Helen Carol Greene. THE ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL EFFECTS OF EARLY
GRADE RETENTION ON FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS. (Under the direction of
Dr. Betty B. Peel) Department of Elementary and Middle Grades Education, December 1997.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the academic, social, and emotional effects
of early grade retention on fourth and fifth grade students. Six subjects from a northeastern North
Carolina elementary school were studied. Subjects consisted of three white females, two white
males, and one black male. Four subjects had been retained in first grade and were
currently enrolled in the fourth grade, one subject had been retained in the second grade and was
currently enrolled in the fifth grade, and one subject had been retained in the first grade and was
currently enrolled in the fifth grade.
Parents, current teachers, and the retaining teachers were interviewed in order to assess
the academic, social, and emotional effects of retention. The subjects’ cumulative files and test
records were also reviewed to assess academic outcomes.
Results of this research indicated retention had a negative impact on the subjects’
emotional adjustment. Retention did not impact social acceptance and adjustment. Retention
did not serve in ensuring academic success, as little or no positive academic outcomes were
determined.
Helen Carol Greene. THE ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL EFFECTS OF EARLY
GRADE RETENTION ON FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS. (Under the direction of
Dr. Betty B. Peel) Department of Elementary and Middle Grades Education, December 1997.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the academic, social, and emotional effects
of early grade retention on fourth and fifth grade students. Six subjects from a northeastern North
Carolina elementary school were studied. Subjects consisted of three white females, two white
males, and one black male. Four subjects had been retained in first grade and were
currently enrolled in the fourth grade, one subject had been retained in the second grade and was
currently enrolled in the fifth grade, and one subject had been retained in the first grade and was
currently enrolled in the fifth grade.
Parents, current teachers, and the retaining teachers were interviewed in order to assess
the academic, social, and emotional effects of retention. The subjects’ cumulative files and test
records were also reviewed to assess academic outcomes.
Results of this research indicated retention had a negative impact on the subjects’
emotional adjustment. Retention did not impact social acceptance and adjustment. Retention
did not serve in ensuring academic success, as little or no positive academic outcomes were
determined.
THE ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL EFFECTS
OF EARLY GRADE RETENTION
ON FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS
A Thesis
Presented to
the Faculty of the Department of Elementary and Middle Grades
East Carolina University
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts in Elementary Education
by
Carol Greene
December 2,1997
THE ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL EFFECTS
OF EARLY GRADE RETENTION
ON FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS
by
Carol Greene
APPROVED BY:
DIRECTOR OF THESIS rSgrlUx'fe (Si
(Dr. Betty Peel)
CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE GRADES. Yja
«*? ilyn Sheerer)
DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL ~^lowcxi. l~ ~~jeQi
(Dr. Thomas Feldbush)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many people have given me assistance and encouragement during the preparation of
this thesis. Without all their contributions and efforts, this research would not have been possible.
I would especially like to thank the following people for all the support and guidance they have
shown me during this project:
• Dr. Betty Peel, my thesis director, who has provided support all along the way with an upbeat
and positive affect that made this research much more enjoyable and who even worked after
hours and holidays to help me get this done on time.
• My committee members, Dr. Scott Thomson, Dr. Jim McDowelle, and Dr. Carolyn Ledford,
who all showed me great support and encouragement throughout the process.
• June Hartig, my friend, neighbor, and fellow teacher, who without benefit of all her computer
skills, I would still be trying to figure out how to set margins.
• Ginger Bowden, my good friend, who will make those spontaneous road trips with me.
• Daffy Scott, who kept urging me to finish and suffered through all the mishaps of getting to
Greenville to take the comps with me.
• My fellow graduate students, co-workers, and professors who continually provided
encouragement and support.
• My fellow teachers, who generously gave me what little time they had to conduct these
interviews.
• The parents of the children in this research for so generously and so quickly responding to
request for an interview.
• My teacher’s assistant, Alline Aydlett, who ignored me when I hadn’t slept enough and was
grouchy, and who would grab the initiative and help me out when I was too tired to think.
• Sheila Grandy, Debbie Griggs, and Judy Newsome, my fellow second grade teachers, who
laugh with me (a lot) and who make coming to work fun.
• Our school secretaries, Darlene Merrell and Rose Harrison, for helping with finding the
records, sending and receiving numerous faxes, and keeping track of all those long distance
phone calls to Greenville.
• My principal, Fannie Newbern and assistant principal Greg Schwarga, for all their support
throughout my educational program.
• My mom and my dad, who have always loved me and supported me throughout all my many
“adventures”.
• And, most especially, the children in my second grade classroom who keep me on my toes
and always come through with a handmade card or a hug when they know the day is a rough
one. Their little faces are the reason for this research and the thought ofmaking school a
better place for them made all the effort involved in this research well worth it.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF TABLES VII
I. INTRODUCTION 1
Purpose 5
II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 7
Academic Effects of Retention 7
Social Impact of Retention 13
Emotional Effects of Retention 14
III. METHODOLOGY 16
Subjects 16
Recruitment 18
Procedure 18
Parent Interview 19
Teacher Interview 20
Retaining Teacher Interview 21
IV. RESULTS 23
Subject 1 25
Academic Impact 25
Social Impact 26
Emotional Impact 26
Subject 2 26
Academic Impact 26
Social Impact 27
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.)
Emotional Impact 28
Subject 3 28
Academic Impact 28
Social Impact 29
Emotional Impact 29
Subject 4 29
Academic Impact 29
Social Impact 30
Emotional Impact 30
Subject 5 31
Academic Impact 31
Social Impact 31
Emotional Impact 32
Subject 6 32
Academic Impact 32
Social Impact 33
Emotional Impact 33
Summary of Findings 33
V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 39
Summary 39
Conclusions 41
REFERENCES 42
APPENDIX A: PARENT INTERVIEW FORM 45
APPENDIX B: TEACHER INTERVIEW FORM 48
APPENDIX C: RETAINING TEACHER INTERVIEW FORM 50
APPENDIX D: PARENT INTERVIEWS 52
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.)
APPENDIX E: TEACHER INTERVIEWS 81
APPENDIX F: RETAINING TEACHER INTERVIEWS 100
vii
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
1 Demographics 24
2 Long Term Academic Outcomes 35
3 Parent and Teacher Perceptions of Academic Outcomes 36
4 Parent and Teacher Perceptions of Student Social Acceptance
and Adjustment 37
5 Parent and Teacher Perceptions of Student Emotional Adjustment 38
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The issue of promotion or retention has been a hotly debated topic for decades.
