Date
3-2009
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Chair
Michelle B. Goodwin
Primary Subject Area
Education, Elementary; Education, General; Education, Mathematics
Keywords
Departmentalized, Fifth Grade, Mathematics, Organizational Structure, Teacher Opinions, Traditional
Disciplines
Science and Mathematics Education
Recommended Citation
Williams, Marcia Wright, "Comparison of Fifth-Grade Students’ Mathematics Achievement as Evidenced by Georgia’s Criterion-Referenced Competency Test: Traditional and Departmentalized Settings" (2009). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 139.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/139
Abstract
This study examined the effect of traditional (self-contained, one teacher for all academic subjects) and departmentalized (math taught by a different teacher) instruction upon the mathematics CRCT achievement of fifth-grade general education students. A secondary purpose addressed teachers' experiences, perceptions, and opinions concerning the classroom structure at this level. The 2007 and 2008 CRCT math data was used with a total of 9,386 students. The researcher's Data Collection and Opinions (DCO) for Teachers surveyed 180 fifth-grade teachers. A z score population proportion and a two-sample t test determined significant differences between the two structures. Results of the passing percentages showed a significant difference in favor of the departmentalized setting in 2007. DCO findings found departmentalized options as teachers' preferred choice of structure for fifth-grade students with a continued need to include teachers in decision-making. Additional results with implications for administrators concerning the organizational structure decision for upper elementary levels are provided. Recommendations for further research studies are also included.
