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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Effects of Secondary Extracurricular Activities on College Freshmen Academic Success

Effects of Secondary Extracurricular Activities on College Freshmen Academic Success
A Proposal Presented to the Graduate Faculty of Troy University
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for EDU 6691
Dia B. Baugh
Troy University
Chapter I
Introduction
Statement of the problem
Many students are encouraged to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities in high school in order to present themselves as a well-rounded person. They are told that universities are more likely to accept them and give them scholarship money if they pack their resumes. So, many students participate in activities outside of the classroom in which they may or may not have otherwise chosen to participate. The National Center for Education Statistics (2005) says that 15.3% of all seniors participate in academic clubs, 38.6% participate in athletics, and 25.3% participate in music, drama, or debate. Most students buy into this idea, but end up receiving most of my scholarships based on ACT scores, not the number of clubs they are a members of in high school. Logically, universities want to accept and give scholarship money to students who show the greatest probability of succeeding academically. This study will look to see if participating in more extracurricular activities in high school leads to academic success as a college freshmen.
Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the number and types of high school extracurricular activities and the academic success of college freshmen, as shown by their grade point averages (GPAs).
Significance of the study
The study will be of value to high school students wishing to attend college and to post-secondary institutions wishing to give scholarship money to well-deserving individuals. The results of this study will show college admissions personnel if students who participate in a wide variety of extracurricular activities in high school are more likely to succeed their first year of college. These findings will also help college scholarship boards decide which candidates are most deserving of scholarships. The findings may aid high school students in deciding whether to broaden their experiences with many different activities or to focus on just a few activities.
Definition of terms
Extracurricular: activities students participate in outside of the classroom that are associated with the school; these may include sports, music, academic clubs, or service organizations.
Leisure activities: extracurricular activities in addition to other activities students may participate in outside of the school; such as volunteering, religious activities, and community service.
GPA (grade point average): the calculation of the average of the grades from all classes taken; usually on a 4.0 scale
Interscholastic athletics: sports competitions that take place between teams that are not from the same school.
Limitations and delimitations of the study
This study will be limited to college freshmen studying at public universities in the state of Alabama. All college freshmen will be asked to complete a survey and a random sample of the surveys will be used to collect data.
Hypothesis
The data will show a negative correlation between the number of extracurricular activities in which students participate in high school and the students’ freshmen GPA.

Chapter II
Review of the Literature
Darling said, “School-based extracurricular activities provide adolescents with a highly structured leisure environment, in which adolescents can exert control and express their identity through choice of activity and actions within the setting, but which do not normally facilitate experimentation with roles and activities that are not sanctioned by adults.” Other reviews of the literature about adolescent leisure activities reveal a few key concepts towards this study. The focus of much research about these activities is the effects on high school students. Many of these studies focus on athletics. This review will look at the effects of athletics, extracurricular, and other leisure activities on academics, adolescent development, and young adult success.
Athletics
Many researchers focus on athletics when studying the effects extracurricular activities. This may be due to the amount of attention athletics receive from the public, the amount of money it pulls in for schools, or the popularity athletes receive in high school, college, and as professionals. While it is not wise to assume that the effects of athletics can be generalized to all extracurricular activities, the amount of research does necessitate some attention.
The results of a longitudinal study by Marsh and Kleitman in 2003 show students who have higher levels of participation in athletics have higher grades, self-esteem, and educational aspirations. This study also suggests that the benefits may extend after high school to include a higher university enrollment and completion of degrees compared to those who participated less in athletics. Another study specifies that participating in interscholastic athletics can increase grades in math and English. This study goes on to report that athletes show greater self-esteem and spend more time on homework. The benefits also include more social issues, such as a greater connection between parents, schools and students. According to the researcher, “This supports the idea that participating in sports builds character and that in turn supports academic achievement.” The study also suggests that other extracurricular activities, such as music, may have some of the same benefits but not to the extent of athletics (Broh, 2002).
Athletics may offer more than good grades. A study in Los Angeles, California found, with ethnic and poverty taken into account, schools that offered more sports had lower rates of teen arrests and teen births. The study also found the number of sports activities offered does not affect the number of sexually transmitted diseases (Cohen, Taylor, Zonta, et al, 2007). Other effects of all extracurricular activities, including athletics, will be discussed later in this review.
Other Activities
Darling’s study found that students who participated in any type of extracurricular activity had higher grades and a more positive attitude toward school. Because this was a three-year longitudinal study, the researcher was also able to look at students who did not participate in these activities every year. The report showed the students had higher grades, better attitudes, and higher aspirations the years that they did participate (2005).
The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) reports that adolescents who participate specifically in volunteer work or student government also have higher grades, and they are more likely to attend and graduate from college. An interesting finding by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation is that “having too many activities is detrimental to students and creates stress, but that participation in a proper amount of after-school groups is generally healthy, lowering the risk of depression and improving the sense of accomplishment.” (Cocurricular Activities Raise Grades, Achievement, (2008). The US Census Bureau’s Survey of Income Participation says, “Participating in extracurricular activities is linked to better performance in school.” The study investigated the percentage of 12- to 17-year-olds who were in their expected grade level. About 75 percent of those engaged in some type of extracurricular program were in their expected grade, compared to sixty percent of those who did not participate. The study was hesitant to claim a causal relationship because they also found that children living with two parents or in higher income homes were more likely to participate in these activities (Keeping Busy, 2001). According to Mahoney and Cairns drop out levels are also affected by students’ participation in school activities outside of the classroom. Results of this study “indicate that engagement in school extracurricular activities is linked to decreasing rates of early school dropout in both boys and girls.” This is thought to come from the students having positive connections to the school through extracurricular activities (1997).
Olsen reports the findings of Whitworth University music professor Richard Strauch. He has found that students who quit music programs in high school in order to participate in a greater variety of extracurricular and leisure activities had lower college GPAs than students who stayed with a music program throughout high school and into college. There is no known reason for this small fact from a private university, but it does offer high school music teachers with an argument for students who want to quit music to make their resumes looks heavier. Strauch says, “…The research does refute the myth that to be successful in college means you probably have to give up music" (2009).
Personal Development and Success
Of course there are factors other than grades that determine success for high school and college students. Many students, parents, teachers, and members of the community are concerned with areas of social and civic development. Extracurricular activities have shown to aid in these areas as well.
In a qualitative study performed in the Midwest, researchers questioned 10 focus groups of students about the benefits they received from participating in different extracurricular and adult sponsored leisure activities. The researchers then found similar themes in the responses. The students said that activities encouraged them to try new things and learn their strengths and weaknesses; to set realistic goals; to manage time; to control emotions, such as anger and anxiety; to form relationships with people outside of their usual groups; to develop understanding towards others; and to accept and give constructive criticism. They also admitted to developing discipline, teamwork, leadership, responsibility, loyalty, and communication skills. The students also began to realize their place in a greater society by noting how that society works and by experiencing support from adults in the community (Dworkin, Larson, Hansen, 2003).
A study was conducted to observe the impact student demographics had on which leisure activities teenagers chose. African American students with parental support and friends’ approval participated in extracurricular activities offered by the school. Students who participated in clubs not associated with the school were characterized by feelings of peer pressure, high academic achievement, and parental support. Students whose parents were married, had a high socioeconomic status, monitored their children were more likely to participate if volunteer activities in upper level grades. Females with friend and parent support were more likely to participate in religious activities (Huebner and Mancini, 2003).
Transitioning to Young Adults
As this study is concerned with the long-term effects of high school extracurricular activities, the most beneficial studies to observe are those in which researchers have begun to investigate these effects. Participation in extracurricular activities showed a significant impact on the amount of education a student received by age twenty. Researchers note, “The consistency of extracurricular activity participation in both early and middle adolescence showed positive, significant links to interpersonal competence in middle adolescence, educational aspirations in late adolescence, and educational status at age twenty” (Mahoney, Cairns, and Farmer, 2003).
When 22 sophomore students were interviewed to determine their definition of success in college and what it took to be successful in college, several themes became apparent. These themes associated with the meaning of success in college were grades, though the students were not able to determine a definition of a “good” grade; social integration; and independence with regard to the college environment. The students agreed that success in college required strategies much different from those used in high school. The strategies students suggested combined social and academic aspects and included, “attending class regularly, taking classes with friends, sharing class notes, participating in study groups, reading before class, and meeting with professors or teaching assistants” (Yazedijan, Toews, Sevin, et al, 2008).
Summary
Studies seem to agree that extracurricular activities have positive effects on teenagers. These include higher grades, positive self-esteem, and positive associations with the school. They also seem to buffer adolescents from undesirable behaviors that can lead to arrests, teen pregnancies, and high school dropouts. Although students have a broad definition of success in college, high school extracurricular activities do seem to have a positive impact on this as well.

