Date of Award
Spring 5-15-2018
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in School Leadership
Department
Center for Leadership & Learning
College
College of Education
Committee Chair
Dr. John Freeman
Second Committee Member
Dr. V. Carole Smith
Third Committee Member
Dr. Marcia Smith
Program Director
Dr. John Freeman
Dean of Graduate College
Dr. Jeff Robertson
Abstract
Researchers have reported a loss of achievement for students transitioning between elementary and middle-level schools. Transitioning students often find themselves in classroom and school environments that are not a fit to their psychological and developmental needs. Since the transition to middle school has a profound impact on student academic success, schools should create developmentally appropriate environments that support student needs. Middle-level practitioners utilize a variety of activities and structures to support students. Interdisciplinary teaming structures are an important tool that middle schools use to create smaller communities within the school that support the development of student and teacher relationships to improve student socio-emotional development and academic learning. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the effects of interdisciplinary team size on student perceptions of the school environment after the transition to middle school. This quantitative study examined variables associated with the positive psychological development of adolescents within three-teacher and five-teacher interdisciplinary teams to determine the effect of team size on student perceptions. The variables measured were hope, engagement, belonging, goal-orientation, academic press, and autonomy. The results of the study found that three-teacher interdisciplinary teams had a significant positive effect on emotional engagement, and teacher and student academic and personal belonging. Five-teacher interdisciplinary teams had a statistically significant negative effect on emotional engagement, student and teacher personal belonging, and autonomy.
Recommended Citation
Moore, Robert Allen, "The Effects of Interdisciplinary Team Size on Student Perceptions of the School Environment After Transition to Middle School" (2018). Theses and Dissertations from 2018. 5.
https://orc.library.atu.edu/etds_2018/5