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Title: Tracking of School Children: a Comparison of Life Outcomes
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Joseph, Alfred Louis |
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Tracking of School Children: a Comparison of Life Outcomes Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, 1995 Cohort(s): NLSY79 Publisher: UMI - University Microfilms, Bell and Howell Information and Learning Keyword(s): Children, Academic Development; Demography; Education; Employment; Family Income; Gender Differences; High School Completion/Graduates; Poverty; Social Work; Vocational Education The practice of ability grouping (tracking) in the schools is thought by many to have adverse effects on children placed in the non-academic or lower tracks. The curriculum and instruction they receive is inferior to that received by students in the academic or higher tracks. This study will look at how the practice of tracking has impacted the lives of school children according to how they were tracked in school. This investigation uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Out of the 12,686 possible cases, random selection was used to create four roughly equal groups of white male, white female, black male and black female respondents. The total number equaled 1,922; all high-school graduates. The data used came from survey year 1991. The variables of interest were grouped into four distinct categories. They were employment, educational, family financial and demographic. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics, chi square, Anova and Ancova were used. For most of the analytic procedures, tracking (academic, general of vocational/commercial) was the predictor variable, the other variables were either categorized as confounding or criterion. Being placed in the academic track seemed to benefit the respondents when it came to employment and educational opportunities. It was also discovered that having a parent, especially a male parent, in certain job categories increased ones chances of being placed in the academic track. Academic track respondents also had better educated parents. In the financial arena, there were no significant differences, at the 0.05 level, due to track placement when hourly rate-of-pay was considered. Significant differences were found among the respondents when annual family income was used as the variable. Respondents in the academic track had much lower poverty rates than those respondents in the general or vocational/commercial. The distribution pattern of black and white respondents over the three tracks differed significantly. Blacks and whites also differed on outcomes within a particular track. For instance, in the academic track, the black female hourly rate-of-pay was 62% of the white female rate. It was slightly better for black males. Their rate was 78% of the white male rate. Similar discrepancies were also found in other tracks over many variables. Academic track placement was a definite advantage. However, same track placement did not guarantee equal outcomes. Race and sex seemed to be powerful influences. Given some of the results, one could conclude that tracking helps to maintain the status quo. This is done by grouping people with similar grounds and ensuring that they are exposed to similar types of educational experiences. This, in turn, greatly influences the types of occupational opportunities they will have. Having their offspring placed in academic tracks would complete the circle. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) |
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Bibliography Citation
Joseph, Alfred Louis. Tracking of School Children: a Comparison of Life Outcomes. Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, 1995. |