Chapter III
Methodology
A quantitative study will test the correlation between the number of extracurricular activities in which students participated in high school and the students’ freshmen grade point averages. Students will be asked to complete questionnaires with Likert scales as entering freshmen about the number and types of extracurricular and leisure activities of which they were part. Their GPAs will be collected at the end of the freshmen year.
Research questions
The researcher will consider the following questions:
1. Is there a correlation between high school athletic participation and college freshmen GPA?
2. Is there a correlation between high school extracurricular participation (other than athletics) and college freshmen GPA?
3. Is there a correlation between adult-led activity outside of school (e.g. youth groups or volunteering) participation and freshmen college GPA?
4. What is the overall correlation between adolescent leisure activities and college freshmen GPA?
5. Can number or type of adolescent leisure activities predict college freshmen academic success?
Populations
The study will include college freshmen attending public universities in the state of Alabama. Gender, race and socioeconomic status will vary among the student population of these universities. These factors will be noted, but they will not be part of the results because the main focus of the study will be leisure activity.
Data collections
The approximately 40,000 freshmen entering Alabama public universities will complete surveys to collect information about the types of leisure activities in which they participated in high school (Alabama Commission on Higher Education). These will be sorted into four groups: students who did not participate in any organized leisure activities, students who participated in one or two activities, students who participated in three or four activities and students who participated in five or more activities. They will also be sorted by participation in different types of activities: athletics, extracurricular (non-athletics), and activities not associated with the school.
Instrumentation
Predictive Analysis Software in the SPSS program (Statistical Program for Social Sciences) will be used to organize data, and analyze trends in data. Pearson’s r will be used to see if there is a correlation between the variables.
Data Analysis
The Probability of significance or p-value will be examined. If p < .05 then the null hypothesis will be rejected. If p > .05 then the null hypothesis will be accepted.
Ethical treatment of human subjects
All humans will be treated with respect and confidentiality. The researcher will explain all aspects of the study to students. Students will give permission for the researcher to access their grade point averages at the end of the freshmen year. The students’ identity will be needed for the researcher to obtain GPAs, but they students will not be identified in the results.

References
Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Retention Report of 1st Time Degree-Seeking Freshmen Students Returning for a Second Year. Retrieved from http://www.ache.alabama.gov/Abstract0809/Student%20Database/Retention%20Report%201.pdf.
Broh, B. A. (2002). Linking extracurricular programming to academic achievement: Who benefits and why? Sociology of Education, 75, 69-91. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Cohen, D., Taylor, S., Zonta, M., Vestal, K. & Schuster, M. (2007). Availability of high school extracurricular sports programs and high-risk behaviors. The Journal of School Health, 77(2), 80-6. Retrieved June 5, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Cocurricular activities raise grades, achievement. (2008). Leadership for Student Activities. 37(4), 40. Retrieved July 8, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Darling, N. (2005). Participation in extracurricular activities and adolescent adjustment: Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings. Journal of Youth and Adolesence, 34(5), 493-505. Retrieved July 8, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Dworkin, J. B., Larson. R., & Hansen, D. (2003). Adolescents' accounts of growth experiences in youth activities. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32, 17-26. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Huebner, A., & Mancini, J. (2003). Shaping structured out-of-school time use among youth: The effects of self, family, and friend systems. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32, 453-463. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Keeping busy. (2001) Education Week. 20(26), 5. Retrieved July 8, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Marsh, H., & Kleitman, S. (2003). School athletic participation: Mostly gain with little pain. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 25, 205-229. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Mahoney, J. L., Cairns, B. D., & Farmer, T. W. (2003). Promoting interpersonal competence and educational success through extracurricular activity participation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 409-418. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Mahoney, J. L., & Cairns, R. B. (1997). Do extracurricular activities protect against early school dropout? Developmental Psychology, 33, 241-253. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Indicator 34: Extracurricular activities. (2005). National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/youthindicators /XLS/34_ExtracurricularActivities.xls
Olson, C. A. (2009). Music and academic success go together at Whitworth. Teaching Music, 16(6), 20. Retrieved June 5, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Yazedjian, A., Toews, M. L., Sevin, T. & Purswell K. E. (2008) It's a whole new world: A qualitative exploration of college students’ definitions of and strategies for college success. Journal of College Student Development, 49(2), 141-154. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from ProQuest database.

