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impact of pupil control ideology on students' dropout rates as perceived by administrative staff in selected 4-A high schools in Texas
Impact of pupil control ideology on students' dropout rates as perceived by administrative staff in selected four-A high schools in Texas
The major purpose of this study was to determine the impact of pupil control ideology on students' dropout rates as perceived by administrative staff in selected 4-A high schools in Texas. Student dropout rates in Texas have been a serious problem in recent years. One important reason for the lack of student success in Texas schools has been student alienation due to poor school climates. Research has shown that administrators play an important role in shaping school climate, which has a significant impact on a student's decision whether to remain in school or drop out. This descriptive and correlational study focused on the relationship of pupil control ideology of 141 administrative staff members from 22 selected 4-A high schools in Texas on student campus dropout rates as reported to the Texas Education Agency. The high schools were randomly selected from among school districts having 40% minority students and a similar taxable value per pupil ranging from $125,000 to $225,000 per pupil. The Pupil Control Index (PCI) measured humanistic and custodial ideologies of the participants. The literature suggested that more humanistic orientations among administrators would be related to student retention and thus lower dropout rates in the schools. The Pearson r correlation coefficient was calculated for each item on the PCI. Contrary to what was expected, there was no significant relationship between administrative staff PCI scores and school district dropout rates. While this research reveals no statistical relationship between pupil control ideology and dropout rates in selected Texas 4-A school districts, the implications are numerous in the theoretic literature on school climate. Keeping students in school clearly hinges on a relationship between climate and school dropouts. Administrators should be positive role models who end disparaging remarks and relationships between faculty and students. They must be the facilitators who guide teachers through selected in-service and training to create a more humanistic orientation to improve the social climate of the school. Clearly, the low Academic Excellence Indicator System dropout rate may be misleading and perhaps was a caused factor in the outcome of this research.
"Major Subject: Educational Administration".
Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilm Inc.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-120).