7.--Mean scores of interaction effects for physical,
intellectual, social, and emotional developmental categories.

 

 

. Physical Intellectual Social Emotional

Inéggzgtgon N Character- Character- Character- Character-
istics istics istics istics

Junior high &
non-secondary 26 27.65 47.46 33.04 36.46
certificate .
Junior high &
secondary 50 27.92 46.82 35.30 38.22
certificate
Middle school &
non-secondary 38 28.92 46.03 34.68 36.82
certificate
Middle school 81
secondary 47 27.68 45.98 33.70 35.15
certificate
Junior high &
non-committed 30 27.60 48.03 35.70 37.57
Junior high &
committed 46 27.98 46.39 33.76 37.65
Middle school &
non-committed 16 28.69 48.00 33.19 37.06
Middle school &
committed 69 28.13 45.54 34.36 35.62

Non-secondary
certificate & 17 27.24 47.12 33.29 35.41

non-committed

Non-secondary

& committed 47 28.83 46.43 34.28 37.13
Secondary

certified & 29 28.41 48.55 35.72 38.55
non-committed

Secondary

certified & 68 27.54 45.50 34.01 35.96

committed

 

57

variables of deve10pmental characteristics. The results are

reported in Table 4.8.

Table 4.8.--Analysis of variance of mean scores of school type and
teaching certificate.

 

 

Source of Variation Mean Square df F p
Physical

characteristics 21.5121 1 1.5695 .21222
Intellectual

characteristics 1.5063 1 .0691 .79300
Social

characteristics 103.3423 1 5.3251 .0224*
Emotional

characteristics 114.4841 1 4.9308 .0279*

 

*Significant at the .05 level.

Findings: An analysis of the interaction between school
type and teaching certificate was found to be significant at the
.05 confidence level for social and emotional developmental char-
acteristics. However, the interaction effects are disordinal.
This means that among the teachers holding non-secondary certifi-
cates, those in the junior high schools demonstrated a higher
degree of understanding of the social and emotional characteristics
of pre- and early adolescents than those non-secondary certified
teachers teaching in the middle schools.

On the other hand, among teachers holding secondary certifi-

cates, those teaching in the middle schools demonstrated a higher

58

degree of understanding of the social and emotional characteris-
tics than those teaching in the junior high schools.

There were no significant interaction effects between
school type and teaching certificate for physical and intellectual

developmental characteristics.

Data on School Type and Commitment
The mean scores of the variables of school type and com-
mitment were subjected to the analysis of variance procedure in
order to determine significance at the .05 level of confidence
for each of the four developmental categories. The results are

reported in Table 4.9.

Table 4.9.--Ana1ysis of variance of mean scores of school type and

 

 

commitment.
Source of Variation Mean Square df F p
Physical
characteristics 8.1375 1 .5937 .4422
Intellectual
characteristics 5.5965 1 .2568 .6131
Social
characteristics 73.7958 1 3.8026 .0531
Emotional
characteristics 19.5385 1 .8415 .3605

 

fngjggs; The interaction effects between school type and

commitment were not statistically significant for any of the four

59

deve10pmenta1 categories of physical, intellectual, social, and

emotional characteristics.

Data on Teaching Certificate and Commitment
_ The mean scores of the variables teaching certificate and
commitment were subjected to the analysis of variance procedures
in order to analyze interaction effects on the four dependent
variables of developmental characteristics. The results are

reported in Table 4.10.

Table 4.lO.--Ana1ysis of variance of mean scores of teaching
certificate and teacher commitment.

 

 

Source of Variation Mean Square df F p
Physical ,

characteristics 34.5321 1 2.5194 .1145
Intellectual 1

characteristics 55.7590 1 2.5587 .1118
Social

characteristics 23.1677 1 1.1938 .2763
Emotional

characteristics 108.4031 1 4.6689 .0323*

 

*Significant at the .05 level.

Findings: The interaction between teaching certificate and
commitment is significant at the .05 level of confidence for
emotional deve10pmental characteristics. However, the interaction
is disordinal. This means that among the non-committed teachers

those holding non-secondary certificates demonstrated a higher

60

degree of understanding of the emotional characteristics of pre-
and early adolescents than those having secondary teaching cer-
tificates.

Among the teachers who chose to work with students aged
10 to 14, the trend was reversed. Those holding secondary certifi-
cates demonstrated a higher degree of understanding of emotional
characteristics than those who held certificates other than
vsecondary.

There was no significant interaction effect between teaching
certificate and commitment on the physical, intellectual, and social

developmental characteristics.

Summary

In this study four research hypotheses were deve10ped for
the purpose of statistically comparing various categories of teach-
ers as to their understandings of the physical, intellectual, social,
and emotional characteristics of pre- and early adolescents.

