Date

4-2010

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Deanna L Keith

Primary Subject Area

Education, Secondary

Keywords

at-risk, interventions, middle school, ninth grade, retention rate, transition

Disciplines

Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of various freshman transition interventions on student academic achievement. Specifically, this study aimed to measure academic success by focusing upon ninth grade End of Course Test (EOCT) scores. The data were collected using a researcher-developed survey. After securing permission from all superintendents, the survey was electronically mailed to all high school principals within the state of Georgia. Among participating systems, the survey response rate was 78.4 percent. Based upon expert opinion, the twenty individual intervention items were categorized into three domains. The domain data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The researcher also ran correlative analysis. The results of this study indicated that no statistical significance existed regarding the implementation of freshman transition interventions and ninth grade EOCT scores. These results have probable implications for public school systems within the state of Georgia as how to best design the most effective programming for incoming ninth graders. Additionally, this information can assist educators, both at the district and state level, in designing the most effective and cost-effective strategies for transition intervention.

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