A dissertation completed at
The Center for Education, Widener University,
One University Place, Chester, PA 19013 		 
A STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF INTENSIVE SCHEDULING ON THE PERCEPTIONS OF SELF-EFFICACY OF SEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
James R- Smith, Ed. D.
September 1999

RETURN
edited 01/20/01

 


ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of intensive scheduling on the perceptions of self-efficacy of seventh grade students at a traditional junior high school.

Very few predictive studies have addressed the effects of intensive scheduling on the affective development of early adolescents in junior high schools. Of those dealing with the transescent learners, virtually all of the studies were concerned with comparing the effects of transition into traditional junior high schools on motivation (Eccles, Wigfield & Midgley, 1993; McMillan, Simonetta & Singh, 1994), the effects of teacher expectations on student achievement (Bloom, 1976; Jussim & Eccles, 1992), and self- evaluations and attitudes of early adolescents (Gralinski, 1993; Pladus, 1994).

Exeter Township Junior High School was opened in 1963, and the school day has been designed around a nine period day since its inception. The population of the study will consist of the seventh grade students enrolled in the Classes of 2001 and 2002 at Exeter Township Junior High School. A student self-efficacy survey will be administered in June and September of 1996, and January of 1997 to 120 randomly selected members of the Class of 2001. The same survey will be administered in September of 1996 and January of 1997 to 120 randomly selected members of the Class of 2002. The survey questions are based on a construct developed from the research of Bandura, (1977); Bandura and Schunk, (1981); DeMoulin, (1993); and Mager, (1992).

Using a pretest-posttest design, the survey was administered to measure for significant differences in perceptions of self-efficacy of seventh grade students after experiencing classes in ninety minute blocks of intensive instruction. A series of paired t-tests were administered to each of the forty questions in all five surveys to test for the assumption of homogeneity of variance between the pretest and posttest surveys. Also, correlation matrices were used to compare the pretest and posttest results of the surveys.

The responses to the surveys completed by the Class of 2001, in September of 1996, may have been partially influenced by the students' experiences within a traditional junior high educational program during the previous school term. Likewise, the responses completed by the Class of 2002 may have been partially influenced by the students' elementary school experiences.

The survey was field tested by one hundred eighth grade students. The students were chosen by eighth grade teachers who had previously participated in an inservice program on self-efficacy. The teachers were asked to select five students with high levels of self-efficacy and five students with low levels of selfefficacy from selected homeroom lists.

The entire professional staff completed a survey in January of 1997 to determine how their individual teaching styles and strategies had changed as a result of intensive scheduling. This study analyzed the relationship between those changes and the perceptions of self-efficacy of the students.

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