A questionnaire was developed which measured the degrees
of teacher understanding of growth characteristics. The instrument
was administered to 161 junior high and middle school teachers.
Mean scores on each of the four developmental factors were analyzed
by using analysis of variance statistical procedures.

The four research hypothesis which compared teacher under-
standings are summarized as follows:

H]: Middle school teachers will demonstrate a higher degree

of understanding of pre- and early adolescent develop-
mental characteristics than junior high teachers.

61

The results of the analysis of mean scores for the first
hypothesis which compared the understandings of teachers in the
junior high with those in the middle school on the four develop-
mental categories showed significance in favor of middle school
teachers on student emotional characteristics at the .05 level of
confidence.

H2: Teachers with more than two years experience will demon-
strate a higher degree of understanding of pre- and early
adolescent developmental characteristics than teachers
with less than two years teaching experience.

The second hypothesis analyzed mean scores between experi-
enced teachers and non-experienced teachers on each of four
developmental factors--physical, intellectual, social, and emo-
tional. No significant results were found.

H3: Teachers who hold certificates other than a secondary
certificate will demonstrate a higher degree of under-
standing of pre- and early adolescent developmental
characteristics than teachers with secondary certificates.

The understandings of teachers who held secondary teaching
certificates were compared with those who held other types of
certificates--elementary, K-12, or special education--in the third
hypothesis. Again, no Significant differences were found between
the two groups on any of the four developmental categories.

H4: Teachers who choose to work with pre- and early adoles-
cents will demonstrate a higher degree of understanding of
their developmental characteristics than teachers who
would rather work with another age group.

The fourth research hypothesis analyzed mean scores between
the understandings of teachers who chose to work with pre- and

early adolescents with those who preferred working with another

age group. Significance at the .05 level was found on the

62

developmental category of intellectual characteristics only. No
significant differences were found on the variables of physical,
social, or emotional characteristics.

Therefore, the understanding of pre- and early adolescent
growth characteristics was compared between four categories of
teachers on each of four developmental variables. Out of the 16
comparisons analyzed, two were found to be Significant.

The interaction of the independent variables of school
type, teaching certificate, and commitment were also statistically
analyzed for each developmental category. Significance at the .05
level was found on the variables of emotional and social char-
acteristics when the interaction of school type and teaching cer-
tificate was subjected to analysis of variance. Significance was
also found on the variable of emotional characteristics when the
interaction of teaching certificate and commitment was analyzed
statistically.

The contents of Table 4.11 represent a summary of the
significant findings on the major comparisons and interaction

effects.

63

Table 4.ll.--Summary of significant F ratios for main comparisons
and interaction effects by developmental category.

 

 

Comparison/Interaction F p Sig.
1. Middle school/junior high
physical .4834 .4880 No
intellectual 1.9895 .1605 No
social .3067 .5805 No
emotional 5.1382 .0249 Yes
2. Experienced/inexperienced
physical .3949 .5307 No
intellectual 3.6234 .0589 No
social .1147 . .7353 No
emotional .9163 .3400 No
3. Non-secondary/secondary
physical .8853 .3483 No
intellectual .1726 .6784 No
social .4404 .5080 No
emotional .0276 .8603 No
4. Committed/non-committed
physical .0008 .9769 No
intellectual 5.6546 .0187 Yes
social .6457 .4229 No
emotional .4089 .5235 _ No
5. School type and teaching certificate
physical 1.5695 .2122 No
intellectual .0691 .7930 No
social 5.3251 .0224 Yes
emotional 4.9308 .0279 Yes
6. School type and commitment
physical .5937 .4422 No
intellectual .2568 .6131 No
social 3.8026 .05311 No
emotional .8415 .3605 No
7. Commitment and certificate
physical 2.5194 .1145 No
intellectual 2.4487 .1118 No
social 1.1938 .2763 No
emotional 4.6689 .0323 Yes

 

CHAPTER V

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Small

One of the most Significant changes in education in many
years is now taking place throughout the United States. This
change can be defined as a movement away from the 7-9 junior high
school organization to a grade 5-8 or 6-8 middle school. It can
also be defined as a rededication of educational philosophy and
program to the principles upon which our junior high schools were
founded some 60 years ago. Regardless of the definition, the
movement, according to recent surveys, is assuming "bandwagon"
proportions.

There are basically two causes for concern about the move-
ment among middle school advocates. First, research indicates
that many districts are implementing middle school programs for
the wrong reasons. Instead of being founded on the sound rationale
of providing a better educational program for 10 to 14 year olds,
districts are changing over for mechanical reasons, such as better
utilization of building Space or court-ordered busing. Another
cause of concern is that frequently theory is being put into prac-
tice without an adequate amount of research taking place. This

study attempts to address the second of these concerns.