Promoting a student is defined as sending a child on to the next expected grade level in a
sequential order. Retaining a student is defined as keeping a student back in the same grade
which he or she just completed. It wasn't until 1846, when school officials in Quincy,
Massachusetts, needed to organize a method to remember how long their students had been in
school, that education became separated into grade levels. Officials at Quincy labeled students as
first, second, or third graders simply for the number of years they had attended (Light, 1991). The
labels had nothing to do with an academic level; however, by the end of the Civil War, students
were routinely being organized by grade levels for their academic assignments and the issue of
retention has been a focal point of concern ever since (Holmes & Mathews, 1984).
Like so many other things, education has become much more complicated than
it was in the pre-Civil War era. Teachers and students today are faced with standardized testing
accountability issues, and competency requirements. Even though much research on
developmentally appropriate issues suggests that it is for the betterment of students to allow them
to progress at their own rates and to pursue their education free from arbitrary demands imposed
on them (Bredekamp, 1986; Elkind, 1982; Katz, 1977), educators still seem to lean toward cookie
cutter educations expecting all children to learn just alike, just as much, and in the exact same
amount of time. This may be one area in the American way of life where equality for everyone
should not be the ultimate goal.
During the twentieth century, and the latter part of the nineteenth, retention has seen
2
waves of popularity as well as eras of public stigma. Retention was very much in disgrace during
the late fifties and throughout the sixties, and social promotion was in high favor. The seventies
and eighties saw a return to the earlier preference for retention as concern about academic
achievements arose (Light, 1991). Owen and Ranick (1977) stated that social promotion was a
malignancy in our schools that needed to be eliminated with radical surgery. Unfortunately,
educators of the nineties appear to be riding the wave of popularity as societal pressure for
accountability and student outcomes increases. Teachers are concerned about promoting
children who appear to be unready for the academic demands of the next grade as well as fearful
of the reputation they may earn as not adequately preparing their students. These concerns are
only compounded by rigid measurements mandated by state departments of education to
determine students’ levels of academic attainment at year’s end. There is much pressure, with the
promise of teachers’ names being published in the paper alongside their students’ test scores, to
make sure students are performing at an acceptable academic level. The conflicting demands of
being told to teach children in developmental^ appropriate ways, yet also being expected to
produce certain test scores on end-of-year tests which do not allow for developmental differences
among students, place both the teacher and the student in difficult positions.
Unfortunately, these demands of accountability and year-end student testing, which
seem to assume with quite unrealistic, as well as developmental^ inappropriate, expectations
that all children will learn at the same rate over the same period of time, only seem to lend
themselves to the detriment of the child. This is due to the fact that increased rates in retention
are frequently the result of demands for higher and stricter academic standards (Holmes, 1983).
This is probably due to the fact that teachers are trying to synthesize what they are expected to do
3
under the demands of student testing and in allowing students to progress at their own
developmental rate. If the student has not met accepted grade level requirements and cannot
perform at an acceptable level on standardized testing, then educators retain under the guise of
allowing for developmental differences with the very “nice” attitude that he or she simply needs
another year to grow to gain readiness. This way the teacher has met both obligations. Test
scores are up and the issue of developmental^ appropriate practice is addressed. All his/her
superiors are happy and the teacher’s job is intact. Only the child pays the debt accrued by
education’s arbitrary demands because school officials continue to look at the child as the problem
rather than looking at how they can change the problem in their systems to better serve him.
It has been estimated that approximately 2.3 million American children are retained every
year (Dawson & Rafoth, 1991). Retention has been found to be widely supported by educators
as well as parents. Seventy-four percent of school administrators, 65% of teachers, and 59% of
parents reported supporting retention as a viable intervention strategy for academic problems, but
also as a solution for immaturity, youngness in grade, and simply not completing requirements
(Dawson & Rafoth, 1991).
However, none of these reasons for retention are supported in the research. Many of the
studies performed by numerous researchers agree that retention has many negative effects
with very few, if any, positive outcomes. Detrimental effects have been noted in all areas of
student achievement, including social and emotional adjustment, as well as academics, when a
student has been retained. These effects can have a life-long impact on these children and with
as many as 50% of students having been retained by the time they reach eighth grade,
they are effects all of society should be concerned about (Shephard & Smith, 1989).
4
Retention is a traumatic and stressful experience for children. Bracey (1986) found that
children ranked retention only slightly less stressful than the death of a parent or going blind. In
one study, 84% of retained students reported feeling “sad, bad, or upset.” Forty-eight percent said
their parents were “mad”, and “sad” (28%), and 50% said they were punished as a result of their
retention (House, 1990). Failing a grade causes students trauma, shame, and stress.
Given the severe emotional consequences retention seems to invoke for children, the long
term academic outcomes should have to prove extremely valuable to compensate for the
emotional distress. However, research repeatedly finds negative impacts on students’ academics
as well. Retaining a student for one year of school almost doubles the student’s chances of
dropping out of school, while double retention virtually assures the student will not complete his
studies (Foster, 1993). Students of comparable academic abilities are far more likely to continue
with their education if they have not been retained (Dawson & Rafoth, 1991). Shortterm
academic gains are sometimes seen in the year immediately following retention, but after two
or three years these gains are lost (Dawson & Rafoth, 1991). In studies comparing retained
students to comparable low achieving recommended for retention but promoted students, there
were no significant differences on achievement test scores (Johnson, Merrell, & Stover, 1990).
In another study, Peterson et al. (1987), determined that retained students scored higher
during the year they were retained than did the children who were promoted, but the differences
soon leveled out. Any academic advantage had been lost after two years. When retained children
are compared to low-achieving promoted students, retained students suffer more socially,
emotionally, and behaviorally, and have poor self-esteem (Holmes & Mathews 1984; Walker
5
1984). Additionally the academic advantages retention claims to provide never seem to come to
pass.
Purpose
There is an undefined area in the research as to whether the grade at which a student is
retained lessens the negative effects. It has generally been purported that negative results are
less likely among children who are retained in the early grades.
The present study is designed to investigate the long term effects retention has on
such children in the areas of academics, social adjustment, and emotional impact. It will
investigate the effects as noted on fourth and fifth grade students who were retained in
kindergarten, first grade, or second grade. These effects will be determined through the use of
surveys to be completed by the teachers and parents as well as through examination of the
students’ academic records.
The single most important question in the concern over retention is whether or not
retention is an effective means of intervention for students displaying academic difficulties. If
student retention is primarily used as an intervention strategy to improve academic outcomes, then
in order for retention to be considered a worthwhile strategy, improved academic performance
among retained students should be evident. And with the important role that social and emotional
adjustment play in the success of a student, improvement should be expected, or at the very
least, not detriment, in those areas for retained students as well. If improvement is not found in
those three areas of retained students’ achievement - - - academics, social, and emotional
adjustment - - - then retention should be deemed an unworthy strategy and alternative methods
should be considered to meet students’ needs. If retention results in advanced academic
6
capabilities and has no hindrance on social or emotional adjustment, then retention could be
deemed a valuable intervention strategy. The purpose of this study is to address the question of
the effectiveness of retention on students’ academic achievement as well as its effect on their
social and emotional adjustment.
