Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to present, compare, and contrast data collected from rural Georgia educators concerning their beliefs and knowledge of the benefits of student retention. The researcher identified the most common areas of agreement and disagreement among educators concerning grade-level retention. Additionally, the researcher determined if primary teachers, elementary school teachers, and middle school teachers have similar beliefs about student retention. The researcher also attempted to determine if primary teachers, elementary teachers, and middle school teachers have similar or different knowledge of the benefits or problems caused of retention. This quantitative research study was conducted using survey research. The Teacher Retention Belief and Knowledge Questionnaire (TRBKQ) used in this project was used to gather the beliefs and knowledge of rural Georgia educators on retention. The beliefs of primary teachers, elementary teachers, and middle school teachers were compared and contrasted to determine how these educators were similar and different in their views of retention. According to the research gathered during this study, educators tend to support retention as an effective measure for underperforming students. Educators believe retention helps students close the educational gaps, as well aids students to catch up. Additionally, the educators do not always know the research associated with retention. Educators tend to have similar responses when considering factors for retention. However, when it came to beliefs and knowledge, the teacher groups did not always have the same thoughts and practices. Teachers most strongly believed that retention is an effective mean of preventing students from failure in the next grade level. They tended to believe that retention was an effective means of preventing students from facing daily failure in the next higher-grade level. They also tended to believe that retention in grade 6-8 could hurt a child’s self-esteem, but also believed that students should be retained if they fail 2 of the 3 major subject areas. Teachers most strongly disagreed with the statement: Children should never be retained. They also disagreed with the statement that retention in K-5 permanently labels a child. As for the factors that influence retention decisions, the teachers ranked academic performance, ability, and social-emotional maturity as the three most important retention factors. All educators ranked home environment and transient student status as the least important factors in deciding to retain a student.