64

65

Without exception, leading middle school writers define a
good middle school as having a program which meets the physical,
intellectual, social, and emotional needs of the students served.
From ‘this theoretical base, the practitioners then take over and
begin to implement individualized instruction, team teaching,
flexible scheduling, and the many other middle school "innovations"
which purport to meet the needs of the students. Too often, however,
the needs of the teacher, the key figure in implementing a program
which really does meet the needs of students, are neglected.

Research done by Krinsky and Pumerantz indicates a surpris-
ing lack of training programs for teachers of our pre- and early
adolescent children. Therefore teachers in our junior highs and
middle schools sadly lack a good background in a knowledge of the
developmental characteristics of pre- and early adolescents.1
Without this knowledge on the part of teachers, educational change
based upon student needs will be difficult if not impossible to
achieve.

This study was designed to assess the amount of under-
standing that teachers, presently working in our junior high
schools and middle schools, have about the developmental character-
istics of pre- and early adolescents. If middle schools seek to
meet the needs of the students they serve, then teachers should
have some knowledge of their students' developmental patterns.

A questionnaire was developed which assessed teacher under-

standings of pre- and early adolescent physical, intellectual,

 

1Krinsky and Pumerantz, op. cit., p. 468.

66

social, and emotional developmental characteristics. The instru-
ment was administered to 161 middle school and junior high school
teachers during the Spring of 1976.

In order to gain some insight into middle school theory
versus practice, comparisons of mean scores were made between
those teaching in junior high schools and those teaching in middle
schools. Some degree of understanding of student developmental
characteristics was assumed, and it was important to determine how
this understanding was acquired. Therefore three other comparisons
were made. Experienced teachers were compared with inexperienced;
secondary certified teachers were compared with those who were not
secondary certified; and teachers who desired to work with pre- and
early adolescents were compared to those who preferred working with

another age group.

Procedure

Mean scores were obtained for each teacher group on each
subscale of student characteristics: physical, intellectual,
social, and emotional. Analysis of variance statistical proce-
dures were then used to test the four hypotheses. The alpha level
for determining significance was set at .05. The data were pro-
cessed by computer at Michigan State University. Based upon the
data, the alternate hypotheses were either accepted or rejected.
Interaction effects among the independent variables of school type,
certification, and commitment were also examined as to their statis-

tical significance and their implications for this study.

67

Findings

Four research hypotheses were tested. The Significant
findings of each are presented.

H]: Middle school teachers will have a higher degree of
understandlng of the phy51ca1, 1ntellectua1, soc1a1 and
emotional characteristics of pre- and early adolescents
than junior high school teachers.

The mean scores of 76 junior high school teachers were com-
pared to the mean scores of 85 middle school teachers on each of
the four deve10pmental categories. There was no Significance
between the two groups at the .05 level of confidence on the fac-
tors of physical, intellectual, or social characteristics. However,
middle school teachers had a higher degree of understanding of the
pre- and early adolescent's emotional characteristics than did
junior high school teachers.

H2: Experienced teachers will have a higher degree of under-
standing of the physical, intellectual, social, and
emotional characteristics of pre- and early adolescents
than inexperienced teachers.

The mean scores of 143 experienced teachers were compared
to the mean scores of 18 inexperienced teachers. There were no
significant differences between these two groups on any of the four
developmental categories of physical, intellectual, social, and
emotional characteristics. Unfortunately, the small number of
inexperienced teachers (those with less than two years experience)
was not anticipated prior to gathering data for this research.

Therefore the highly unequal cell design for this particular

variable makes statistical analysis rather risky.

68

The rejection of the alternate hypothesis is by no means a
conclusive result. In future studies dealing with this teacher
characteristic, a sufficient number of inexperienced teachers must
be identified prior to making random selections.

H3: Non-secondary certified teachers will have a higher degree
of understanding of the physical, intellectual, social,
and emotional growth characteristics of pre- and early
adolescents than secondary certified teachers.

The mean scores of 97 secondary teachers were compared to
the mean scores of 64 teachers who held either elementary, special
education, or K-12 special certificates. There were no statistically
significant differences between the two groups as to their under-
standing of the developmental characteristics of pre- and early
adolescent children. Therefore the alternate hypothesis was
rejected for each of the four dependent variables of physical,
intellectual, social, and emotional deve10pmental characteristics.

H4: Teachers who choose to work with pre- and early adolescent
children will have a higher degree of understanding of
their physical, intellectual, social and emotional char-
acteristics than those who prefer to work with another
age group.

This research hypothesis compared the mean scores of 115
committed teachers to the mean scores of 46 non-committed teachers
working in junior highs and middle schools. Teachers who chose to
work with students of this age level had a significantly better
understanding of their intellectual characteristics than did those
who preferred to work with another age group. No difference was

found between the two groups on their understanding of the physi-

cal, social, and emotional characteristics.

