Date
4-2018
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Chair
Scott B Watson
Keywords
educational attainment, fourth-grade, mathematics, student achievement
Disciplines
Curriculum and Instruction
Recommended Citation
Call, Marie, "The Impact of Teachers with Differing Levels of Degree Attainment on Student Performance in Mathematics" (2018). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 1674.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/1674
Abstract
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act states that in order for K-12 teachers to be considered “highly qualified” they must obtain at least a bachelor’s degree. However, research shows that the vast majority of states compensate teachers more highly for obtaining graduate degrees. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference in mean scores and/or pass rates of fourth-grade students on the Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG) Assessment in Mathematics for teachers with various levels of degree attainment (bachelor’s, master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees). The theoretical framework that this study was rooted in most deeply is the human capital theory. This study took into account testing results from all fourth-grade students in the state of Georgia who took the Georgia Milestones EOG Assessment in Mathematics, and used an ANOVA to compare data among the different levels of teacher educational attainment levels. Additionally, Tukey’s post-hoc test was done in order to determine if there were significant differences between groups. The results of the analyses indicated significant differences existed in student average math scores and passing rates between degree attainment groups. Due to the fact that teacher degree levels have an impact on student scores, the null hypothesis can be rejected.