The following research questions will be addressed: (1) What long term academic
outcomes are noted? (2) What do the parents and teachers see as positive or negative academic
outcomes as a result of retention? (3) How do parents and teachers rate the students’ social
acceptance and adjustment? (4) How do parents and teachers rate the students’ emotional
well-being in areas such as self-esteem and motivation?
CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Over the course of the past few decades, there have been numerous studies performed
on the effects of retention since it became an issue. The research has discussed the academic,
social, and emotional effects retention has on students. Most studies have found that retention
has a negative impact on all three areas (academic, social, and emotional) of a student’s
development; however, a few studies have refuted these results and argued in favor of retaining
children in grade when academic demands are not being met. The research is mixed as to
whether the grade at which a student is retained lessens the negative effects. Some believe
retention in the early grades will not have an adverse effect on students, as it will in upper grades.
This study was conducted to determine the effects retention had on children from one elementary
school who were retained in grades kindergarten, 1, or 2, and were currently in grades 4 or 5.
The first section of this literature review will address the academic effects of retention. In
the second section, research will be presented which discusses the social impact of retention upon
students’ development. Finally, the last section of the literature review will discuss research
that covers the effects retention has on students’ emotional adjustment.
Academic Effects of Retention
There have been many research studies performed to assess the effects of retention on
academic achievement. The research provides an overwhelmingly negative response to the
issue of retaining children. A meta-analysis of the literature by Hedges and Olkin (1986)
concluded that retention provides only limited, short-term gains and has negative long-term
consequences. Another meta-analysis of the literature conducted by Holmes and Mathews (1984)
8
found that when the effect sizes of each study were averaged, promoted children scored .34
standard deviation points higher than retained children in the areas of academic achievement,
personal adjustment, and attitudes toward school. Holmes (1989) conducted yet another
analysis and found that retained students scored significantly below promoted students.
Meisels and Liaw (1993) examined the relationship between retention in elementary
school during kindergarten through eighth grade, and higher student test scores on eighth
grade measures. They found that retained students received significantly lower grades and test
scores than students who had never repeated a grade. Other factors that may have played a role
in these results were controlled for, such as the students’ gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic
status, and maternal education. This study also determined that students who had been retained
were five to seven times more likely to be labeled with a learning disability than were their never
retained classmates and were twice as likely to have emotional and behavioral problems.
In seeking to determine the academic effects retention played on students’ abilities in the
areas of language arts, math, and reading, Holmes (1983) concluded that students who were
retained in third, fourth, fifth, or sixth grade from that point on, scored lower than promoted students
on achievement tests in math, reading, and language arts.
Pierson and Connell (1992) investigated the effects of grade retention on self-system
processes, school engagement, and academic performance on students who had been retained in
third through sixth grade. This study determined positive effects from retention and was the only
study in an extensive review of the literature that did so. According to the self-systems processes
model, children’s perceptions of their cognitive competence are based on whether or not they
believe they have control over their academic outcomes (control beliefs), whether or not they
9
understand what it takes to do well (perceived strategy), and whether or not they think they have
what it takes to perform those strategies (perceived capacity) (Connell, 1990; Connell & Wellborn,
1990; Skinner, Wellborn, & Connell, 1990). A strong weaving of these self-systems processes is
needed for good academic performance and engagement in school (Pierson & Connell, 1992).
Since arguments can be made for negative effects on both sides of the social promotion versus
retention issue, one purpose of this study was to determine negative effects of early academic
difficulty and whether or not these effects had a long-term impact and also if the effects were
greater in the retained or promoted group. Retained students were matched to nonretained
students by using a group administered IQ test and also by matching report card grades and
teacher recommendations for retention. The retained children chosen for this study had to have
been retained in first through fourth grade and at least one year had to have passed since the year
was repeated. The retained group included 74 students (55 boys and 19 girls). The comparison
group subjects were obtained in the following manner. Eight students were deemed as having
been socially promoted because their teachers had recommended retentions that had not been
carried out. The remainder of the group was chosen by listing students according to grade, sex,
and final grade point average. The retained children were matched to socially promoted children
who had similar grade point averages at the end of the same year in which the retained children
were retained. The Rochester Assessment Package for Schools (RAPS) was administered to the
students in the form of a questionnaire. This questionnaire was employed to measure their
self-system processes. Report card grades and standardized test scores were used to reach a
single composite score. This score was used to measure the students’ academic performance.
To measure student engagement, teacher’s marks on effort were used from the report cards.
10
Pierson and Connell found that retained students did not show lower levels of self-worth than did
the other children. They also found that retained students performed significantly better than the
students who had been socially promoted. The conclusion of their study was academic difficulties
in the early grades persist throughout the elementary years and that even though retention does
not eliminate those difficulties, social promotion only seems to make the difficulties worse.
Completely opposite results have been found in numerous other studies. An example of
this is a study done by Reynolds (1992) in which he questioned retained students’ school
adjustment. The children in this study were all enrolled in Chicago Public Schools and were at-risk
students. The sample included 1,255 students who were in the fourth grade and who had been in
the Chicago Public Schools for at least three years. To measure achievement, Reynolds used the
reading comprehension and mathematics subtest scores from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. When
retained students’ scores were compared to the socially promoted children’s scores, the promoted
children showed significantly greater growth in reading. Retained children scored about five
months growth in reading the year after they were retained compared to seven months growth for
the promoted children. This finding is in direct contrast to Pierson’s and Connell’s findings.
There are numerous other studies which lend support to Reynolds’ conclusions. In a
study to determine the effects of kindergarten and first grade retention on the academic
achievement of fourth grade students, Johnson, Merrell, and Stover (1990) concluded that early
grade retention was not an effective intervention strategy for students displaying academic
difficulties. They found no significant differences between the academic scores of the retained
children and the nonretained children. While retention did not serve as an effective intervention
strategy, neither did the strategy of social promotion alone. The researchers recommended the
11
use of alternative strategies to both of these interventions such as remedial education programs,
summer school, and ability grouping.
In examining early grade retention, Dawson and Rafoth (1991) concluded that while
negative effects increase as the retention age increases, any gains that are made immediately
following the retention are lost over time. Children who are retained in first grade have lost any
advantages they may have had by the time they reach third or fourth grade. Dawson and Rafoth
(1991) also concluded that students of comparable achievement levels are 30% more likely to
drop out of school if they have been retained once. If they have been retained twice, dropping out
becomes virtually a foregone conclusion.
In a similar study, Meisels and Liaw (1993) determined that early grade retention in
kindergarten through third grade is better than later grade retention in fourth through eighth grade
for academic achievement in general, but it is less favorable for girls and Black students. Their
finding indicated that promoted students scored higher than retained children on measures of
academic achievement. They also found that retention was associated with higher incidences of
learning disabilities and special education placement.