69

Findings on Interaction Effects

 

In addition to the simple effects of the four research
hypotheses, significant differences were found when analyzing the
interaction between the independent variables of school type,
certification, and commitment. The experience variable was not
analyzed as to its interaction effects because of the small sample
of inexperienced teachers tested.

Teachers in junior high schools with non-secondary cer-
tificates demonstrated a higher degree of understanding of the
social and emotional characteristics than those with non-secondary
certificates teaching in the middle schools. 0n the other hand,
secondary certified middle school teachers scored better than
secondary certified junior high teachers on their understanding of
the same two developmental characteristics.

Teacher certification also showed significance when statis-
tically analyzed with commitment. Among teachers who chose to
work with this age group, those holding secondary certificates
understood the emotional characteristics of pre- and early adoles-
cents better than teachers with non-secondary certificates. While
among non-committed teachers, those who were certified other than
secondary understood emotional characteristics better than those

who were secondary certified.

Conclusions

 

The initial concern of this study was to compare various

groups of teachers as to their understandings of the developmental

70

characteristics of pre- and early adolescent students. While the
results of this study are by no means conclusive, an analysis of
data does seem to project a slightly favorable trend toward middle
schools and toward teachers who choose to work with 10 to 14 year
old students. No significant differences were found when the
independent variables of experience and teaching certificate were
analyzed.

Mean scores for the entire sample of teachers in each
category seem to indicate a trend in favor of the hypotheses tested
except in the category of teacher certification (Table 4.1), even
though these trends did not prove to be Significant at the .05
level of confidence. Perhaps further research done with a larger
population sample would prove to be more conclusive.

In this section the four variables of school type, experi-
ence, commitment, and certification will be analyzed and discussed.

Middle school teachers scored significantly better than
junior high school teachers on an understanding of the emotional
characteristics of pre- and early adolescents. It is impossible
to state emphatically why significance occurred only on the emo-
tional factor and not on the others. Perhaps significance occurred
because middle school teachers, according to advocates, tend to
be more student oriented rather than subject oriented. Therefore
they become more involved in trying to deal with their students'
emotional problems. This assumption obviously merits further

investigation.

71

No Significance occurred between middle school and junior
high teachers when the mean scores of the other factors of physi-i
cal, intellectual, and social characteristics were analyzed.
However, to conclude that such findings negate the theory that
teachers in our middle schools better understand the developmental
patterns of pre- and early adolescents would reach beyond the data
presented in this study. Much more research is needed before draw-
ing such conclusions.

No significant differences were reported on any of the
four developmental categories of physical, intellectual, social,
and emotional, when teacher experience data were analyzed. Perhaps
this was a result of the unanticipated small sample size among
inexperienced teachers tested. Because of this fact, no conclu-
sions should be drawn on the basis of the data collected.

Teachers who indicated a preference for working with stu-
dents aged 10 to 14 understand pre- and early adolescent intellec-
tual characteristics better than teachers who expressed a prefer-
ence for working with another age group. More investigation into
this finding is necessary before any definite conclusions can be
stated. Because most of the non-committed teachers expressed a
preference for teaching in the high school, it is conceivable that
their understandings of intellectual or cognitive characteristics
are geared more toward older students. This could be partially
responsible for the claim of middle school advocates that junior

high school teachers are more subject centered than child centered.

72

A lack of significance on the other three dependent vari-
ables leads to the conclusion that commitment has no bearing on
understanding the physical, emotional, and social characteristics.
It is therefore conceivable that these understandings are learned
through on-the-job observation regardless of teacher attitudes
toward working with students of this particular age group.

Because there was no significant interaction when school
type and commitment were analyzed for their effects on each other,
we can assume that the Significant simple effects are peculiar to
these variables.

In this study all of the significant interaction effects
involved the variable of teacher certification, and because the
interaction effects in both instances (certification and school
type and certification and comnitment) are disordinal, it is
difficult to make conclusions based upon these findings. However,
certain assumptions in line with middle school theory can be
drawn from these data.

As was previously noted, the junior high schools used for
the gathering of data had a definite lack of so-called middle
school practices. The significance of the non-secondary certified
teachers in the junior highs demonstrating a better understanding
of these social and emotional characteristics than their middle
school counterparts indicates an attempt on the part of these
people to become more involved with the more affective dimensions
of student behavior than the traditional program would dictate.

They could be Operating more in line with their non-subject-centered

73

training. Similar assumptions could be made based upon the find-
ings that secondary middle school teachers have a better under-
standing than secondary junior high teachers of emotional and
social development. The traditional subject-centered approach
among many secondary certified teachers is tempered somewhat by
the individualized approach to student learning found in most
middle schools. The middle school approach therefore would force
many middle school teachers into a teaching/learning situation
whereby knowledge of student social and emotional characteristics
becomes essential.

