2010 - School Composition and Context Factors that Moderate and Predict 10th-Grade Science Proficiency

Attribution: Hogrebe, Mark & Tate, William
Researchers: Mark HogrebeWilliam Tate
University Affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis
Email: mhogrebe@WUSTL.EDU
Research Question:
Examine the relationship between 10th grade science proficiency and school context factors related to school environment, courses, and teachers.
Published: 1
Journal Name or Institutional Affiliation: Teacher College Record
Journal Entry: Vol. 112, No. 4, pp. 1096-1136
Year: 2010
Findings:
  • Socioeconomic status and minority status are important predictive factors in Missouri.
  • School composition variables of FRL pct and Minority pct are significantly related to science proficiency in the 10th grade.
  • Not only are these variables predictive of science proficiency scores, but they also interact with each other and moderate the relationships between context variables and 10th-grade science scores.
  • Study suggests that teacher quality in high-poverty majority-minority school settings remains an important policy target for reform and improvement.
  • The mobility rate had a negative relationship with science scores when accounting for the other variables. Changing schools is likely disruptive to a student’s ability to grasp the coherence and progression of science concepts.
  • The dropout and discipline rates were each negatively related to science scores when accounting for the other variables.
  • The percentage of courses taught by highly qualified teachers were related to higher science scores while controlling for other variables.
  • SES and minority status are important factors in Missouri related to attainment.
  • School composition variables of FRL pct and minority pct are significantly related to science proficiency in the 10th grade. In addition, these variables also interact with each other and moderate the relationship between other school context variables and 10th grade science scores.
  • The relationship of the school context variables to science proficiency scores differ and depend on the percentage of FRL and/or minority students in school.
Keywords: ContextRacial CompositionScienceSESRegions: MidwestMethodologies: QuantitativeResearch Designs: Secondary Survey DataAnalysis Methods: Regression Sampling Frame:Missouri high schools with more than 25 students
Sampling Types: PopulationAnalysis Units: SchoolData Types: Quantitative-Cross Sectional
Data Description:
  • Data included all Missouri high schools in 2002 with a 10th grade class size of at least 25 students (N=423).
  • DV: 10th grade scientific attainment as measured by the Missouri state proficiency test in science.
  • IV: School context (school environment (mobility rate for the academic year, high school drop out rate, number of dropouts, discipline incident rule, student to classroom teacher ratio, student enrollment in grades 9-12), course related (high qualified courses percentage, credits earned in advanced courses percentage), and teacher related (high school teacher average salary, teacher average year’s experience, teacher master’s degree percentage, teacher regular certificate percentage), student demographic variables (free/reduced lunch percentage, minority student percentage).
Theoretical Framework:
Relevance:
Archives: K-12 Integration, Desegregation, and Segregation Abstracts