|
|
Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Education
Notes
- Abstract:
- Purpose : Increased governmental intervention, premised on the need to reform the poorly performing public education system in the United States has resulted in myriad academic initiatives. The genesis of the charter school movement may be traced to the landmark report, “A Nation at Risk” issued in 1983 by the National Commission on Excellence in Education. This report underscored the inadequacy of public education in the United States premised on a marked decline in educational performance. The concept of educational choice gained acceptance among stakeholders and the charter school became a viable option. Several studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of this type of academic venue with varied conclusions. Yet, studies that investigate academic achievement at the postsecondary level of students educated in a charter high school setting have not been actualized. This study attempted to fill the gap in the research by studying the impact of a charter high school education on the academic achievement of freshman students at four-year public universities in Florida. Academic achievement was evaluated using three constructs: grade point average [GPA] after the first semester at a university, self-efficacy, and critical thinking. Method : An Analysis of Variance was used to test for significance within and between the two level, independent variable, a traditional high school education and a charter high school education. Data was collected for the dependent variables through self-reported GPA and the following two instruments: The General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale and The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, Form S. Major Findings : The findings indicated that there was a significant difference at the .05 level, between the grade point averages of the traditional high school graduates and the charter high school graduates, with the former reporting significantly higher GPAs. When analyzing the data from The General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale, no significant difference at the .05 level was found between the level of self-efficacy of the traditional high school graduates and the charter high school graduates. In reference to critical thinking skills, the scores of the traditional high school graduates and the charter high school graduates on The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, Form S showed no significant difference at the .05 level.
- Thesis:
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--Barry University, 2007.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 90-103).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Priva Fischweicher. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- LB2806.36.F57 2007_FischweicherPriva ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- LB2806.36.F57 2007 ( lcc )
|
|
