Date
7-2011
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Chair
Carol Mowen
Primary Subject Area
Education, Administration; Education, General
Keywords
Attendance, Graduation, Improvement, School, Suspension, Uniforms
Disciplines
Educational Administration and Supervision
Recommended Citation
Gouge, William Elihue, "A Comparison Research Study on the Use of School Uniforms and Graduation, Attendance, and Suspension Rates in East Tennessee" (2011). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 439.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/439
Abstract
Graduation rates in Tennessee are 8 points below the state goal of 90%. Implementation of a school uniform policy may be a way to improve these rates by giving students increased school structure. The purpose of this quantitative, causal comparative study was to examine whether a significant difference exists in graduation, attendance, and suspension rates between a school that has a school uniform policy and a school that does not. Two public high schools in East Tennessee, one with and one without a school uniform policy, with similar demographics were compared. A second comparison was made after the implementation of a school uniform policy in one of the schools. Factors that promote successful implementation of a uniform policy for students, parents, and the community to accept the change to school uniforms were examined. The results of the study showed that a school uniform policy had a positive significant effect on improving the graduation rate of a rural school in East Tennessee when compared to a school of similar demographics. However, there was no significant effect on student attendance or suspension rates. The second comparison demonstrated a significant improvement in graduation rates at the same school after the implementation of a school uniform policy but no significant effect on attendance and suspension rates.