Effects on Nationally Normed Test Caused By the Duration of Time That Japanese Children Study Abroad

Effects on Nationally Normed Test Caused By the Duration of Time
That Japanese Children Study Abroad
A proposal presented to the Graduate Faculty of
Troy University
In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for
EDU 6691

By
Marianne L Miller

Chapter I
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
As industrial globalization continues to grow, the need for Japanese families of varying social status to travel and work abroad is also increasing. Japanese children in these families must adjust to the educational system of the hosting country, and then must return to the Japanese educational system upon their return to their native country. This poses a unique problem for Japanese children, as their native country supports a culture of sameness, which can be represented by an old Japanese quote that says, “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down”. When these children return to the Japanese school system, they are considered different and not truly Japanese anymore. This creates a negative atmosphere for these children and affects how they are treated by their classmates and teachers, posing a challenge to achieve educational excellence. The duration of the time abroad must have an influence on the level of individualism for these children, and therefore must affect their re-entrance into their native school system.
Limitations and Delimitations of the Study
Japanese children which will be moving abroad will be chosen for this study. The Japanese children between the ages of seven and 10 will be chosen for this study. The size of the study will consist of more than 90 children, each from a different family, and representing at least 25 of the 47 Japanese prefectures. These families that will be selected will have lived in the USA for durations ranging from 1 year to 5 years.
Purpose of the Study
This study is to help understand the ramifications of living and studying abroad on Japanese children’s national test scores. The intent is not to prove that the Japanese educational system or the American educational system is better. It is only to show the potential impact of the duration of life abroad on the educational future of Japanese children upon returning to their native country.
Significance of the Study
The results of this study can be used by Japanese families who are planning to live abroad. They can better understand the problems that might be faced by the children upon returning to Japan for decision-making purposes when deciding the duration of their time abroad. This study can also be used by globalized companies that require employees to travel. They can use it to prepare these traveling families for expectations upon their return. It could also impact the number of companies that offer special Japanese-style classes to its employees’ children to help keep them in touch with their native culture, learning style, speech, and other factors that affect their Japaneseness to make re-entry into Japanese society easier and less impactful on their national test scores.
Definition of Terms
Returnees--a person who has lived in another country for over 1 year before returning to their native country
Japaneseness—A perception of the quantity/quality of Japanese character someone possesses
Prefectures—Japanese geographic and governmental areas, similar to the states of the United States of America
Hypothesis
National Test Scores will decrease for Japanese students studying abroad as the duration of their stay abroad increases.

Chapter II
Review of Literature
Japanese Education
While the quality of Japanese Education may be a debatable subject, it is certain that the Japanese, like most First World countries, consider education to be a very important factor in the health of their country. A website created by MEXT( July 8, 2009) , the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology-Japan, states that education is the foundation for better society and life. In fact, the Monbusho, or Japan Ministry of Education writes or reforms educational guidelines about once per decade. (Parmenter, p.242) One re-occurring theme in literature concerning Japanese education is the message of “Japanese Sameness”. It is engrained into every Japanese person through home teaching, and then reinforced in school. This teaching creates individuals that identify themselves only with other Japanese and their country. The rest of the world is not the “same” because it is not Japanese. This unanimous cultural identity is an important factor to understand since it has a bearing on the motivation of children to learn.
In “Educating Hearts and Minds: Reflections on Japanese Preschool and Elementary Education”, Lewis (1995) claims the success of the Japanese school system is dependent on how well the basic needs of friendship, belonging, and contributions are met. Belonging, or acceptance is a basic need. This, coupled with the teaching of “sameness”, sets up the scenario for the difficulties Japanese children will have after living abroad and then returning to their country.
Japanese Families Abroad
In a book entitled “Japanese Education in the 21st Century”, Ishikida (1996) says that, “During the period of economic prosperity and a strong yen, more Japanese people than ever went abroad for travel, study and work…” This statement was made in reference to the globalization of the Japanese economy during the 1980s. From the researcher’s personal experience working for a Japanese-based company, this is also evident when each year new Japanese members are added to the staff of the American plant, and remain for usually a period of 1 to 5 years. During this extended work mission, the Japanese members usually bring their families with them, enrolling their children into local schools.
Upon return to their native country, the Japanese children are re-enrolled into the Japanese school system. When returning to Japan, these children are sometimes given remedial education as part of the introduction back into the school system. (Ishikida, 1996)
Difficult Return
Moving back to Japan can be difficult for both adults and children. The reverse culture shock is said to be worse for Japanese people than those who grew up in a multicultural society, like the USA (Mitchell, 2005). In Mitchell’s article, a quote from Dr. Takeshi Tamura, an assistant professor at Tokyo Gakugei University and therapist specializing in cases of reverse culture shock said, “this is because Japanese people tend to think they are unanimous and that if they want to be a member of the culture, then they have to be the same. Countries such as America and Europe consist of people from very diverse cultures and so they tend to assume that they are different from each other.”
Mitchell (2005) also claims that the effects of reverse culture shock are felt more strongly by school-age children. Her further proclamation is that it is worse not only because these children are assimilating back to their homeland, but that it is made worse from the bullying from teachers and fellow students alike. Other articles (Gray, 2004; Yates, 2003) support this proclamation, saying that these children lose their “Japaneseness”, and are treated as outsiders.
Summary
Japanese identity is a very important social belief. Being treated as an outsider can have psychological implications for Japanese children who have studied abroad. It also seems reasonable that the duration of time spent in another country affects the overall amount of change that takes place in an individual. Acceptance plays a major role in the success of Japanese education, and these returnees are not getting this basic need met by the school system nor society in general. Therefore, the fact that these children have studied abroad and now are treated differently from the other children by teachers and others must have a negative impact on their education, and thus their nationally normed test scores.