Assumptions can also be made regarding the Significant
interaction effects between certification and conmitment. Secon-
dary certified committed teachers demonstrated a higher degree of
understanding of emotional characteristics. The fact that secon-
dary certified teachers were working with this age group by choice
indicates a concern for them and a desire to become involved with
all aspects of a child's learning environment. Non-committed
secondary teachers did not demonstrate the same degree of under-
standing.

A conclusion in line with middle school student centeredness
can also be made when analyzing the data which show Significance
in favor of non-committed non-secondary certified teachers on
emotional characteristics. The fact that they prefer to work with
another age group does not necessarily negate their ability to

understand pre- and early adolescents, because this could be

74

offset by their certification which is indicative of training in
areas other than straight academic subject matter.

The fact that all the significant interaction effects were
found on both the social and emotional developmental character-
istics indicates that the more affective dimensions of student
growth and deve10pment are the most difficult for certain groups
of teachers to understand.

There are some indications that many teachers committed to
working with this age group, and those who teach in the middle
schools, understand their students better. However, the results
are not conclusive enough to be considered as factors in middle
school implementation. In addition, the use of the information
presented in this study should be limited. Decisions regarding
teacher training and placement, for example, should not be made

based upon these data without further investigation.

Recommendations for Further Study

 

Middle school advocates point to an understanding of pre-
and early adolescent developmental characteristics as being an
important competency for teachers of this age group. The fact
that this study did not conclusively demonstrate that this compe-
tency is present among certain teacher groups to a higher degree
than in others does not diminish the importance of knowing as much
about youngsters' growth as possible. Further investigation into

teacher competencies in this area is recommended.

75

The factor of experience as it relates to understanding the
characteristics of students merits more investigation, because it
has definite implications for teacher training.

Literature indicates little concern among teacher training
institutions for teaching deve10pmenta1 characteristics of stu-
dents. A survey to determine the amount of exposure that prospec-
tive teachers receive in the area of child growth and deve10pment
would merit further study.

Given the rapid nationwide transition from junior high to
middle schools, research into the competencies of teachers who
make the transition might turn up a knowledge of student growth
and development factors among those who make the transition
smoothly.

Finally, further research is definitely needed into whether
(a knowledge of pre- and early adolescent growth and development
makes any difference in meeting the educational needs of students.

Thus far it is only an assumption.

Reflections

 

This has been a meaningful experience in research as well
as a valuable insight into the developmental characteristics of
our pre- and early adolescents. This researcher had much to learn
about these young people despite many years working with students
of this age group. This study has only led to more concern that
widely divergent learning styles and unique personalities are

directly related to the physical, intellectual, social, and

76

emotional growth characteristics of these children. It is also
more apparent than ever that a thorough understanding of these
developmental traits is essential if one is going to teach these

children. They deserve understanding. They deserve good teachers.

APPENDICES

77

APPENDIX A

DIRECTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE PERSONAL DATA FORM
AND FOR ADMINISTERING THE TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE

78

APPENDIX A

DIRECTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE PERSONAL DATA FORM
AND FOR ADMINISTERING THE TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE

You have been selected to participate in this study author-
ized by Michigan State University. The questionnaire is designed
to find out how much teachers are aware of the deve10pmental char-
acteristics of emerging adolescents in our junior highs and middle
schools, and will have implications for the pre- and in-service
training of teachers.

Part A of the questionnaire asks for your response to some
personal questions. Please answer by putting an (X) in the approp-
riate box. We are not interested in knowing who you are so 09_

NOT SIGN YOUR NAME.

Part B of the questionnaire lists 60 physical, emotional,
social, and intellectual characteristics. They may or may not be
deve10pmental characteristics of early adolescents, so read each
question carefully and thoughtfully. Notice that your responses
will be recorded along a continuum, because we are interested in
determining varying degrees of understanding of the characteris-
tics. In other words, being close counts in this study.

PLEASE CIRCLE THE NUMBER that best indicates your under-
standing of the particular characteristic in question. The results
depend on your serious approach to this task so please be careful.
Your responses Should be based upon your awareness of the develop-
mental characteristics of the TYPICAL early adolescent, who is
defined as being between the ages of 10 and 14.

79

APPENDIX 8

PERSONAL DATA FORM

80

APPENDIX B

PERSONAL DATA FORM

PART A Personal Information

Are you?

Female
Male

How much teaching experience do you have?

Less than two years
More than two years

What type of teaching certificate do you hold?

Elementary (permanent or provisional)
Secondary (permanent or provisional)
Other (K-12, special, etc.)