Schuyler and Matter (cited in Overman, 1986) found that students who had been retained
showed growth of .8 of a grade level in reading while the matched group of low achieving promoted
students showed an average growth of 1.1 grade equivalents. Regarding mathematical gains, the
retained students showed a growth of .6 while the promoted students gained 1.1 grade
equivalents.
In a study conducted by Holmes and Mathews (1984) retained students scored
18% lower in academic performance than comparably achieving promoted students. The retained
12
students scored 16% lower in language arts, 13% lower in mathematics, 14% lower in social
studies, and had an overall grade point average of 22% lower. This study was conducted in
schools all over the United States in first through sixth grades. They compared over 4,000
nonpromoted students to over 6,000 promoted students.
Rose et al. (1983) concluded that promoted students make academic gains of eight to
twelve months whereas retained students make only about six months growth. Any differences
that do exist in test scores of retained and nonretained children decrease by age thirteen and are
nonexistent by age seventeen. Similarly, Peterson, DeGracie, and Ayabe (1987) conducted a
study in which early grade students were matched - - - those who had been retained and low
achievers who had been promoted. They found that retained students scored higher the year they
were promoted, but by the third year there were no significant differences between the scores of
the two groups.
Upon examining the demographics of children who took part in studies showing beneficial
results, Holmes (1989) found that these children were typically more able than the traditional
population. All children, retained and promoted, scored at least average on standardized
achievement tests. Also, these children typically came from the suburbs and very few, if any, were
minority children. The socioeconomic level of the children was lower middle to upper middle class.
And probably most importantly, the at-risk children were identified early and were given intensive
help in low student-teacher ratio classrooms.
The overall findings of these studies conclude that children recommended for retention,
but promoted anyway, do just as well or better than similar children who are retained.
13
Social Impact of Retention
The effect retention has on the social well-being of a child has been a question of
considerable interest. The studies have shown almost conclusively that retention has a negative
effect on a child’s self-concept. Bossing and Brien (1980) found that retained children suffered
more rejection by classmates than others and that they had more trouble in social adjustment.
Shephard and Smith (1989) concluded that children were socially stigmatized and had more
difficulty adjusting than other children, whether they were actually retained or placed in a second
year program.
Children’s self concepts do suffer as a result of retention and since self-concept has a
strong relationship with a students academic ability, this is not an area that needs to suffer if
retention is supposed to be an academic intervention strategy. For a child who has been retained,
school may become a negative place where he or she may be viewed as inferior by teachers;
classmates, or even parents. If the child is viewed as less than capable, this could lead to a
negative self-fulfilling prophecy (Walker, 1984).
Plummer and Graziano (1987) found that 55% of the children he studied would rather play
with children who had not been retained. It also seems that retention can cause anti-social or
negative views in general. Godfrey (1972) discovered that students who had failed blamed it on
external reasons over which they did not have control.
Some very distinct findings were uncovered by Berliner (1986). He found that promoted
students scored 11% higher on social adjustment, 14% higher on emotional adjustment, and 12%
higher on positive classroom behavior than did their retained peers. The self concept of the
promoted children was eight percent higher and their attitude toward school was six percent
14
higher.
Meisels and Liaw (1993), found that a student was twice as likely to have emotional and
behavioral problems if he or she had been retained. Several studies have shown that retained
children, when compared to low achieving promoted children, have more behavior problems, have
negative attitudes toward school, and suffer from poor self-concept (Holmes & Mathews, 1984).
Based on a study of the effects of early grade retention, Thomas et al. (1992) concluded
retention is negatively related to functioning. The social functioning of kindergarten and first grade
students was not advanced. Instead, the retained students were found to have more internalizing
problems than the promoted children.
The studies seem to suggest that failure does not, in any way, help to inspire future
success. It is instead self-perpetuating. If students are treated like a failure, they very often will
feel like a failure, and may in turn self actualize this failure. Retention does not help a student
realize their potentials or scare them into working harder. It only provides a feeling of
discouragement, low self-esteem, and a sense of failure to those students who need the
most encouragement of all.
Emotional Effects of Retention
The studies performed to uncover the emotional effects of retention have likewise shown
no benefits or gains. White and Howard (1973), in studying the effect retention has on students’
self-concept, found a poor self-concept among retained students. They also found that if a pupil
had been retained more than once, he or she had a lower self concept than students who were
retained only once.
15
In one study, when children were asked to name the students in their class who had
repeated a grade, 43% of the boys and 18% of the girls did not name themselves as having
repeated a grade, although they could name the other students who had been retained (Dawson &
Rafoth, 1991). In this same study, 47% of the retained students said they were punished by their
parents due to their retention.
It is obvious that retention has very strong stigmatizing effects even on young children; in
spite of all the nice ways supportive adults have explained the child’s retention to him/her,
children still call it flunking (House, 1990). House also found that 84% of the retained children said
they felt “sad, bad, or upset” about their retention. Forty-eight percent said their parents were
“mad” and 28% said their parents were “sad”. About half of them said they were punished due to
the fact they were retained.
The research suggests that retention causes shame and embarrassment for children.
It is a traumatic event in their young lives - - - one that could be avoided simply by providing
specialized or intensive education for them. The negative effects retention has on students are
evident, real, and damaging. Any beneficial results are few and far between and cannot possibly
outweigh the negative effects. It is time educators look at adapting practices to fit the children
rather than trying to adapt the children to fit current practices, especially when those practices
cause children such pain.
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
The present study was conducted to investigate the effects retention has on upper
elementary school students who were retained during their early years of elementary school. An
interview was conducted with each students parent and teacher. The academic, social, and
emotional effects of retention were investigated. This chapter includes a description of the
subjects, the method used in selection of those subjects, and the method of data collection.
Subjects
Subjects were chosen from an elementary school in rural northeastern North Carolina.
The building is new and is equipped with at least two networked computers in each classroom as
well as several other non-networked computers. Several computers throughout the school also
allow the teachers and students access to the Internet. Each classroom teacher has a teacher
assistant and parent volunteers are frequently included in daily activities. This school is receiving
special funding to function as an integrated arts and academics school. The multiple intelligences
are stressed as well as developmental^ appropriate practices. The Core Knowledge curriculum is
also being introduced to students. Students at this school traditionally meet or exceed local and
state averages in student testing and most recently met the required standards to be named as an
exemplary school under North Carolina’s ABC’s for the school year 1996-97. Average family
income is low in this county and is estimated to be at $14,000, with a high percentage of children
receiving free or reduced lunch rates. The current total school population for kindergarten
through sixth grade is 476 students. Retention rates at this school are very low with less than two
percent of the school population being retained in any year from 1991 to present. Due to this fact,
17
the subject pool was small, consisting of six students.