Chapter III
Methodology
Methods
A study will be performed using a quantitative analysis method to see the relationship between Japanese children’s time spent abroad and nationally normed test scores. A correlation will be made, and the r-square value will be used as the determining factor for judging the results.
Research Questions
The following questions will be considered by the researcher during the data collection and analysis:
1. Does the geographic location in Japan where the children return have an impact on test score results?
2. Does the USA geographic location (e.g. North, South) where the children are schooling have an impact on the test scores?
3. Does the USA schooling environment (e.g. rural versus metropolitan) have an impact on the test scores?
4. Are there other demographic factors besides age and time spent abroad which could affect the results of the study?
Population
The Japanese children who will be participating in this study will be between the ages of 7 and ten when they first move abroad to the USA. Also, children will be found to represent over half of the prefectures in Japan to ensure generalized results instead of localized results. Race, age and socioeconomic status will basically be controlled factors in the study to maintain time abroad as the primary variable. Each child will live in the USA for a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 5 years, and will return to the Japanese school system for up to 1 year before taking the post-test. The host areas will be varied in geographic locations.
Data Collection
Requests will be made to globalized Japanese corporations for families that will be moving abroad for work reasons. Families containing a child that meets the study’s criteria will be selected and invited to participate in the study. As each family is identified, a request will be made for the child’s latest normed test results. This data will be kept by the researcher. When the families return to Japan, the post-test will be administered and data collected.
Instrumentation
A statistical program called SPSS will be used to input and analyze the data.
Data Analysis
A generalized correlation will be made using the number of years spent abroad as compared to the change in Nationally Normed Test Scores from the Pre-test to the Post-test. The data will be correlated using Pearson’s r process to analyze it. The analysis will determine if there are significant differences in the Japanese student’s time spent in the U.S. on nationally normed test scores as compared to the scores of Japanese students that never leave Japan.
Ethical Treatment of Human Subjects
Since participants in the study will be under the age of 18, a permission form will be made explaining the study in simple terms. This form will be reviewed with the participants and their parent(s), and permission will be received verbally. Signatures of the parent(s) and the students will be required before the students are allowed to participate in the research project.

References
Education in Japan. (2009, July 8). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:04, July 8, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Education_in_Japan&oldid=301053141
Gray, Ronald. (2004, March). Teacher Resources [Review of the book Negotiating Bilingual and Bicultural Identities: Japanese Returnees Betwixt Two Worlds, by Yasuko Kanno]. TESL-EJ, Vol 7, No. 4, R-8. http://tesl-ej.org/ej28/r8.html
Ikeguchi, Cecilia B. (1996). Self Assessment and ESL Competence of Japanese Returnees [Abstract].
Ishikida, Miki Y.(June 2005). Japanese Education in the 21st Century. iUniverse, Inc. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/
Lewis, Catherine C, 1995. Educating Hearts and Minds: Reflections on Japanese Preschool and Elementary Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
MEXT: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology-Japan. Retrieved July 7, 2009 from http://www.mext.go.jp/english/
Mitchell, Vanessa. (2005, April 19). Home is Where Hardship is for Japanese Returnees. The Japan Times Online. Retrieved from http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20050419zg.html
Parmenter, Lynne. Stromquist, Nelly P. andMonkman, Karen. (Editors). 2005. Globalization and Education: Integration and Contestation Across Cultures. p. 237 – 253
Yates, Ronald E. (1990, September 23). Japan’s ‘Returnees’ Face Rejection, Find that Coming Home Isn’t Easy. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.davidappleyard.com/japan/jp40.htm

A Comparative Study of Why Math Teachers Leave the Profession in Southeast Alabama

A Comparative Study of Why
Math Teachers Leave the Profession in
Southeast Alabama

A Proposal Presented to the Graduate Faculty of
Troy University
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
EDU 6691
By
Linda B. Phillips

July, 2009

Chapter I
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
One of the most pressing concerns in education today is the recruitment and retention of a sufficient number qualified and effective teachers to staff the classrooms of our schools. Complicating the situation, a large portion of the teachers currently employed are Baby Boomers who are now at or near retirement. While recruitment and retention are important issues for all types of teachers, it has often been asserted that math teachers are among the most difficult for school administrators to find and retain (Shakrani, 2008). As a rule, there are more open math positions than there are qualified teachers available to fill them. In recent years, requirements of the No Child Left Behind act and increasing state high school graduation requirements in mathematics have further increased the number of highly qualified math teachers that are needed in high schools.
There have been many studies regarding the reasons that the number of mathematics teachers available is generally not sufficient to meet the demand, both nationwide and in specific locations. These studies have shown that, although the number of qualified teachers graduating each year is adequate to meet the need caused by teacher retirement and other such types of normal attrition, there are not enough graduating to also meet the needs caused by the exit from the profession by those who leave the profession for other reasons (Ingersoll et al., 2006).
Some of the other reasons teachers give for exiting the profession include: unsatisfactory working conditions, low wages, lack of respect, and lack of empowerment, among others (Mihans, 2008). Determining the reasons that teachers in a specific region have for leaving the profession, or moving to a different school, would enable those responsible for keeping sufficient math teachers in their schools to make better decisions and possibly changes in policy regarding those things.
Making changes to improve the conditions that cause teachers to leave would naturally make it easier to recruit and retain teachers in all subjects, not just math. Studying the reasons that teachers leave their positions will be of great benefit to schools by providing information to those making policy regarding the teaching profession, district and school administrators, and teacher training programs in colleges.
In addition to the goal of having enough teachers to fill the required number of classrooms, there are other benefits that would result from reducing teacher turnover in schools. High teacher turnover has been linked to greatly increased economic costs related to staffing and to lower student achievement (Crowe, Schaefer, & Barnes, 2006). In these days of increasingly tight school budgets, additional costs can be very detrimental to the operation of the school. Decreasing teacher turnover could result in less money related to staffing being required from the budget. Just as important, less teacher turnover could help increase levels of student achievement.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to determine what mathematics teachers say causes them to stop teaching, or to change schools, specifically in the public school systems in 4 counties in southeast Alabama. Superintendents, principals, and others involved in developing policies relating to teacher preparation, recruitment, working conditions, and/or retention need to know the causes of teacher attrition. Only with this knowledge will improvements be achieved that will encourage mathematics teachers to remain in the profession and, also, in their respective schools. These improvements should have a very positive effect on the results obtained by the teachers in these schools and would provide excellent guidance to other school systems with similar demographics.
Significance of the Study
This study will provide much important and relevant information to the school systems of southeast Alabama to help them develop strategies to recruit and retain math teachers in their schools. Teacher turnover has a great effect on the operation of schools, being linked to economic costs, student achievement levels, teacher-to-administration relations, teacher-to-teacher relations, and more. An increase in student achievement would be very helpful in meeting the goals of the No Child Left Behind act, the state student achievement progress goals, and the goal of increasing the high school graduation rate in the schools. It also could have an impact on the teacher training programs in the region.
Definition of Terms
Attrition refers to the reduction in the number of teachers.
Turnover refers to the number of teachers who stop teaching or move from one school to another. Likert Scale refers to a type of virtually equal-interval-based, multiple-choice question, using strongly agree to strongly disagree responses.
Limitations and Delimitations
This study will be limited to the public high schools in four counties in southeast Alabama: Houston, Dale, Pike, and Henry. It will further be limited to the certified public school mathematics teachers teaching in grades 7 - 12 who either stop teaching or leave one school and move to another during the three school years immediately preceding the date of the survey for any reason.
Hypothesis
The researcher predicts that the unique demographics of this geographic area will result in some significant differences in the most common reasons for math teachers leaving the profession in this region when compared to the reasons most frequently cited in other regions.

