Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Ronald Nanney

Abstract

High dropout rates and low on-time graduation rates across the United States suggest that for many students proper transitioning is not taking place from middle schools to high schools. This study was designed to examine what measure perceptions and expectations held by students, faculty, and parents dealing with transition from middle school to high school had on the ability of students to successfully make this transition. In addition, the researcher sought to determine the extent student self-efficacy had on individual students successfully making the transition from middle school to high school in regards to core academic performance, behaviors, and attendance.

The transition from middle school to high school is one of the most critical transition periods in a student's educational journey. Evidence shows that more students drop out between the ninth- and tenth-grade year than any other. The literature concerning the area of transition from middle school to high school offers reasons why students fail to transition and what steps can be taken to circumvent the loss of these students prior to graduation. It was the researcher's hope that by looking at stakeholder perception toward ninth-grade expectations and student perceived self-efficacy, this study would yield insight into what further steps could be taken to help all transitioning first time ninth graders to succeed and remain on track for on-time graduation.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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