Abstract
The Problem. Many public secondary schools are having trouble with student truancy, dropouts, and student attitude toward the school. In addition, public secondary schools are being criticized for not teaching those skills or competencies which a student will have to master in order to function effectively as an adult. The California Competency Based Adult Diploma Model was developed to provide guidelines to schools that wish to redesign their delivery systems to provide educational programs which would teach life skills in an individualized manner. It was hoped that this model would also help to lower truancy and dropout rates and foster positive student attitudes in field test schools. Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to compare seven areas of attitudes toward the school environment, and attendance patterns of students in a competency based high school to the same attitudes areas and attendance patterns of students enrolled in a comparison comprehensive high school. Variables of grades, gender, teacher, and age were analyzed to see if they made any difference on the attitudes and attendance patterns of both groups of students. English grades, absences, and attitudes of students were taken from both schools during the same spring semester. Null hypotheses were formulated to determine if there were significant differences between the two schools in any of the attitude areas or in attendance. Methodology. A factorial design was chosen as the analysis format for this study. The statistical technique used was multivariate analysis of variance. Using matched groups, fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen year old students were studied who were enrolled in English in a competency based high school and a comparison comprehensive high school. The comparison comprehensive high school was selected because it was in a community with similar ethnic and economic background. Students selected for the study from within that school were from the same age groups, and were of similar academic level as the CBE students. The School Sentiment Index, was used as the survey instrument for measuring student attitude. Findings. Students in the competency based school had significantly higher attitude scores than did students of similar backgrounds enrolled in a comprehensive high school. The only exception was in the area of attitude toward peers and school in general. Students at the CBE campus also had significantly better attendance records than did students at the comprehensive high school. Teachers made a significant difference in both student attitude and attendance. There was no significant difference found by gender in either attitude or attendance. Age made a significant difference in school attendance and in attitude toward authority and toward school in general. Conclusions. Results of this study and others reviewed in the literature seem to support the hypothesis that students attending competency based/alternative schools will generally have better attitudes and attendance than students in a traditional comprehensive high school. The Hudson School and other schools recently researched, such as Learning Unlimited and Project DEEP, have small school environments, individualized instruction, and a high degree of student involvement in the operation of the school. Since it appears that better attendance and attitudes occur when the above conditions are present, school administrators should be aware of these implications. In some districts, due to declining enrollment, high schools are being closed and the remaining high schools' student bodies are being enlarged. Results of this study would indicate that some other solutions to declining enrollment should also be considered.