Chapter II
Review of Literature
Teacher Attrition
Many studies have shown that there is likely to be a critical teacher attrition rate in the coming years at both the elementary and secondary levels. It is generally believed that the main causes of this attrition rate are the rising number of students combined with the rising number of teachers reaching retirement age. However, research shows that teachers who leave the profession before retirement or move to different schools result in a significant amount of teacher turnover (Ingersoll, 2007). Consequently, schools frequently have “an unstable workforce that negatively impacts student, teacher, and school success” (National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF), 2006, p.1).
This drain on the teacher supply also drains the budgets of school systems, forcing them to spend additional funds to find replacements for the lost teachers. It has also been shown that high teacher turnover rates result in lower achievement scores for the students in effected schools (Shakrani, 2008). Teacher turnover is of particular concern in certain fields, including math and science, since there are generally fewer new teachers who graduate with certificates in those fields than most others. Therefore, finding ways to retain math and science teachers is an especially important area of research (NCTAF, 2006). Issues in Teacher Retention
According to Mihans (2008), “the five most commonly cited issues in teacher retention” are low salaries, lack of mentoring programs, lack of administrative support, poor working conditions, and lack of professional autonomy. Other reasons that have been mentioned in teacher attrition studies include student discipline problems, family or personal conditions, desire to change careers, (Ingersoll et al., 2006) lack of respect (Koplowski, 2008), staffing action, and to obtain additional education.
Interestingly, there was no significant difference found between the most important reasons math and science teachers gave for leaving and other teachers who left teaching employment in the Teacher Follow-up Survey (2004-05) of the Schools and Staffing Survey administered by the National Center for Educational Statistics. The only exception was that math and science teachers were more likely to leave for better pay or benefits (Hampden-Thompson, Herring, & Kienzl, 2008). This leads credence to the marketability theory of teacher attrition. This is the theory that teachers who possess more of the abilities that are valued by the business community are most likely to leave the profession to obtain larger salaries and better benefits (Pigge & Marso, 1996).
“What keeps some teachers in the profession while others leave?” is obviously a question of importance to administrators and other education policy makers. Although studies show that math teachers are more likely to leave the profession for economic reasons than teachers in some other fields, it is not the sole factor in the decision to leave for all math teachers. Many researchers have found that teachers who leave teaching to take other jobs report having lower work load and less stress. Lowering teacher workloads by reducing class sizes, for example, and lowering stress levels, through such things as better student discipline, would be very helpful in reducing teacher turnover caused by burnout (Rosenow, 2005).
Teachers who leave the profession to take other positions also report that they have more control over their working conditions at their new jobs, increasing their sense of autonomy. They report that while teaching, they often had little input into the conditions that exist in their schools and classrooms (Ingersoll et al., 2006).
It has been found that an extremely important factor in teacher retention is the quality of the leadership in a school. One example of this comes from a survey of 21,000 educators in Kansas which showed that “the No. 1 reason that teachers stay in the classroom is leadership (Rothschild, 2006, ¶ 1).”
Another example of this comes from the testimony of the teachers at Lincoln Elementary School in Mount Vernon, New York. Lincoln is a multiple race, low income school that would normally not be expected to compete well with other schools in the district, but has become one of the top performing schools in the district under the leadership of principal George Albano. Teachers there credit the leadership of Albano for the success of the school and the record of almost no teacher turnover during his tenure of over twenty years. “He manages the school in such a way that teachers can do their best (“It’s being done,” 2005, p. 1).” Conclusion
The existing literature provides much insight into the causes of teacher turnover from a nationwide perspective. There are also a few studies in smaller geographic areas. Missing from this body of research, however, is a study in a region with demographics similar to those found in the four counties in Alabama that are the subject of this study.

Chapter III

Methodology

The high cost of teacher turnover, both in financial terms and in terms of student

academic achievement, is well-documented in the current research. The current growth in the

rate of teacher attrition is also well-established. This study seeks to examine the reasons that

those mathematics teachers in southeast Alabama who leave their positions, or even the

profession, give for making this decision and to compare those reasons given by teachers

in other areas in the United States.

Research Questions

1. What are the reasons that public school mathematics teachers give for leaving their positions

in Houston, Dale, Pike, and Henry counties during the three years prior to the survey?

2. What reasons given by mathematics teachers in those counties for leaving are the same

as those given by teachers in other regions?

3. Is school leadership as great an influence on public school math teachers leaving in this

region as in others?

4. How much of a factor is salary in the decision of math teachers to leave a position in this

region when compared with other regions?

5. Do working conditions cause as much teacher turnover in mathematics here as in other areas?

Population

This study focuses on the public school math teachers who left their positions in

the three school years prior to the survey in Houston, Dale, Pike, and Houston counties in

southeast Alabama.