The requirements for selection were retention in the primary grades (K-2) and current
enrollment in an upper elementary grade (4-6). Subjects were chosen from kindergarten
through second grade retainees from the years 1990 through 1994. Six students met those
requirements. Four children, three boys and one girl, who were currently enrolled in the fourth
grade were all retained in first grade during the 1993-94 school year. One female student was
retained in first grade during the 1992-93 school year and was currently enrolled in the fifth grade.
One female student was retained in second grade during the 1993-94 school year and was
currently enrolled in fifth grade also. This gave the subject pool an equal distribution of males and
females including three boys and three girls with current retainee enrollment consisting of four
students in grade 4 and two students in grade 5. There were no sixth grade students that had
been previously retained. Three kindergarten children had been retained during this time frame,
but two had moved away and one was deceased. Likewise, there were eight other first grade
retentions during this time span, however, all eight had moved.
The subject pool was made up of three white female students, two white males, and one
black male. With the exception of one student who was born in April, all students had summer
birthdays, one in June, three in September, and one in August. The subjects in this study were all
from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Five students received free lunch and one student
received reduced lunch rates. All students were either currently receiving some form of
supplemental instruction or had done so in the past. The supplemental instructional services
received included Title 1, Speech, BEH, and LD. Two students lived with both their mother
and father, two lived with their mother and a stepfather, one student lived with his mother only, and
18
one child lived with a guardian. Two students had one sibling, three students had two siblings,
and one student had three siblings. Although this research was not conducted in order to discover
this information, it was found that three students had at least one parent in prison and one
student had a parent who had been in a mental institution.
Recruitment
As stated previously, retained students from the years 1990-1994 were chosen to
participate in this study. Students had to have been retained in kindergarten, first, or second
grade and be currently enrolled in fourth, fifth, or sixth grade. The elementary school secretary
helped with this data collection by searching computer records for the given years. Six subjects
were recruited from the field of students.
Initially, phone calls were made to the parents of all the students chosen to participate in
this study. The process and purpose for this study were explained to the parents. Interview times
were arranged and scheduled. Subsequently, contact was made with the teachers. The purpose
of the interview and process was explained to them also. Interviews were arranged and
scheduled.
Procedure
Parents and teachers were asked to participate in an interview answering questions
dealing with the academic, social, and emotional development of each subject. These sessions
were tape recorded and were later transcribed. Interviews lasted from approximately twenty
minutes to an hour. The parent interviews were either conducted at the parents’ homes or at the
school. All of the teacher interviews were conducted at the elementary school. Each interview
19
had a skeletal question format (see appendices A, B, and C), however, during actual
2c1o..WDnvuherrainstagtions, new questions sometimes arose. These questions are included in the435tra1P....a32..DDHHDD
nsoiodcwriptions.reonwt InterviewuurriinnggParents were asked to answer questions concerning their perceptions of the effectsretention had on their children. Parents were told of the purpose of this interview during the initialphone conversation. Parents were asked to discuss the academic, social, and emotionalimplications that retention may have had on their children (Appendix A). Each parent was askedquestions concerning three areas of development. The first area dealt with academic questionssuch as: the year your child was retained, what did you see as the child’s biggest academicdifficulty?was the main reason for retention (i.e. immaturity, academics, social, behavioral)?you see improvement in your child’s academics during the second year in the same grade?does your child perform academically now?you think retention helped the academic abilities of your child?The second area dealt with questions concerning the social adjustment and behaviorof the retained child. The questions were as follows:did you present to your child the fact that he/she was being retained?the year your child was considered for retention, how did he/she get along withclassmates and teachers?the second year of the grade your child repeated, how did he/she get along with
classmates and teachers? Were there any obvious differences between this year and the
previous year?
64175.....HHDDD
20
ooooowewsdoes your child get along with classmates and teachers in his/her current grade?423...HHDoooww your child exhibit any recurring behavioral problems? If so, were these problems present5.Hporiwor to retention?you see your child as a socially well-adjusted child who is liked by his/her peers? If no,please describe problems.you think your child’s retention had any effect, positive or negative, on his social attitudesand peer acceptance?The third and last area dealt with in the parent interview included questions on theemotional adjustment of the child. The questions are as follows:did your child feel about him/herself and about school before he/she was retained (i.e.self-esteem)?did your child feel about him/herself and school during the year in which he/she wasrepeating?does your child feel about him/herself and school now?you think your child’s retention had any effect, positive or negative, on his/her emotionalfeelings toward him/herself or toward his/her abilities in school?would you describe your child’s overall selfesteem? Has this changed any since your
child was retained?
Responses to all questions from each parent interview are noted in interview format (Appendix D).
Teacher Interview
The students’ teachers were asked to participate in an interview dealing with the academic
abilities and social and emotional characteristics of their retained students (Appendix B). The
questions for the first area covering academics were as follows:
1. How does this child’s academic functioning compare to those of his/her classmates? Would
you classify the student’s abilities as below average, average, or above average?
2. Does this student participate in any pull-out instruction such as Title 1 or resource classes?
4342351.......WDWHSIIssooohhewaa
21
stt is this students academic strength? Weakness?5.Dothis student motivated to do well in school? Does he/she try to achieve?321...DHHoooewwfsar this year, what are the students current grades?4.Do The second area, part B, dealt with the social adjustment and behavior of the child.The questions were as follows:does this student get along with his/her classmates and teachers?this student exhibit any recurring behavioral problems? If so, what are the behaviors?this student socially well-adjusted and is he/she accepted and liked by classmates?is this student’s attitude toward school in general?you think, or can you tell, if retention had any effect, positive or negative, on this student’sbehavior or social adjustment?The third and last area covered in the teacher interview concerned questions onthe emotional well-being of the child. The questions are as follows:does this student appear to feel about him/herself in the context of academic abilities (i.e.confident, unsure, etc.)?would you describe this student’s overall self-esteem?this student appear to be emotionally well-adjusted? If no, please describe student’sproblems and list any factors that you feel may contribute to the emotional problems.you think the students retention has had any effect, either positive or negative, on the
student’s emotional adjustment?
Responses to all questions from each teacher interview are noted in interview format (Appendix E).
Retaining Teacher Interview
It was uncertain if the subjects’ current teachers could be asked to accurately reflect
on the effects retention had on these students since they did not know the children until the current
22
43school year. However, for the sake of determining possible effects retention may have had on thet56hree areas under study, the teachers who had retained the students were also asked top21a......PWWDHWrtliioechadhiwapasasattete in an interview (Appendix C) describing the social and emotional characteristics of thechildren as they knew them when they retained them. The interview dealt with both social andemotional issues. The questions were as follows:was the main reason you had for retaining this child?did you present to the child the fact that he/she was being retained?this student socially well-adjusted (i.e. getting along well with peers and teachers)?describe this student’s behavior.this student appear to be emotionally well-adjusted? If no, please describe.effects did you hope retention would have on this student?
