Author : Ramona Raines Pence
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 171 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (989 download)
Book Synopsis Advisory-based Perceptions of Transition and Connectedness by First-year Middle School Students by : Ramona Raines Pence
Download or read book Advisory-based Perceptions of Transition and Connectedness by First-year Middle School Students written by Ramona Raines Pence and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this action research-based study was to identify first- year middle school students’ perceptions of the influences of a teacher advisory (TA) program on their transition concerns and connectedness with a teacher before and after their first nine weeks in the middle school. The transition from elementary school to middle school can be difficult for students due to the structural and cultural changes in the middle school organization and the adolescent development that occurs. The use of an advisory group led by a teacher to assist in this transition and connectedness is a program that was the subject of this study. Student perceptions were obtained from quantitative results from a pre-and post-survey and then followed up with qualitative findings from focus group protocol to explore the quantitative results in more depth.The main research question explored was: What are advisory-based students’ perceptions of transition and connectedness in their first-year of middle school? Supporting questions were: To what extent do perceptions of transition concerns and connectedness with a teacher change before and after students enter the middle school? What, if any, gender, age, ethnicity, and feeder school attendance demographic differences exist in these perceptions? What, if any, differences exist between advisory and non-advisory students’ perceptions on their transition concerns and connectedness? The conclusions from the quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed that at the end of nine weeks in the middle school: 1) Transition concerns decreased for both advisory and non-advisory students; 2) Connectedness with a teacher decreased for both advisory and non-advisory students with a higher connectedness for advisory students than non-advisory students; 3) Advisory students expressed a more positive view of advisory teachers than non-advisory students expressed of homeroom teachers; 4) Advisory students overall had a positive perception of the TA program and the TA teacher despite a decrease in connectedness. Implications and recommendations for education personnel are provided.