2004 - Volume 27, Number 2
Editor, David L. Hough, Missouri State University

Preface

Research in Middle Level Education Online, Volume 27, Issue 2, is comprised of six articles that were first presented as poster papers to the 30th Annual Conference of the National Middle School Association in Atlanta, Georgia, November 6–8, 2003. Each poster proposal was reviewed by members of the NMSA Research Committee prior to being accepted as a poster paper. Eleven proposals were accepted from approximately two dozen submissions. Of these, the six papers that received the highest ratings by manuscript reviewers were accepted for this issue of RMLE Online. The wide range of topics, designs, and methodologies that characterize these studies demonstrate the vast number of opportunities available to researchers who choose to examine issues related to middle level students, teachers, administrators, and entire school communities that serve young adolescents.

In "The Relationship Between Middle Level Grade Span Configuration, Professional Development, and Student Achievement," Vicki L. Schmitt, University of Kansas, reports findings from a three-year study of one mid-western state's middle level schools housed in three different school types: K-8, 6-8, and 7-12. The conundrum surrounding grade span configurations and their relationships to middle level programs, practices, policies, and outcomes (especially student academic achievement) remains a very "hot topic." Data from Schmitt's study indicate that middle level schools most highly engaged in professional development tend to be grouped as separate schools containing grades 6-8. While Schmitt found important differences across school types, the data do not produce statistically significant differences between high levels of engagement in professional development and student achievement nor between grade span configuration and student achievement. Even so, this is an important study that sets the stage for much needed follow-up. Another variable or construct (i.e., level of implementation of middle school programs, practices, and polices), might be added to follow-up studies addressing any grade span configuration analysis.

The second article, "Listening to the Voices of Family Members, Teachers and Community Members: Partnerships at the Middle Level," by P. Maureen Musser, Willamette University, is a qualitative study examining information derived primarily from six focus groups. In sum, this study captures what most would intuitively expect — that family members, teachers, and community members all have a role to play in the education of young adolescents. The author captures many voices that speak to the interconnectedness across all three groups. The need for improved communication was found to be a major theme, and value conflicts across the groups were documented, leading one to surmise that if it takes a village to raise (and educate) a child, that village ought to be in agreement as to the goals and approaches.

Next is an article titled "Attrition of Beginning Teachers and the Factors of Collaboration and School Setting," by Dwight D. Haun, Southwest Baptist University and Barbara N. Martin, Southwest Missouri State University. A questionnaire developed by the researchers was used to survey 426 teachers from 31 school districts in a 23-county region of a Midwest state. In addition, "Attrition Data Charts" were mailed to 97 building principals in an effort to obtain attrition rates from 1998–2002. While Haun and Martin found the highest beginning teacher attrition rate to be in rural areas, (17%) compared to urban areas (4%), they found no significant difference in the degree of collaboration experienced by current beginning teachers and former beginning teachers. Unfortunately, the researchers were unable to document any significant differences in teacher attrition rates between beginning middle school teachers on interdisciplinary teams and beginning middle school teachers who were not on teams.

In the fourth article, "Advice and Student Agency in the Transition to Middle School." by Patrick Akos, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, an intentional sample of 10,000 writing responses were collected from the 2000 Virginia state writing assessment of eighth grade students. The prompt asked for students to write a letter of advice to a sixth grader coming to middle school for the first time. From this sample, 350 responses were chosen at random. The researcher found organizational themes were mentioned more frequently than personal, social, or academic themes. Specifically, a content analysis of each category revealed that the most frequently mentioned themes were "choosing and changing classes or electives, improving study habits, and making and managing friends." This study readily documents a number of insights into the views, opinions, and priorities held by young adolescents.

The fifth article titled "Reconstructing the Vision: Teachers' Responses to the Invitation to Change," by Catherine M. Brighton and Holly L. Hertberg, University of Virginia, is a qualitative study that examines a variety of factors that influence teachers' "beliefs about teaching and learning, and teachers' willingness and capacity for reflection. . . ." The primary data sources were teacher interviews and classroom observations and were a subset from the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented at the University of Virginia. A systematic grounded theory approach to data analysis was used.

Brighton and Hertberg grouped their findings into four categories and used the metaphor of a house to characterize teachers as: (1) "resisters," (2) "accessorizers," (3) "redecorators," and "renovators." While it isn't surprising to learn that teachers (like all people) react differently to change, this study focuses the reader's attention on pertinent issues related to middle level teaching and engages one's attention in a professional manner. As a result of their findings, the authors recommend the following staff development approaches to helping teachers with "surface differentiation" in their classrooms: (1) balance the emphasis of professional development between content and practice, (2) model reflectivity, (3) redirect misunderstanding about differentiation before teachers become ingrained, (4) involve pre-assessment of a teacher's beliefs and practices prior to initiating a reform effort, and (5) differentiate coaching opportunities according to a teacher's profile, per the four above-mentioned characteristics.

The sixth article, "Keeping History from Repeating Itself," by Tariq T. Akmal, Washington State University, is another qualitative study that examines people's perceptions (and actions) regarding retention. Interviews with teachers, principals, and parents utilizing an open-ended protocol produced information that the researcher analyzed by using a constant-comparative approach. This information focuses on perceptions of the benefits of retaining students at grade level due to low academic achievement — a focus one would not deduce intuitively from the title of the article. One of the most compelling documented findings from this study is what the author labels "the collision of theory and practice." That is, “Without exception our participants said, 'We know retention doesn't work. We've read the literature and seen it firsthand.'" For some reason I find this simple expression to be profound in that it captures what Alexander Pope meant when he wrote, "what oft' what thought, but ne'er so well expressed."

David Hough, Editor
June, 2004

ISSN: 1084-8959