If you could pick the level at which you most wanted to
teach, what level would you choose?

Elementary school
Middle school (5-8/6-8)
Junior high (7-9)

High school

What is your present position?

Physical education teacher

Arts and crafts teacher (includes home ec., woods, metals,
art, etc.)

Academic teacher (social studies, math, English, science,
language, etc.)

Music teacher

Counselor

Special ed. teacher

Other

81

APPENDIX C

TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE

82

APPENDIX C

TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE

Physical Characteristics

 

1.

Prior to puberty, what happens to the growth of the early
adolescent?

it rapidly accelerates slowly accelerates it decelerates

l 2 3 4 5

 

To what degree are early adolescents calm and unexcitable?
to a considerable degree somewhat to a small degree

1 2 3 4 5

To what degree does poor posture and awkwardness become evident
during this period?

very evident somewhat evident not evident
1 2 3 4 5

To what degree do boys and girls have the same endurance during
this period?

boys have more boys and girls have girls have more
endurance about the same endurance endurance
l 2 3 4 5

 

How much physical change will occur in an individual during the
transition between childhood and adolescence?

more than other about the same as less than other
periods in his life other periods periods

 

1 2 3 4 5

To what degree do bones grow faster than muscles during this'
period?

much faster somewhat faster no faster
1 2 3 4 5

 

83

10.

11.

12.

84
To what extent does the change in thymus and thyroid influence
energy production?
large extent some extent no extent

1 2 3 4 5

To what extent does the pituitary gland influence the growth
rate of early adolescents?

large influence some influence no influence

1 2 3 4 5

How do boys and girls compare in rate of growth during this
period?

boys more rapidly boys and girls the same girls more rapidly
l 2 3 4 5

To what degree are vision and hearing altered by the changes
in the development of the child during this period?

high degree to some degree low degree

1 2 3 4 5

How physically coordinated are early adolescents compared to
most other growth periods?

very coordinated somewhat coordinated poorly coordinated
l 2 3 4 5

To what degree do early adolescents prefer team games to indi-
vidual games?

most prefer team some prefer team few prefer team
1 2 3 4 5

85

Intellectual Characteristics

To what degree does a child's attention span change as he moves

through the developmental period of early adolescence?

it increases stays the same decreases
l 2 3 4 5

To what extent is daydreaming a normal function of the early

adolescent?

considerable some insignificant
l 2 3 4 5

To what extent do you agree with the following statement?
Eleven year olds are in the same phase of intellectual develop-
ment as fourteen year olds.

I agree very much I agree somewhat I don't agree

1 2 3 4 5

To what extent do early adolescents need individual learning
activities?

frequently sometimes rarely
l 2 3 4 5

To what extent can early adolescents test hypotheses as a
function of intellectual development?

most can some can few can

1 2 3 4 5

To what extent do you agree with the following statement?
Early adolescents desire to achieve in school.

much some little
1 2 3 4 5

10.

11.

12.

13.

86

To what degree do boys and girls have the same capacity for
concentration during this growth period?

boys have a higher boys and girls are girls have a
capacity about the same higher capacity
1 2 3 4 5

To what extent are early adolescents into the period of

concrete intellectual Operations?

most are some are few are
l 2 3 4 5

To what extent do early adolescents plan for the future?

frequently some rarely
1 2 3 4 5

To what degree is the following statement typical of the
youngsters you serve? Early adolescents are unable to deal
with the real and the possible.

very typical somewhat typical not typical
1 2 3 4 5

How does the early adolescent attitude change toward homework
as he deve10ps through this period?

it becomes more becomes more
positive negative

1 2 3 4 5

stays the same

What happens to the gap between the good achiever and the poor
achiever during early adolescence?

it narrows very much it remains about it widens very much
' the same

1 2 3 4 5

How important is chronological age in planning learning
programs for this age group?

very important somewhat important not important
1 2 3 4 5

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

87

How typical is the characteristic of curiosity to an early

adolescent?

very typical somewhat typical not typical
1 2 3 4 5

How much responsibility can early adolescents be given for

planning and evaluating their own work?

very much some very little
1 2 3 4 5

To what extent do you agree with the following statement?
Early adolescents need security on one hand and freedom on

the other.

strongly agree somewhat agree strongly disagree

1 2 3 . 4 5

To what extent can most early adolescents memorize a multitude
of facts?

to a great extent to some extent to a small extent
1 2 3 4 5

What degree of difficulty do early adolescents encounter in
doing problem-solving activities?

great difficulty some difficulty little difficulty
1 2 3 4 5

‘ Social Characteristics

1.