Responses to each question from retaining teacher interviews are noted in interview
format (Appendix F).
Cumulative files were reviewed to determine the academic levels of these students
during the year for which they were retained. These academic records were compared to current
academic records to note possible effects. Report cards as well as standardized test measures
were used to compare academic growth.
CHAPTER 4
RESULTS
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects retention has on upper elementary
school students who were retained during their early years of elementary school. The academic,
social, and emotional effects of retention were investigated through the use of interviews
conducted with the retained students’ parents and teachers. The students’ current teachers were
interviewed as well as the teacher who had retained each child. The students’ cumulative records
were also used to investigate the academic effects of retention.
This chapter presents the analyses of data collected. Six subjects were under
investigation in this study. The demographics of these subjects are as follows. Three subjects
were white females, two were white males, and one subject was a black male. All students were
from low socioeconomic backgrounds; five received free lunch while one subject received lunch
at a reduced rate. All subjects had summer birthdays with the exception of one student who was
born in April. Four of the subjects were currently receiving supplemental instruction while the other
two did not currently receive such services, but did so up until the previous year. Only two of the
subjects had both mother and father in the house, two had a mother and stepfather, one had a
mother only, while one subject had neither parent and lived with a guardian. All subjects had
siblings at home. Three of the subjects had two siblings, two subjects had one sibling, and one
subject had three siblings. Table 1 reflects the demographics of the subjects in this study. While it
was not the purpose of this study to address this information, it is interesting to note that, of the six
subjects, three had a parent in prison and one had a parent who had been treated in a mental
institution.
24
TABLE 1
Demographics
birthdate lunch sex race services lives with siblings
Subject #1 6/7/86 free F W Title 1 mom/dad 3
Subject #2 9/7/87 free M W Speech mom 2
Subject #3 9/10/86 free F W Title 1 mom/dad 2
Subject #4 9/11/87 free F W BEH/LD mom/stepdad 1
Subject #5 8/14/87 reduced M W LD mom/stepdad 2
Subject #6 4/24/87 free M B BEH guardian 1
25
This study investigated the academic, social, and emotional effects of retention on each
of the six subjects. Each subject was currently enrolled in either fourth or fifth grade and was
retained in either first or second grade. The analyses that follow present a collection of statements
from parent and teacher interviews, facts from students’ cumulative files, and information from
report cards to provide descriptive data regarding academic, social, and emotional effects for each
subject. In addition, summary data presented in tables 2, 3, 4, and 5 provide a means of
comparing the academic, social, and emotional impact of retention between these subjects as well
and are found at the end of this chapter.
Subject 1
Academic Impact
Subject #1 was a white female student retained in grade 1 and was currently enrolled in
fifth grade. She was retained due to lack of reading acquisition in first grade as well as immaturity
and difficulty doing most of her work. Her report card for her first year of first grade reflects an “N”
in reading and an “N” in math. During her second year of first grade, progress was noted on her
report card in that she received grades of “S” in both reading and math. Current academic
records indicated a grade of “C” in reading and a grade of B+ in math. End of grade test scores
reflected low achievement with a score placing this student in the 38th percentile in reading and
the 47th percentile in math for her third grade year. Her fourth grade end of year test scores
reflected a decline in reading with a percentile score of 36. However, she showed growth in
mathematics achievement with a percentile score of 65. Her current teacher ranked her as
average to below average. She also stated that she struggled with her reading and writing. The
subject’s mother made similar comments stating that the subject was still struggling with reading
26
and spelling. This subject had received Title 1 services until the current academic year.
Social Impact
Subject #1 ’s retaining teacher remembered her as a child who got along fine with the other
children and who was talkative. Her current teacher made similar remarks and indicated that the
subject had lots of friends and got along well with others. Her teacher stated that she was very
outgoing and seemed to have a positive attitude towards school. Her mother also stated that the
subject had no problem with making friends and was socially well adjusted.
Emotional Impact
Subject #Ts retaining teacher remembered her as a very sweet little girl who did appear
to be emotionally very well adjusted. Her current teacher stated that the subject wanted to do her
best, but she got frustrated. This teacher stated that the subject was unsure of herself and that the
subject seemed to be bothered by the fact that “she is a bit older than the other students and is
still not doing well.” The subject’s mother made very adamant statements concerning the ill effects
of retention on her daughter’s emotional adjustment. The mother stated that the subject was mad
about being retained and was still mad. The mother stated that she believed the retention set her
back a bit because she felt like she had failed and she lost confidence in herself.
Subject #2
Academic Impact
Subject #2 was a white male student who was retained in grade 1 and was currently
enrolled in grade 4. He was retained due to immaturity and lack of reading and mathematical
skills. He was sick quite a bit and missed excessive amounts of school. His report card
for his first year of first grade reflects an “S-” in reading and an “N” in math. He missed 26
27
days of school that year. His second year of first grade showed improvement. He earned an
“S+” in reading as well as an “S” in math. He only had ten absences his second year in first
grade. Current academic records indicated that this subject was receiving honor roll grades in all
subjects. He earned an “A” in reading and a “B” in math. End of grade test scores for his third
grade year reflected good achievement in reading with a percentile score of 75 and high
achievement in math with a percentile score of 91. His current teacher ranked him as average to
above average and stated that “he’s right in there with everybody else.” His mother made similar
statements concerning the fact that he was reading and “he’s always getting A’s”.
This subject received speech services during his kindergarten and first grade years, but
had since been dismissed from the program. It should also be noted that, when interviewed, this
subject’s parent believed the child had been retained in kindergarten and responded to all
questions under that belief. Later, upon examination of records and through the conducting of
teacher interviews, it was discovered that the child was actually retained in first grade, not
kindergarten. The parent was mistaken about the year in which her child was retained.
Social Impact
Subject #2’s retaining teacher remembered him as an immature, sickly child who got along
well with the other children, but developmental^ was behind them. He was not comfortable in a
school setting and was basically suffering from “youngness”. His current teacher made similar
comments that he worked well with other children in groups, but he was basically a loner. His
mother stated that he seemed a little bit more outgoing now.
28
Emotional Impact
Subject #2’s retaining teacher remembered him as a student whom she felt was probably
not emotionally well adjusted. She stated that there were serious problems at home and that this
subject was not able to deal with the pressure at home and the pressure to function at school.
He had missed a lot of school due to illness and was very young for first grade. He was keeping
up, but struggling, academically. She felt he needed more maturity and emotional stability to
succeed academically. His current teacher stated that he seemed to be motivated and he wanted
to please. She also stated that he seemed more confident after report cards went out with him
being on the honor roll. She believed he still had some emotional issues as he looked like he
didn’t sleep well some days and he didn’t smile a lot. His mother stated that she thought his
self esteem was good, but that she “couldn’t tell.” She stated that she was “used to him”.