Data Collection

Teachers will be contacted by mail after obtaining their names and addresses from their

respective boards of education. A survey will then be conducted. After the survey is completed,

the teacher will mail it to the researcher in an envelope with postage pre-paid by the researcher.

Completed surveys will be analyzed by the researcher to determine the number of each

type of response.

Instrumentation and Data Analysis

The survey will consist of several questions with predetermined answers that will use a

Likert scale to calculate the individual teacher’s responses. The responses will be compared to

the responses given by the teachers in previous surveys, such as the Teacher Follow-up Survey

(TFS) of 2004-05 to the Schools and Staffing Survey administered by the National Center for

Education Statistics (NCES), a Study of the Factors Contributing to the Attrition Rate of Public

School Teachers in Texas by Marshall (2002), the 2007 Mississippi Teacher Working Condition

Survey, the 2006 Teaching and Learning Conditions Survey to the Clarke County School

District And Clark County Education Association of North Carolina, and the Relative Pay and

Teacher Retention in Miami-Dade County Public Schools: Summary of Research of 2004.

The researcher will use SPSS (Statistical Package of Social Sciences) to analyze data.

The process that will be used is cross tabulation and chi square to analyze the ordinal data from

the survey.

Ethical Considerations

The researcher will present the proposal to the IRB to determine if ethical conditional

have not been validated. The respective boards of education of the public schools in Henry,

Houston, Dale, and Pike counties will be fully briefed on all aspects of the research study. They

will be asked to contact by mail, at the researcher’s expense, the teachers in their systems that

meet the criteria of the study by mailing a survey, including a complete explanation to the

purpose of the study, to them. All teachers’ names and responses will be kept strictly

confidential, with the names known only to the board of education of each teacher.

References

Crowe, E., Schaefer, B., & Barnes, G. (2006, October). “The cost of teacher turnover in k-12 science and mathematics: What we know and what we need to know.” Paper presented at the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future Symposium on the Scope and Consequences of K-12 Science and Mathematics Teacher Turnover, Racine, WI. Retrieved from http://nctaf.org.zeus.silvertech.net/documents/CostofTeacherTurnover-NSFMeeting.pdf.
Hampden-Thompson, G., Herring, W. L., & Kienzl, G. (2008). “Attrition of public school mathematics and science teachers.” Issue Brief from the National Center for Educational Statistics. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008077
Ingersoll, R. M. (2007, April). “Teaching science in the 21st century: The science and mathematics teacher shortage: Fact and myth.” NSTA WebNews Digest. Retrieved from http://www.nsta.org/publications/newa/story.aspx?id=53821
Ingersoll, R. M., Perda, D., & The Consortium for Policy Research in Education, (2006, October). “What the data tells us about shortages of mathematics and science teachers.” Paper presented at the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future Symposium on the Scope and Consequences of K-12 Science and Mathematics Teacher Turnover, Racine, WI. Retrieved from http://nctaf.org.zeus.silvertech.net/documents/
WhatTheDataTellUSAboutShortages.pdf.
“It’s being done.” (2005, July 5). A Newsletter of the Achievement Alliance, Vol.1. Retrieved from http://www.achievementalliance.org/files/alert7_files/page0002.htm
Koplowski, C. (2008, February). ”Why they leave.” NEA Today. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/12630.htm
Mihans, R. (2008). “Can teachers lead teachers?” Phi Delta Kappan, 89(10). Retrieved from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/comsite5/bin/aml_landing_tt.pl?purchase_type=
ITM&ite…
National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (2006, October). Symposium on the Scope and Consequences of K-12 Science and Mathematics Teacher Turnover. “Meeting Summary.” Racine, WI. Retrieved from http://nctaf.org.zeus.silvertech.net/documents/
MeetingSummary_00.pdf
Pigge, F. L., & Marso, R. N. (1996, April). “Academic aptitude and ability characteristics of candidates teaching and not teaching five years after graduation.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY. (Reproduction supplied by EDRS)
Rosenow, D. (2005). “Stress, burnout and self-esteem among educators.” The Journal of Border Educational Research, 4(1), 89-94. Retrieved from http://209.85.229.132/
search?q=cache.BrQeVtqTPRIJ:www.tamiu.edu/-brown/pdfs/JBER…
Rothschild, S. (2006, August 6). “Leadership crucial in teacher retention.” Journal-World, Lawrence, KS. Retrieved from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/comsite5/bin/
aml_landing_tt.pl?purchase_type=ITM&ite…
Shakrani, S. (2008). “Teacher turnover: Costly crisis, solvable problem.” Education Policy
Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. (ERIC document retrieval services No. ED 502130)

Effects of Secondary Extracurricular Activities on College Freshmen Academic Success

Effects on Nationally Normed Test Caused By the Duration of Time

Monday, April 27, 2009

BIBLE BOOM: A COMPARISON OF DISCIPLINARY REFERRALS IN ALABAMA PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS THAT OFFER THE BIBLE AND ITS INFLUENCE AND SCHOOLS THAT DO NOT TEACH

BIBLE BOOM: A COMPARISON OF DISCIPLINARY REFERRALS IN ALABAMA PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS THAT OFFER THE BIBLE AND ITS INFLUENCE AND SCHOOLS THAT DO NOT TEACH THE BIBLE

