Program
Education Doctorate
Year Approved
2016
First Advisor
Paulson, Craig
Abstract
This was a comparative case study that used in-depth interviews of parents to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of two grade configurations, and the possible influence of grade configuration on parent participation and parental attitudes toward their schools. The purpose of this study was to gain deeper insight into the differences of two grade configurations from the perspective of parents, and determine if parents reveal more advantages of one model over the other model. There were seven sets of parents interviewed from a K-5, 6-8 configuration and six sets of parents interviewed from a K-8 configuration. The results indicated advantages and disadvantages for each configuration. The results point to an advantage of the K-8 model for communication, middle school environment, parent participation, and a seamless transition from elementary to middle school. The advantage of the K-5, 6-8 model is the ability of students to have a wider variety of social and extra-curricular experiences, and the increased ability of the school to provide appropriately leveled instruction. Implications were discussed for the transition from elementary to middle school, the middle school environment, parent participation, and the communication across grade levels.
Degree Name
Education Doctorate
Document Type
Doctoral dissertation
Recommended Citation
Lind, J. J. (2016). Relationship Between Grade Configuration and Parent Perceptions about Schools [Doctoral dissertation, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/400
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