Subject 3
Academic Impact
Subject #3 was a white female student who was retained in grade 2 and was currently
enrolled in fifth grade. She was retained due to a lack of reading skills and difficulty in all areas
of her school work. Her report card for her first year of second grade showed an “N-” in reading as
well as an “N-” in math. During her second year in second grade, progress was noted in that she
earned an “S” in reading and an “S-” in math. Current academic records indicated that this subject
was receiving a “C” in reading and a “B” in math. However, it should be noted that her teacher
stated these were grades based on work she was doing which was far below her expected grade
level of fifth grade. Her current reading level was between second and third grade, for which she
earned the grade of “C”. Her end of year test scores for third grade reflected a percentile score of
29
21 for reading and 38 for math. Her end of year test scores for fourth grade reflected a slight gain
in achievement with a reading score of 25th percentile and a math score of the 41st percentile.
Her current teacher ranked her as below average. Her mother stated that “her reading is a little bit
hard on her.” This student was currently receiving Title 1 services.
Social Impact
Subject #3’s retaining teacher remembered this subject as having a few behavior
problems during her first year in second grade, which she felt were due to the stress she was
experiencing from struggling with her school work. Her current teacher stated that “she gets along
fairly well.” This teacher also stated that everyone seemed to like her, but that she was still fairly
immature. Her mother stated that she “is more open now and she has a lot more friends.”
Emotional Impact
Subject #3’s retaining teacher remembered her as a child who tried hard. Her current
teacher made similar remarks stating that “she tries to do well”. Her current teacher also stated
that this subject made a lot of nervous noises which she was apparently unaware of making. Her
mother also stated after our interview that this subject had a nervous stomach, was being treated
for stomach problems, and that she was also suffering from Chrone’s Disease. Her mother also
made several statements about noticing the effects of stress on this subject when she was under
pressure academically at school. However, the mother did state that the subject had very good
self esteem and that she had more confidence.
Subject 4
Academic Impact
Subject #4 was retained in grade 1 and was currently enrolled in grade 4. She was
30
retained mainly due to the fact that she had an emotionally handicapping condition. She was
totally withdrawn and hid under her desk. Due to her withdrawal, she did not gain the necessary
skills to complete first grade. Her report card for her first year in first grade showed a grade of “S-”
for reading as well as a grade of “S-” for math. Improvement was noted as her report card for her
second year of first grade showed a grade of “S” for reading as well as for math. Current
academic records indicated a grade of “D” for reading and a grade of “F” for math. Her end of
grade test scores reflected a percentile score of 11 for reading and a percentile score of 5 for
math. This subject first received services under the BEH program throughout second grade and
after that received LD services. Her current teacher stated that this subject was functioning very
much below grade level and that she also believed the subject had attention deficit disorder. Her
mother simply stated that the subject “is having a hard time”.
Social Impact
Subject #4’s retaining teacher remembered her as being completely withdrawn and
with no friends at all. Her current teacher stated that she did have friends now. She also stated
that she was still very quiet and sat still, but was focused in on nothing. Her mother stated that she
was not as shy as she used to be.
Emotional Impact
Subject #4’s retaining teacher stated that she kept her head covered and would not talk
at all. Her current teacher stated that she believed there were still some emotional instabilities with
this student. Her current teacher stated that the subject had something similar to two
“personalities”. The subject preferred to go by her first name one day and her middle name the
next day. Her teacher had also noted that depending on which name the subject was using that
31
day, the subject acted like a younger or an older child. Her level of work changed as she changed
her name, as did her handwriting and her way of thinking. Her mother stated that her child was a
little hyper now and that her self confidence was low again. It should be noted that the parent did
not understand the question concerning selfesteem and thus, could not respond.
Subject #5
Academic Impact
Subject #5 was retained in first grade and was currently enrolled in the fourth grade. He
was retained due to immaturity and the fact that he made practically no progress in first grade. His
report card for his first year of first grade showed grades of “N” in both reading and math. He
showed improvement during his second year in first grade as his report card reflected grades of
“S-” for both reading and math. Current academic records indicated a grade of “F” for both reading
and math. End of grade test scores for this subject’s third grade year reflected a percentile score
of 28 in reading and a percentile score of 77 in math. His current teacher ranked his abilities as
below average and stated that he constantly had to be told to do his work. His mother stated that
his academics still “aren’t up to par.”
Social Impact
Subject #5’s retaining teacher remembered him as a very immature little boy who stayed
to himself. She stated that he was very much like a little baby in first grade. His current teacher
stated that this subject was a general disruption to the other students. She stated that he had
friends, but only the ones who were as equally mischievous. She also stated that the other
students got tired of his silliness. Both his teacher and his mother stated that he did not like school
and was planning on dropping out when he turned sixteen.
32
Emotional Impact
Subject #5’s retaining teacher stated that she did remember this subject as having a
temper. She stated also that he would get an attitude and not be willing to try to do a task. His
current teacher stated that “he doesn’t put forth any effort at all”. She also stated that he got very
frustrated. She believed he was unsure of his abilities and thought he couldn’t do it, so he
wouldn’t. She stated that he frequently made statements about being dumb and not being able to
read. His mother also stated that he got frustrated easily. She also believed he had little
confidence in himself.
Subject 6
Academic Impact
Subject #6 was a black male student who was retained in first grade and was currently
enrolled in fourth grade. He was retained due to very serious behavioral and emotional problems
which his teacher felt had gotten in his way of learning the skills he needed. His behavior was
better by the end of his first year in first grade and his teacher felt like he would benefit from
another year of first grade to learn the academics. His report card for his first year of first grade
showed that he earned an “S-” in reading and an “S” in math. His second year in first grade, he
earned an “S” in both reading and math. Current academic records indicated that he was working
at least one year below grade level and was receiving failing grades. End of grade test scores for
this subject’s third grade year indicated he earned a percentile score of 4 for reading and 9 for
math. His current teacher stated that his work was definitely below average. She stated that
writing was a struggle for him and that comprehension of even simple math problems was very
difficult for him.
33
Social Impact
Subject #6’s retaining teacher remembered him as a student who had a great distaste
for authority. He kicked and screamed and bit against whatever he did not like. His current
teacher stated that he was very socially manipulative. However, his violent outbursts were far less
frequent. His guardian made similar statements stating that his outbursts were currently controlled.
She also stated that he still had trouble making friends. She believed it was because the other
children were afraid of him because they remembered his violence.
Emotional Impact
Subject #6’s retaining teacher remembered him as being paranoid. He didn’t want to have
anyone behind him. She said he was not well adjusted at all due to the extreme abuse he had
encountered at a young age. This student had been sexually assaulted repeatedly by an uncle,
physically and sexually abused by his father, and emotionally and physically neglected by his
mother. His current teacher stated that he was not motivated to do well in school. She said he
came to school because he knew he had to come. She also stated that he liked to pretend that he
was self-assured, but he was not. His guardian, on the other hand, stated that he felt good about
himself and that he knew what he could do.
