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TEACHER, PRINCIPAL AND SUPERINTENDENT PERCEPTIONS OF FUNCTIONS FOR SCHOOLS EDUCATING EMERGING ADOLESCENT STUDENTS IN NEBRASKA
Abstract
The primary purpose of this study was to identify the major functions for schools educating emerging adolescent students as perceived by teachers, principals and superintendents in Nebraska. Also, the three groups of educators indicated the extent their schools carried out the identified functions. A review of the literature which dealt with the functions of the junior high school/middle school was undertaken. An opinionnaire was developed to gather evidence concerning the opinions of the respondents regarding the functions. The opinionnaire was field tested, revised and mailed to the respondents. Data were obtained to determine the relative importance of the twenty-seven functions included in the opinionnaire and the extent schools were accomplishing these functions. Summary of the Findings. (1) Nine functions were considered to be the most important by the teachers, principals and superintendents combined. In order of importance, these functions were: (a)To insure that all students receive a solid general education and are competent in the basic skills. (b)To provide experiences designed to promote student acceptance of responsibility and self-direction. (c)To discover the special aptitudes, interests and capacities of individual students by testing, counseling and exploratory work. (d)To provide special classes for handicapped and/or advanced students. (e)To promote opportunities for the teacher to know each student better as a person. (f)To improve articulation and to better insure a smooth transition from elementary to senior high school. (g)To provide programs which promote positive personality adjustments and improved mental health among JHS/MS students. (h)To help students respond creatively and successfully to change. (i)To promote a commitment to the principles of democracy and the American free enterprise system. (2)The nine functions ranked in the bottom one-third of the twenty-seven functions were identified as least important. This group included the items which dealt with segregating younger children from older adolescents, promoting inter-school athletics, effecting economy of time by eliminating duplication, encouraging extra-curricular activities, providing pre-vocational training for students leaving school early, increasing the offerings in the academic fields, promoting departmentalized instruction, providing a program of common studies and facilitating new teaching methods. (3)Essentially, there was general agreement among teachers, principals and superintendents as to the relative importance of the twenty-seven functions. As might be expected, there were a few functions on which the respondents slightly disagreed. (4)There was more agreement among the respondents as to the most important functions than there was about the extent of school attainment in satisfying the functions. Indeed, only three of the nine most important functions were ranked in the upper one-third as to attainment and one function was ranked in the bottom one-third. (5)Nearly all of the functions ranked most and least important were also ranked in similar positions in previous studies. Conclusions. Probably one of the most significant findings of this study was that the teachers, principals and superintendents perceived the most important functions similarly. Also, these three groups agreed essentially with the results of previous studies conducted in the early fifties and seventies. Although the past three decades have witnessed numerous significant changes in society and many innovations in the schools, the most important functions have apparently remained relatively constant. The evidence suggests that there have been minor shifts from time to time, but traditional functions such as student mastery of the basic skills, positive human development and successful personality adjustments with both peers and adults continue to be the most important functions for schools educating emerging adolescents.
Subject Area
Curricula|Teaching
Recommended Citation
WERKHEISER, RICHARD MARLOW, "TEACHER, PRINCIPAL AND SUPERINTENDENT PERCEPTIONS OF FUNCTIONS FOR SCHOOLS EDUCATING EMERGING ADOLESCENT STUDENTS IN NEBRASKA" (1981). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8118187.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8118187