Degree Name

Education Specialist (EdS)

Semester of Degree Completion

1981

Thesis Director

Paul D. Overton

Abstract

Problem:

At Central High School in Clifton, Illinois, students are required to take one of three Junior English classes in order to graduate. These classes are: American Fiction, American Literature Survey, and Modern American Literature. Many times, students would ask their counselor "What are my chances of passing the three different Required Junior English classes?". The counselors would only be able to give a personal opinion that was based on Sophomore English grades and not a substantiated answer.

The problem had two parts. The first part was to determine if a relationship existed between Sophomore English grades and Junior Required English grades. If the relationship existed, then to predict the chances of receiving a particular grade in the three different Required Junior English classes.

Methods:

Grades for the first semester Sophomore English classes and the Junior Required English classes were taken from the transcripts for each student from the Classes of 1977, 1978 and 1979 of Central High School. Expectancy Tables were then compiled for each combination of Sophomore English grades and Junior Required English grades for each of the Classes of 1977, 1978 and 1979 and the Composite of the three classes. A Chi Square was then computed for each Expectancy Table. A 5% level of significance was used to determine if a relationship existed between Sophomore English grades and Junior Required English grades.

General Conclusions:

1. Only between English IIA grades and American Literature Survey was a 5% level of significance relationship found to exist for all three classes and the composite.

2. If only the Composite was used, a relationship existed at a 1% level of significance between English IIA grades and American Literature Survey grades, English IIA grades and Modern American Literature grades, English IIB grades and Modern American Literature grades and English IIB grades and American Fiction grades.

Recommendations:

1. That the study be continued, updated every three years, missing Class of 1978 grades be found and recorded, and possible expansion to include prediction of ACT scores, SAT scores or college grades.

2. That the Composite Expectancy Tables for the class combintions listed above in General Conclusions be used by counselors at Central High School in answering their students question "What are my chances of passing the three different Required Junior English classes?".

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