Research on Adventist Education by Jerome Thayer, Andrews University NAD K-12 Teachers

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Research on Adventist Educationby Jerome
Thayer, Andrews UniversityNAD K-12 Teachers
ConventionNashville, Tennessee August 7, 2006
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Types of Studies

• Student Outcomes
• Staying in the church
• Dissertations
• Minder
• Rice
• Epperson
• Values
• Major studies
• Valuegenesis - Hancock Center (I and II)
• Avance (NAD and PR)
• Dissertation
• Carlson
• Cognitive achievement
• Dissertation
• Pawluk
• Other studies
• CognitiveGenesis
• Thayer (2 studies)
• Constituent Opinion

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Dissertation 1

• Warren Minder 1985
• No Adventist education 51 stayed in the church
• All Adventist education 98 stayed in the church

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Dissertation 2

• Robert Rice 1990
• 13 year longitudinal study
• Public high school graduates 37 stayed in the
  church
• SDA academy graduates 77 stayed in the church

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Dissertation 3

• Jim Epperson 1990
• No Adventist education 58 stayed in the church
  
• Some Adventist education 79 stayed in the
  church

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Dissertation 4

• Steve Pawluk 1992
• ITBS CogAT
• No difference between students in multi-grade
  classrooms and students in single-grade
  classrooms on ITBS after controlling for CogAT

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Valuegenesis

• Data 4 studies
• Valuegenesis I 1990
• Avance (NAD) 1994
• Avance (Puerto Rico) 1995
• Valuegenesis II 2000
• Variables
• Dependent variables
• faith maturity, denominational loyalty
• Independent variables
• Church, home, school, personal characteristics

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Dissertation 5

• Richard Carlson 1996
• Replication of the Valuegenesis study using both
  students from Adventist academies and public high
  schools
• No difference between the two groups in faith
  maturity or denominational loyalty after
  controlling for home and church background

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Personal Research Related to Adventist K-12
Schools
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Study 1 1978

• Subjects
• 7,768 students in grades 2-8
• 1974-1977 ITBS/CogAT scores
• Reference
• Will My Child Suffer Scholastically in Church
  School A Report of Achievement in SDA
  Elementary Schools. Adventist Review, 1978.
• Questions
• Level of achievement controlled for ability
• Differences based on
• Amount of SDA schooling
• School size

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Results of 1978 Study

• Overall achievement 1 month above national
  average
• The more years in Adventist schools, the higher
  the achievement
• After controlling for ability, those with all SDA
  schooling were 2 months ahead of those with no
  previous schooling
• Students in 1-2 teacher schools were 0.5-2.0
  months ahead of those in 3 teacher schools after
  controlling for ability

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Study 2 1992

• Subjects
• 20,515 students in grades 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12
• 1989-1992 SDA Religion Achievement Test scores
• Reference
• What We Have Learned About Religious Education
  From the Religion Achievement Test Results. A
  Report Prepared for the North American Division
  Commission on Religious Education. 1992.
• Available at CIRCLE (http//circle.adventist.org)
• Questions
• Achievement on the desired cognitive outcomes of
  the SDA Bible/Religion curriculum
• Differences based on
• Fundamental Belief classification
• SDA school background
• SDA home background

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Results of 1992 Study

• Good results
• Overall good learning
• Equally high on understanding and application
  items as on knowledge items
• Good Home Effect
• 13 average 375 of 490 items with good home
  effect
• Good School Effect
• 8 average 328 or 490 items with good school
  effect
• Specific areas need improvement

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Results of 1992 Study

• Areas for improvement
• No change over the four years
• Tests results were not being used
• Some Fundamental Beliefs were quite low
• 33 of the items showed poor learning
• 19 items had no school effect and a moderate to
  large negative home effect
• 10 items had a negative school effect and either
  a negative or no positive home effect
• Many items had a substantial number of students
  (20-50) with a common misconception

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(No Transcript)
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Misconception Example Grade 8
What was the purpose of Ellen Whites inspired
writings?
SDA Home SDA Home SDA School SDA School
Low High Low High
4 3 3 1 To show how other religions were wrong.
9 3 3 1 To correct errors in the Bible
20 21 21 23 To tell us about new doctrines not found in the Bible.
68 73 73 75 To lead people to God.
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Study 3 2005CognitiveGenesis Pilot Study

• Subjects
• 7,567 students in grades 3-8
• 2004 ITBS scores parent and teacher surveys
• No CogAT in the Pilot Study
• Questions
• Level of achievement
• Controlled for
• Parent level of education
• Family income

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Overall Achievement
NCE means 54.05 58.07 (50 average)
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Effect of Multi-grade Classrooms
No difference between students based on number of
grades in the classroom 1 grade/class 2
grades/class 3 grades/class after controlling
for Parent level of education Family
income SDA home background Home language
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Effect of Class Size
No difference between students based on class
size 1-3 students/grade 4-8 students/grade 9-1
5 students/grade 16-38 students/grade
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Effect of Number of Years in SDA School
8th grade students Yrs in an SDA school makes a
big difference
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Study 4 2002

• Subjects
• 288 parents Illinois Conference
• Phone survey
• Questions
• Attitudes concerning Adventist schools
• Specific issues related to the conference

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Study 5 2004

• Subjects
• 280 parents Wisconsin Conference
• Phone survey
• Questions
• Attitudes concerning Adventist schools
• Specific issues related to the conference

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Study 6 2004

• Subjects
• 199 parents Texas Conference
• Phone survey
• 87 pastors Texas Conference
• Questionnaire
• 144 teachers and administrators Texas
  Conference
• Questionnaire
• Questions
• Attitudes concerning Adventist schools
• Specific issues related to the conference

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Study 7 2005

• Subjects
• 540 parents Southern New England Conference
• Phone survey
• Questions
• Attitudes concerning Adventist schools
• Specific issues related to the conference

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Study 8 2006

• Subjects
• 3,801 students in grades 2-8
• 1995-2004 ITBS/CogAT scores
• Research Design
• Longitudinal (students matched from year to year)
• Questions
• Level of achievement controlled for ability
• Differences based on
• Amount of SDA schooling
• School size
• Class size

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Results by GradeComposite Score
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One Year Change Longitudinal (Same Students)
Mean Change 1.66
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Two Year Change Longitudinal
Mean Change 3.40
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Three Year Change Longitudinal
Mean Change 4.08
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Four Year Change Longitudinal
Mean Change 4.46
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Five Year Change Longitudinal
Mean Change 6.80
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Effect of School Size (Multi-grade) on One Year
Change All Grades
No Significant Difference
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Effect of Class Size on One Year Change All
Grades
No Significant Difference
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Effect of Beginning Achievement Level on One Year
Change
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Effect of Beginning Achievement Level on Three
Year Change
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Results for All SubtestsOne Year Change - All
Grades
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One Year Change Composite
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One Year Change Language-Total
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One Year Change Sources of Information-Referenc
e Materials
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One Year Change Mathematics Computation