To what degree are early adolescents concerned about their
relationships with their peers?

very concerned somewhat concerned seldom concerned

1 2 3 4 5

To what extent do early adolescents reject conforming to peer
group norms?

frequently some seldom
1 2 3 4 5

88
How much imitation of adults is done by early adolescents in
order to achieve adult status?
much some little

1 2 3 4 5

To what degree do early adolescents participate in group
activities?

more than in later . same as in later less than in
elementary elementary later elementary
1» 2 3 4 5

 

How well do early adolescents get along with adults?

many have good some have good few have good
relationships relationships relationships
1 2 3 4 5

 

To what extent do you agree with the following statement?
Social isolation results from an inability on the part of
these children to solve personality problems.

agree somewhat agree disagree
1 2 3 4 5

To what extent do boys and girls differ in their desire for
association with the Opposite sex during this period?

girls desire boys desire

both sexes

associations associations
more than boys about the same more than girls
1 2 3 4 5

 

To what extent is "liking to do things for others" a char-
acteristic of this age group?

considerable somewhat little
1 2 3 4 5

How many early adolescents develop codes of acceptable behavior
that are in direct conflict with adult codes?

many some few
1 2 3 4 5

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

89
To what degree is the need to be recognized a characteristic
of this age group?
strong need sometimes needed seldom needed
1 2 3 4 5
To what extent does the early adolescent desire to be alone?
often sometimes seldom

1 2 3 4 5

Compared to his peer group, how much influence does a teacher
have on the early adolescent?

much some little

1 2 3 4 5

To what extent do you agree with the following statement? Social
groups tend to more readily accept a boy who participates in
girls' games than a girl who participates in boys' games.
strongly agree agree somewhat disagree

1 2 3 4 5
To what extent is jealousy a characteristic of this age group?
to a great extent some extent a small extent

1 2 3 4 5

To what degree is hero worship present in early adolescents?

considerable somewhat little
1 2 3 4 5

Emotional Characteristics

1.

To what degree do early adolescents have trouble controlling
their emotions?

frequently sometimes rarely have
have trouble have trouble trouble

1 2 3 4 5

90

To what extent does a person in this age group change moods?

a great extent sometimes to small extent
1 ' 2 3 4 5

How would you describe the early adolescent's sense of justice?

strong varies weak
1 2 3 4 5

 

As a child grows through this period, what happens to his

tendency to express his feelings?

it increases stays the same decreases
1 2 3 4 5

Compared to other age groups, to what degree do early

adolescents show anger?

more often about the same less often
1 2 3 4 5

To what extent do you agree with the following? Most early

adolescents are fearful of the dark.

considerable somewhat don't agree
1 2 3 4 5

How would you describe the early adolescent's feelings about

fairness?

strong varies weak
1 2 3 4 5

To what extent do you agree with the following? Early adoles-
cents tend to be critical of others but are rarely critical of
themselves.

agree agree somewhat disagree
1 2 3 4 5

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

91
To what degree does early adolescent's perceptions of himself
change during this period?
considerable somewhat little change
1 2 3 4 5
To what degree do most early adolescents worry about death?
considerable somewhat little

1 2 3 4 5

How concerned are early adolescents with what is right and
what is wrong?

very much some very little
1 2 3 4 5

 

To what extent do you agree with the following statement? The
early adolescent "jumps around" between the extremes of
sophistication and childishness.

considerably somewhat little

1 2 3 4 5

How would you describe the personal outlook of early adolescents?
happy and optimistic varies between sad and pessimistic
extremes .
l 2 3 4 5

AS a child moves through this developmental period, what happens
to his tendency to resort to physical violence as a result of
anger?
it increases stays the same it decreases

l 2 3 4 5

To what degree do early adolescents' sense of humor find outlet
in practical jokes?

considerable somewhat very little
1 2 3 4 5

 

APPENDIX D

CORRELATION MATRIX

92

APPENDIX D

CORRELATION MATRIX

Table Dl.--Correlation matrix.

 

 

Factors Physical Intellectual Social Emotional
Physical 1.00
Intellectual .18 1.00
Social .23 .31 1.00
Emotional .16 .33 .33 1.00

 

93

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94

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99

Walker, G. H., Jr., and Gatewood, Thomas E. "The Status of Middle
Schools in Michigan." Michigan Journal of Secondary Edu-
cation (Summer 1972): 11-15.

 

Wiles, Jon, and Thomason, Julia. "Middle School Research 1968-
1974: A Review of Substantial Studies." Educational
Leadership 32 (March 1975): 421-23.

 

 

Williams, Emmett L. "The Middle School Movement." Today's
Education 57 (December 1968): 41-42.

Booklets

Doob, Heather 5. Summary of Research on Middle Schools. Carlington,
Virginia: Educational Research Service, Inc., 1975.

 

The Early Adolescent. Danville, Illinois: The Interstate Printers
and Publishers, Inc., 1963.

