LOOPING IN MIDDLE GRADES RELATIONSHIP TO

ACADEMIC GROWTH AND STUDENT COMMUNICATION

CRYSTAL R. NICHOLAS
UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
LOOPING IS:
Educational practice where a teacher stays with a group of
students for 2 or more years
Began with Waldorf Education in 1919


JUSTIFICATION:
Students in middle grades need consistency
We dont change dentists, doctors, hairstylists yearly. Why
teachers?


CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
RESEARCH QUESTION:
Is there a relationship between looping and academic growth?
Is there a relationship between looping and student communication
in terms of requesting help?
HYPOTHESIS:
Teacher knowledge of student needs will increase academic
growth
Student comfort with expectations and rapport with teacher will
increase communication



CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
TEACHER AND STUDENT PERSPECTIVES OF LOOPING
BARAN, 2010

Background:
Identify teacher and student perceived
benefits and drawbacks
Qualitative study involving Seventh and
Eighth grade students and teachers
One middle school, 5 teachers,
41students


Results:
Benefits
Relationships/family feeling
Enhanced instruction & learning
Students increase in confidence,
participation, and motivation
Drawbacks
Increase stress due to personal
relationships
Fear of being stuck with bad
teacher

Strengths and Limitations:
Strength
Include different stakeholders
perspective
Limitation
Conducted at only one school

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
STUDENT MOTIVATION AND ATTITUDE
BARAN, 2008

Background:
Impact of looping on motivation and attitudes
One middle school, 76 seventh and eigthth
grade students
Used School Attitude Measure


Results:
Increased academic motivation
Increased sense of control over
performance


Strengths and Limitations:
Strength
Validity and reliability of SAM
Limitation
Sample bias


CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
MATHEMATICAL ACHIEVEMENT
FRANZ ET AL., 2010

Background:
Influence on mathematical academics
69 looping, 137 non looping students
Compared scores on Mississippi Curriculum
Test



Results:
Significantly outperformed non looping
Looping may academically reengage
students during the middle school years
Strengths and Limitations:
Strength
Showed quantitative data on academic
performance
Limitation
All looping data from one teacher


CHAPTER THREE: METHOD

PARTICIPANTS/SAMPLE
64 8
th
grade students
24 looping(treatment), 40 nonlooping
(control)
93% low SES
92% Hispanic

MEASURES
Academic Growth
CBA

Student Communication
Survey
DESIGN
Pre-Experimental: Control and Treatment
group
Quantitative
Means, t test


THREATS TO VALIDITY
Convenience sample
Student history/maturation
Survey created by researcher




CHAPTER THREE: METHOD
PROCEDURE
CBA taken 7
th
and 8
th
grade
Test scores collected from
Eduphoria and documented
for control and treatment
group
Average growth calculated
between 7
th
and 8
th
grade
CBA scores
SURVEY (developed
by researcher)
Students anonymously
take survey during
class
Survey coded and
documented for control
and treatment group
Data analyzed for
mean and standard
deviation, one tail
unpaired t-test
performed
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
CBA
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
7th Grade 8th Grade
Teacher A
Teacher B


Teacher A (treatment) mean scores
decreased 13%

Teacher B (control) mean scores
decreased 15%

Overall t-test
t (58) =0.41, p = 0.34
Statistically insignificant p>
.05





CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
SURVEY
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
One Two Three Four Five Six
A
v
e
r
a
g
e

R
e
s
p
o
n
s
e
*

Question Number
Teacher A Teacher B
Answer the following based on what you
would do if you did not understand part
of the lesson:
1. you would ask for clarification during the
middle of class.
2. you would talk to Ms. Nicholas one on
one.
3. you would ask a classmate for help.
4. you would attend Ms. Nicholass tutorials.
5. you would prefer to ask another Algebra
teacher for help.*
6. you would do nothing about it.*


*Reverse coded





CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
SURVEY
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
One Two Three Four Five Six
A
v
e
r
a
g
e

R
e
s
p
o
n
s
e
*

Question Number
Teacher A Teacher B
Overall t-test
t (39) = 2.541, p = 0.01
Statistically significant p < .05
Void null hypothesis





CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION

STRENGTHS
CBA pre-established for validity
Anonymous survey

WEAKNESSES
Survey created by researcher
Convenience sample/ biased
RECOMMENDATIONS
Looping teachers PD on content
Looping teacher should have fewer
preparations


FUTURE RESEARCH
Longitudinal in student achievement
Look for correlation in grade improvement
and communication



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