The restructuring of a junior high school into a middle school in a rural setting.

Abstract

The process of restructuring a junior high school into a middle school is the central focus of the study. The study investigated the relationship between junior high school and middle school. It emphasizes that the change process can occur successfully when approached methodically. It was hypothesized that a middle school with a grade configuration of grades 6-8 would be more effective than a junior high school with grades 7-8. The review of the literature incorporated a history of middle level education studies, a review of major reports on middle education and a review of middle level change processes. Affective and cognitive domains of education at the middle level were examined. Selected variables were analyzed to determine their effect. Subjects included students and staff members randomly selected from Safford Junior High School and Safford Middle School in Safford, Arizona. A survey was also sent to every registered voter of Graham County. Seventy-five percent of the teaching staff in the school was selected to complete the additional survey instruments describing the educational environment at the school before and after the change. Because the population was limited to the citizens and students of Graham County in Arizona, results are generalizable only to the extent that another population is similar. Further research into the relationship of these constructs, including observational studies and studies providing for external verification of both the junior high school and the middle school would be beneficial.