 

Leeper, Robert R., ed. Middle School in the Making: Readings
From Educational Leadership. Washington, D.C.: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1974.

 

The Middle School. East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan Association
of School Boards, 1965.

 

Policies and Standards for the Approval of Junior High/Middle
Schools. North Central Association of Colleges and
Secondary Schools, 1971-1972.

Unpublished Materials

Caul, Jacqueline L. "A Comparative Study of Student, Teacher and
Principal Perceptions of Organizational Structure Between
Middle Schools With High Levels and Those With Low Levels
of Middle School Concept Implementation.“ Ph.D. disser-
tation, Michigan State University, 1975. ’

Dilg, Charles A. "The Middle School as a Curricular Improvement
for Educating Emerging Adolescents--A Descriptive Study."
Ph.D. dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo,
1970.

"The Education of Youth in the Middle Years." A Joint Position
Paper of the Michigan Association of Secondary School
Principals and the Michigan Department of Education, 1975.
(Mimeographed.)

lOO

Elie, Marie-Therese. "A Comparative Study of Middle School and
Junior High School Students in Terms of Socio-Emotional
Problems, Self-Concept of Ability to Learn, Creative Think-
ing Ability, and Physical Fitness and Health." Ph.D.
dissertation, Michigan State University, 1970.

Fenlon, John L. "An Examination and Development of Recommendations
for Implementing Selected Components of a Middle School
Instructional System Based Upon the Cognitive Character-
istics of Pre- and Early Adolescence." Ph.D. dissertation,
University of Denver, 1975.

Frost, Ernest R. "A Proposed Model for the Training of Inter-
mediate Level School Teachers." Ph.D. dissertation, Ohio
University, 1975.

Hedberg, James D. "Pupil Control Ideology of Middle School
Teachers and Its Relationship to Student Alienation and
to Selected Organizational and Teacher Variables." Ph.D.
dissertation, Michigan State University, 1973.

Hefner, John Earl. "What Research Says About the Years 10-14; A
Guide to Middle School Organization." Ph.D. dissertation,
Ball State University, 1969.

Helder, William James. "An Evaluation of the Preparation of Junior
High School Teachers at Michigan State University." Ph.D.
dissertation, Michigan State University, 1971.

Hubert, James Burress. "A Survey of the Recommendations of
Selected Teachers for the Preparation of Teachers for
Junior High and Middle Schools." Ph.D. dissertation,
University of New Mexico, 1972.

Konsh, Adeline. "Teacher Turnover in New York City Junior High
Schools, Some Common Factors in the Backgrounds of English
Teachers Who Have Transferred From the Junior High School
to the Senior High School of New York City and Their
Reactions to Selected Junior High School Practices and
Personnel." Ph.D. dissertation, New York University, 1966.

McKimmy, James A. "A Correlation Comparison of the Relationship
Between Interpersonal Values of Teachers and the Measured
Self-Esteem and Social Behavior of Early Adolescent Students
in Selected Middle Schools and Junior High Schools." Ph.D.
dissertation, Michigan State University, 1971.

Melbourne, Richard Sheehan. "Junior High School Teachers' Evalua-
tion of Pre-service Preparation." Ph.D. dissertation,
St. Louis University, 1969.

101

Nevins, James B. "A Comparative Evaluation of the Curriculum in
an Innovative and a Traditional Junior High School Based
Upon Certain Characteristics Of Student Educational and
Personal Development." Ph.D. dissertation, Texas Tech.
University, 1970.

Position Statement of the Michigan Junior High Middle School Task
Force. 1974. (Mimeographed.)

Powell, William W. "The Development of Evaluative Criteria for
Middle School." Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State
University, 1974.

Raymer, Joe T. "A Study to Identify Middle Schools and to Deter-
mine the Current Level of Implementation of Eighteen Basic
Middle School Characteristics in Selected United States
and Michigan Middle Schools." Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan
State University, 1974.

Stainbrook, James. "A Current and Comparative Analysis of the
Professional Preparation of Teachers in the Junior High
and Developing Middle Schools of Indiana." Ph.D. disser-
tation, Indiana University, 1970.

Underwood, Barbara Ann. "A Comparison of Perceived Concerns of
Beginning and Experienced Junior High School and Middle
School Teachers." Ph.D. dissertation, Indiana University,
1974.

Vaughn, John Warren. "Implications of Physical and Intellectual
Growth Characteristics, Interests and Cultural Forces for
the Improvement of the Middle School Program." Ph.D.
dissertation, Michigan State University, 1969.

Weiser, Jerome A. "An Analysis of the Perceptions of Selected
Junior High School Teachers, Principals and Teacher Edu-
cators in Regard to Desirable Outcomes for Junior High
School Teacher Education." Ph.D. dissertation, Wayne
State University, 1969.

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