Elementary third and fourth grade classrooms were found to be primarily structured in two configurations. Self-contained classrooms are structured with one teacher teaching all academic subjects to his or her students and departmentalized classrooms are structured with two teachers teaching a portion of the academic subjects to two classrooms. These structures were found to coexist in one large urban district with whole schools operating under the self-contained structure or departmentalized structure. A review of the literature found that proponents of each of these structures have existed in American schools for more than seventy years and support for each has been sustained. Utilizing ex post facto research methodology, this quantitative study gathered benchmark and state testing data in mathematics and science to identify patterns in achievement based on classroom structures. 

This comes from pages 82-87.

CHAPTER V

Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations

    As we have entered the 21st century much has changed in regard to all aspects of life. Schooling and education have not changed as much as the world around us. Much of what Dewey (1916) wrote in Democracy of Education still points to our needs and goals of education that are not being met. Schmoker (2006) in Results Now defined a gap that exists between what we know to do and what we actually do. Schmoker (2006) called this the knowing-doing gap. Mahatma Gandhi (as quoted in Sparks, 2007) stated, “The difference between what we are doing and what we’re capable of doing would solve most of the world’s problems” (p. 11).

    Common language uttered around the schools and districts in America includes the terminology “data-driven decision making” and are critical words to use when interviewing for any position in educational leadership. However, when we honesty deconstruct what is actually being done in schools as compared to what we know to do, the gap exists despite the claims to making decisions based on data. Educational leaders continue to make decisions from the gut, tradition, and personal feelings and the status quo continues. When systems of conducting the business of schools are providing buffers to the knowing and the changing of school structures and practices, true changes to improve America’s school and increase authentic learning opportunities for America’s students are severely curtailed.

    The researcher for this study discovered a particular example of this phenomenon where elementary schools were structured in a couple of ways that can be classified into two categories. Elementary school structures existed as self-contained or departmentalized or a combination of both structures within a school. The self-contained structure is commonly defined as a classroom where the students have one teacher that teaches all academic subjects to their assigned students. The departmentalized structure has a few variations. A common definition of the departmentalized classroom structure for elementary school is one in which the students have two teachers. One teacher may teach reading, language arts, and social studies while the other teacher teaches math and science. In this structure students would switch teachers and classrooms mid-day in order to be taught all subjects. Upon looking at this phenomenon more closely the researcher discovered that schools across the nation and around the world can be found with self-contained and departmentalized classroom structures. It was also discovered that the advantages and disadvantages of these structures have been discussed and debated in reference to schools in the United States for at least a century.

    A particular large urban school district was known to exist where the self-contained and departmentalized classroom structure existed in grades three and four with nearly equal division between the structures with slightly more organized around the self-contained structure. The researcher engaged in conversations with a few of the principals and found that several were convinced that the structure for their school was the best and only way based on their beliefs that their chosen structure was directly or indirectly linked to student achievement. Gibb and Matala (1962) concluded, “This . . . study also concludes that the proponents of each organization maintain that each is best for similar values—discipline, variety of method and experience, teacher responsibility, and better learning experience” (p. 568). The researcher of this study held his own personal beliefs but also found that few studies existed looking for the effects of these two structures on student achievement. Studies that were found spanned many decades and consistency was not found among the studies. With the high-stakes testing and accountability that has become an all encompassing part of school nearing the end of the first decade of the 21st century, recent and pertinent studies to reexamine the effects of classroom structure were not found. After examining personal inquiry, wondering, and a desire to know, the researcher formulated the research questions that guided this study.

Problem

    A difference in the organizational structure of classrooms in elementary schools within Alief Independent School District existed in grades three and four (A. Wooding, personal communication, October 10, 2008). Some schools had all self-contained classrooms where the teacher taught all subjects, and some schools departmentalized where one teacher taught reading, language arts, and social studies and a second teacher taught math and science (McGrath & Rust, 2002; A. Wooding, personal communication, October 10, 2008). During the day, the students switched classes so that they had opportunities to learn math and science or reading and language arts from the other teacher. The administration and some teachers in these schools within Alief Independent School District believed that their chosen structure was the best; however, an analysis of data to support such claims had not been done (G. Thacker, personal communication, March 25, 2008).

Purpose

    The purpose of this ex post facto study was to analyze test data in mathematics and science of third and fourth grade students within a Alief Independent School District where two structures primarily existed to determine the effect of the classroom structures on student achievement.

    Within this particular district, teachers and administrators disagreed as to which structure was best. Some maintained that one was superior and others maintained that the other was. While beliefs about what is best were deeply entrenched, an examination of student achievement within the two structures had not been done (G. Thacker, personal communication, March 25, 2008). The National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008) reported,

The Panel recommends that research be conducted on the use of full-time mathematics teachers in elementary schools. These would be teachers with strong knowledge of mathematics who would teach mathematics full-time to several classrooms of students, rather than teaching many subjects to one class, as is typical in most elementary classrooms. (p. xxii)

The findings of this study should be used to validate current structural practices where decisions have already been made for self-contained or departmentalized structures, make recommendations for needed changes in practice where the way classrooms are structured do not coincide with findings, initiate conversations about classroom structures, add to the body of literature for best practices for classroom structures for elementary classrooms, and identify areas for continued research, study, or application.

Research Questions

    Specifically, the research questions guiding this study were:

  1. What effect does placement of third grade students in self-contained or departmentalized classrooms have on mathematics and science achievement as measured by state and district assessments with regard to gender, ethnicity, and economic disadvantaged status?
  2. What effect does placement of third grade students in self-contained or departmentalized classrooms have on mathematics and science achievement as measured by state and district assessments with regard to gender and placement in an ESL or bilingual program?
  3. What effect does placement of third grade students in self-contained or departmentalized classrooms have on mathematics and science achievement as measured by state and district assessments with regard to gender and placement in a gifted and talented (GT) program?
  4. What effect does placement of fourth grade students in self-contained or departmentalized classrooms have on mathematics and science achievement as measured by state and district assessments with regard to gender, ethnicity, and economic disadvantaged status?
  5. What effect does placement of fourth grade students in self-contained or departmentalized classrooms have on mathematics and science achievement as measured by state and district assessments with regard to gender and placement in an ESL or bilingual program?
  6. What effect does placement of fourth grade students in self-contained or departmentalized classrooms have on mathematics and science achievement as measured by state and district assessments with regard to gender and placement in a gifted and talented (GT) program?

This study may be purchased at www.amazon.com/author/larryponder.