A proposal

Presented to the

Graduate Faculty of

Troy University

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for

EDU 6691

By
Anthony May

Chapter I
Introduction
Problem Statement
The first American school was established in 1643 nearly 150 years before the establishment of the United States. For nearly 320 years this establishment was built upon and cornered around teaching of the Holy Bible. In 1963 a Supreme Court ruling (School District of Abington Township v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203,225) decided it was “unconstitutional” to continue the practice of teaching the Bible in public schools. The book that has been circulating longer than any book in history and gives a narrative on the creation of earth and the human race was asked to be removed from public schools. The book that teaches to be generous and kind while treating others better than yourself was asked to be removed from public schools. The book that teaches to be consumed with a spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22) was asked to be removed from public schools. Thou shall not commit murder, steal, commit adultery, thou shall honor thy father and mother, etc; get it out! That makes sense doesn’t it?
This study will evaluate the number of disciplinary referrals of students who are enrolled in schools that offer the approved course The Bible in History and Literature in the state of Alabama and students who are not enrolled in those schools.
Purpose of the Study
This study is to determine whether there is a significant difference in disciplinary referrals for Alabama high school students who attend schools that offer the state approved curriculum on teaching the Bible and Alabama high school students who attend schools that don’t offer the state approved curriculum on teaching the Bible.
This study will investigate the amount of any type of disciplinary referral to all students in a school whether they attend a school that offers Bible curriculum or a school that does not offer Bible curriculum. Percentages and mean scores will be calculated on students that actually attend the Bible class to give contrast to the direct correlation of the affect of the subject area and the indirect affect of the subject area.
Significance of the Study
A few years ago an FCA group at Opelika High School in Alabama decided they wanted their school to be a better place. Every athlete would make sure that no one sat alone at lunch or break. If they saw someone sitting alone they would go sit with them and engage in conversation. What seemed like an innocent act that was motivated by the teachings in the Bible turned out to affect the entire school. Fights decreased by 75% and disciplinary referrals dropped over 50%.
Whether society is influenced negatively or positively by the extraction of God and the Bible is a study that would be difficult at best to determine. There are many variables that would affect social behaviors and morals. This study will enlighten us to whether students’ behaviors are affected or influenced by Biblical teachings.
Definition of Terms
Bible – the Christian Bible inspired as the Word of God; 66 books: 39 from the Old Testament, 27 from the New Testament.
God – the one God. God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.
Curriculum – a set of courses, and their content, offered at a school.
Direct Influence – students’ behavioral outcome that is actively involved in the class The Bible: In History and Literature.
Indirect Influence – students’ behavioral outcome that is enrolled in a school that offers the state approved curriculum for The Bible: In History and Literature but not actively involved with the class.
Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) - the largest Christian sports organization in America. FCA focuses on serving local communities by equipping, empowering and encouraging people to make a difference for Christ.
Limitations and Delimitations
This study will be limited to Alabama schools that offer The Bible: In History and Literature and schools of the same size that do not offer the course. The Alabama Board of Education has allowed any of the over 500 high schools to offer the course. At this time less than 10% of schools are offering this approved curriculum.
This study does not intend to investigate practices of religion or prayer in schools but to simply see if the influence of the Bible affects students behavior overall.
This study will not be limited to any student in the schools that offer the approved state curriculum. All students’ disciplinary referrals will be accounted for. The data will be disaggregated however to show to direct impact to students and the indirect impact.
Hypothesis
Students’ behavior is positively affected by offering the elective The Bible: In History and Literature whether directly or indirectly. Students, whether they take the class or not, have fewer behavior problems in the form of disciplinary referrals than students who are in a school that does not offer the course.

Chapter II
Review of Literature
Violent Crime Data
FBI Unified Crime Reports (2008) suggest violent crimes since 1963 have increased from 168.2 per 100,000 inhabitants to 466.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. A study by Presser and Stinson (2001) suggest that the percentage of adults who actually attended religious services during the previous weekend dropped from 42% in 1965 to 26% in 1994.
Our schools and our society have dismissed and excused God and the Bible from our lives. Our culture has thrived and prospered on the laws and teaching of scripture. God is stamped on our money, embedded in our pledge of allegiance, and is the essence of our constitution. We have thrown out the cornerstone to our success and prosperity while, ironically, the Bible teaches the history of God’s people and what happens to their livelihood when they become arrogant and dismiss God from their culture. Our public schools are being abandoned for private schools (schools that teach Christianity), our government leaders are corrupt, and our economy is failing. History repeats itself. The Bible also shows the trend of how God’s people (the Israelites) continued on a vicious cycle of returning to captivity. After coming out of Egypt the Israelites were taken into captivity hundreds of years later into Babylon and Syria. The Israelites constant rebelliousness from God leads them into a history of slavery. Maybe my high school history teacher wasn’t just giving me empty reasons to stay awake. (Bible, 2001)
Religious Tolerance
“Americans misreport how often they vote, how much they give to charity, and how frequently they use illegal drugs. People are not entirely accurate in their self-reports about other areas as well. Males exaggerate their number of sexual partners; university workers are not very honest about reporting how many photocopies they make. Actual attendance at museums, symphonies and operas does not match survey results. We should not expect religious behavior to be immune to such misreporting." Kirk Hadaway (1993), a sociologist at the United Church of Christ.
Ask any teacher what would influence their classroom success and students’ behavior will be in the top three, number one in my school. About 40% of Americans lie about going to church. Why? Guilt? Needing to fit in? Wanting to be a part? There isn’t a concrete answer but being able to manage a students’ behavior by simply adding an elective that teaches this subject that almost half of Americans want to be a part of subconsciously sounds appealing to teachers who want successful classrooms. If this study’s outcome is valid we could have a foothold to getting our classrooms in order. Next would be the students’ outlook on their potential thus influencing their motivation and drive. Ultimately our schools could produce citizens that give back and contribute to the good of our state, nation, and world. (Boles, 1965)
Biblical History
The Holy Bible (2001) is the longest circulating book in recorded history. The Old Testament was written from approximately 1500 BC to 400 BC then was followed by 400 years of silence until Jesus Christ, who was prophesied to come throughout the Old Testament, returned and began the movement of Christianity. The New Testament was written from 40 AD to about 90 AD where the cannon of scriptures were closed with the book of Revelation. (Bible, 2001)
Scribes would methodically copy word for word and count every word sentence and paragraph to ensure accuracy and wholeness so the books would be preserved and passed down without flaw. If one error were made the scroll would be destroyed completely.
The Case for Teaching the Bible
Where the argument of “Separation of Church and State” and whether Biblical teaching in public schools is constitutional rages on one argument for teaching the Bible is Americans attitude towards the Bible and the ignorance about it that ensues.
A Religious Literacy poll shows that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the Bible answers “all or most of life’s basic questions” while on the same token only about half of U.S. adults can name one of the books of the Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) while most cannot even identify that Genesis is the first book of the Bible. (Van Biema, 1996)
This book is not only the longest publish book in history but it is also the best seller each and every year. I don’t recall seeing that fancy “New York Times Best Seller” sticker on the cover. The Bible is deemed as the most influential book in history. Forget learning the religion, this book has the depth to increase students’ understanding of history, Greek and Hebrew translation, and comprehension of advanced subject matter. Students of many varying backgrounds are enrolled in the Bible classes in a Texas High School. One student, Rachel Williams, who is an atheist, takes the class to broaden her horizon and “If somebody is going to carry on a sophisticated conversation with me, I would rather know what they're talking about than look like a moron or fight my way through it," she says.(Van Biema, 1996)
The Bible, Religion, and the Public Schools
Both sides of the case of the Bible in schools have been argued well before the Supreme Court ruled against the school systems and removed prayer and scripture readings. Our country was founded on the basis of religious persecution (Fenwick, 1989). People fled towards this country to worship God without fear of government thus deciding that government cannot establish a religion. The side against Biblical reading has a valid point that one shouldn’t be forced to read the Bible in school however this was what the founders of this country established. That being said, Biblical principles do not force one upon a relationship with God but only implies our necessity to His grace and mercy. Religion should not be forced down someone’s throat but a person’s discomfort of the material should not render it void from everywhere they want to go and be a part of.
The history of this country and the basis of our beliefs must be examined to fully understand the motive and methods behind required reading of scriptures. Simply tossing out the cornerstones of the principles of our country can and will cause the ruin of our schools, economics, and our social structure.
Should the Children Pray
“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country.” This is the prayer that was written by the New York State Board of Regents (Fenwick, 1989) that got all of the dust stirred up and cause ten students to file a lawsuit that ultimately lead to the Supreme Court. Even though the prayer was carefully considered so all faiths would be included, few did not appreciate the sentiment. Dr. Franklin Clark Fry (Fenwick, 1989), President of the Lutheran Church in America, was quoted “When the positive content of faith has been bleached out of a prayer, I am not too concerned about retaining what is left.” There are so many people that find hope, comfort, and peace in a religion and when faced with Christianity find meaning, purpose, and love as well, however when a few do not see the beauty in any of religion there is some overwhelming need to please the minority no matter the outcome of the majority.
Summary
A war wages on about restoring Biblical teaching to public schools vs. removing even more signs of Christianity. Both sides seem soft to the others point whether they admit it or not. People against the Bible in schools cannot ignore the number of violent crime and decay of society and wonder if there really is something to all this “religious stuff”. On the other hand Christians want their religion in all aspects of their lives but are apologetic about it and doesn’t want to make anyone mad. The overwhelming consensus is the Bible in and of itself is powerfully influential and teaches good morals and actions.
So where do we go from here? Is the Bible bad enough until things actually get bad and is the Bible good enough but can be sacrificed for the ease of a minorities self health? There is a long history of trying to remove God from our society but does that out-weigh the even longer history of the teachings of the Bible?

CHAPTER III
Methodology
A quantitative approach will be used to analyze whether schools that implement the curriculum that teaches about the Bible using The Bible and Its Influence affects, either directly or indirectly, the disciplinary actions of students.
Research Questions
1. What is the ratio of disciplinary referrals to student numbers for the entire student body for schools that do not utilize The Bible and Its Influence as a curriculum?
2. What is the ratio of disciplinary referrals to student numbers for the entire student body for a schools that utilize The Bible and Its Influence as a curriculum?
3. What is the ratio of disciplinary referrals for students who participate in The Bible and Its Influence as a course?
4. Is there a significant difference in the number of disciplinary referrals in schools that teach The Bible and Its Influence as a course to those schools that do not teachThe Bible and Its Influence as a course?
5. Can the number of student future disciplinary referrals be predicted by whether a school teaches The Bible and Its Influence as a course?
Population
Schools from Southeast Alabama will be selected and differentiated by whether the Bible curriculum is taught in that system. The schools chosen will contain the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades. Gender and race will be noted but will not be included in the overall study because the desired results are the overall affect of the Bible curriculum.
Data Collection
The disciplinary referrals will be collected from each school for the past three years. Students will be identified as either enrolled in the Bible curriculum or not enrolled in the Bible curriculum. Students names, demographics, or backgrounds is necessary in the data collection thus only numbers are needed.
Instrumentation
Microsoft SPSS will be used as database collection software to analyze trends and organize data. SPSS will also be used to determine predictions of future trends in disciplinary referrals by utilizing regression analysis and Pearson’s r will be used to determine if there is a correlation between the variables.
Data Analysis
A Pearson’s r correlation will be used to analyze trends in student’s behavior. Regression analysis will be used in predicting future trends in students’ behavior. If no significant difference is found, the null hypothesis will be accepted. If there is evidence as to whether implementing the Bible curriculum affects student behavior through means of disciplinary referrals then the alternate hypothesis will be accepted and the null hypothesis will be rejected. The null hypothesis will be accepted if p>.05. If p,.05 then the alternative hypothesis will be accepted.
Ethical Treatment of Population
No student will be harmed or identified in this study. Only number of disciplinary referrals or the severity of the referral will be collected for students as a whole in schools that do not offer the Bible curriculum and students as a whole in schools that do offer the Bible curriculum along with student groups who actually take the course.

References
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. 2001, Crossway Bibles.
Good News Publishers.
Fenwick, Lynda Beck. Should the Children Pray?: A Historical, Judicial, and Political
Examination of Public School Prayer. 1989. Markham Press Fund of Baylor.
Boles, Donald E. The Bible, Religion, and the Public Schools. 1965.
Iowa State University Press.
United States Crime Rates 1960-2007. FBI Crime Reports. Copyright 2008. Retrieved from
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm
Presser and Stinson. Church Attendance Studies. 1994 (more references cited on site). Retrieved
from http://www.religioustolerancc.org/rel_rate.htm
Van Biema, David. The Case for Teaching the Bible. Time Magazine Online. 1996. Retrieved
from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1601845-1,00.html

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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Effects of Secondary Extracurricular Activities on College Freshmen Academic Success

Effects on Nationally Normed Test Caused By the Duration of Time That Japanese Children Study Abroad

A Comparative Study of Why Math Teachers Leave the Profession in Southeast Alabama

Effects of Secondary Extracurricular Activities on College Freshmen Academic Success

Effects on Nationally Normed Test Caused By the Duration of Time

Monday, April 27, 2009

BIBLE BOOM: A COMPARISON OF DISCIPLINARY REFERRALS IN ALABAMA PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS THAT OFFER THE BIBLE AND ITS INFLUENCE AND SCHOOLS THAT DO NOT TEACH

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