Summary of Findings
The questions that were formulated at the onset of this study were re-examined in relation
to the obtained results as follows:
1. Long term academic outcomes are notably that only one student scored above the
fiftieth percentile in reading and only two subjects scored above the fiftieth percentile in math.
2. Parents and teachers had conflicting comments when stating their perceptions
34
concerning the subjects’ academic achievement.
3. Social acceptance and adjustment seemed to be unaffected by retention and had
remained constant through the years.
4. The subjects’ parents and/or teachers all had negative comments to make concerning
the subjects’ emotional adjustment. Parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of emotional adjustment
did not remain constant throughout the years, as there seems to have been a negative influence
on emotional adjustment for some subjects.
35
TABLE 2
Long Term Academic Outcomes
Current Grade Academic Performance Current EOG
grade retained in Grade Retained Academic scores
Year 1 Year 2 Performance 3rd 4th
Subject #1 5 1 R: N S C 38 36
M: N S B+ 47 65
Subject #2 4 1 R: S- S+ A 75 n/a
M: N S B 91 n/a
Subject #3 5 2 R: N- S C 21 25
M: N- S- B 38 41
Subject #4 4 1 R: S- S D 11 n/a
M: S- S F 5 n/a
Subject #5 4 1 R: N S- F 28 n/a
M: N S- F 77 n/a
Subject #6 4 1 R: S- S F 4 n/a
M: S S F 9 n/a
R = reading S = satisfactory progress EOG = end of grade test
M = math N = needs improvement (scores given in
percentiles)
TABLE 3
Parent and Teacher Perceptions of Academic Outcomes
Retaining Teacher Current Teacher Parent Perceptions
Reason for Retention Perceptions
Subject #1 she was immature; she did she struggles a bit with her doing much better; she
not learn to read; had difficulty writing and reading; she’s struggles with reading
doing most of her work average to below average and spelling
Subject #2 he was immature; he had he is average to above; he he’s reading; he’s always
difficulty reading made A/B honor roll; right in getting A’s
there with everybody
Subject #3 she was so small for her age she’s below average; her excellent; her reading’s a little
and was having difficulty in all reading is very low bit hard on her; she’ll probably
areas never be a straight A student
Subject #4 she was emotionally handicapped; she’s noton grade level; she she’s having a hard time
she was withdrawn; didn’t gain her is very below; she is very much
academic skills attention deficit
Subject #5 he was very immature; made little, below average; he’s ADD, you he still isn’t up to par; he got 2
if any, progress have to remind him to work D’s and 2 F’s on his report card
Subject #6 behavior was interfering with his below average; writing is a struggle; he still doesn’t do reading well;
learning a year behind other students he can kind of keep up CjO
TABLE 4
Parent and Teacher Perceptions of Student Social Acceptance and Adjustment
Retaining Teacher Current Teacher Parent Perceptions
Perceptions Perceptions
Subject #1 she got along fine; she she has a positive attitude; she it did give her a bad attitude
was quite a chatterbox is very outgoing
Subject #2 he was very quiet; he he gets along; sometimes he he’s a little bit more outgoing
did have friends stands off; he is a loner, but he
participates in groups
Subject #3 she had some behavior she gets along fairly well; she is she’s more open now; she
problems due to the still immature; everyone seems to has a lot more friends
difficulties she had like her
Subject #4 she had no friends; she was she does fine; she has friends; she she’s not so shy; she got
totally withdrawn just sits her and is quiet along great
Subject #5 he just kind of stayed to himself; he’s a general disruption to the class; he gets along fine; he does
he was very immature his classmates get tired of his not have any discipline
silliness; he says he’s going to quit problems
school when he’s 16
Subject #6 he did not like authority; he bit, socially very manipulative, he has he does very well; his out-
kicked, screamed fewer violent outbursts bursts are controlled; some
kids are still afraid of him OJ
TABLE 5
Parent and Teacher Perceptions of Student Emotional Adjustment
Retaining Teacher Perceptions Current Teacher Perceptions Parent Perceptions
Subject #1 very sweet little girl; did appear to be she wants to do her best; she gets she’s still mad; it set
emotionally well adjusted frustrated; she’s unsure of herself; it her back a bit; she felt
bothers her she’s a bit older and still like she had failed; she
isn’t doing well lost confidence
Subject #2 he was quiet; stayed to himself he seems to be motivated; he wants I think good -1 can’t tell
to please; he’s more confident; he
doesn’t smile a lot
Subject #3 she tried hard she tries to do well; she makes a lot have noticed signs of
of nervous type noises stress from school work;
has confidence now
Subject #4 she kept her head covered; she she has two “personalities”; she is she’s a little hyper; her
didn’t talk at all a happy child self confidence is low
Subject #5 he did have a temper he doesn’t put forth any effort at all; he gets frustrated easily;
he gets frustrated; he’s unsure; he he doesn’t have
tells us he’s dumb confidence in himself
Subject #6 he was pretty paranoid; he was not he tries hard to look self assured, he feels good about
well adjusted at all but he’s not; he revisits emotions himself
CjJ
00
CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects retention had on upper elementary
school students who were retained during their early years of elementary school. The academic,
social, and emotional effects of retention were investigated through the use of interviews
conducted with the retained students’ parents and teachers. The students’ current teachers were
interviewed as well as the teacher who had retained each child. The students’ cumulative records
were also used to investigate the academic effects of retention.
Summary
In a study done by Peterson et al. (1985), it was concluded that retained students scored
higher during the year they were retained than did the children who were promoted, but that the
differences soon leveled out. This study supports the finding by Peterson. All retained subjects in
this study showed academic progress during the year they were repeating, but lost that advantage
over the years. Only one student had reading and math scores over the fiftieth percentile on end
of grade achievement tests. This subject was retained in first grade for emotional and health
reasons more than for academic reasons and as such, did not start out as academically
disadvantaged as the other subjects in the study. Any academic advantage the retained students
had gained in first or second grades through retention appears to have been lost by fourth grade
according to the data obtained in this study. Similar findings have been determined by Hedges
and Olkin (1986) and Dawson and Rafoth (1991).
Social acceptance and adjustment appeared to be unaffected by retention as the subjects’
parents and teachers held a relatively stable perception of their socialization skills throughout the
40
elementary years. One subject had severe behavioral difficulties during his first grade year, the
year which he repeated. These behavioral difficulties had subsided somewhat over time, but these
gains cannot be shown as a benefit of retention. It is more likely these gains had been made due
to the fact the student was taken out of a very abusive situation and given intensive psychiatric
therapy. Retention was used for this subject as an intervention strategy to provide him with the
extra year to learn the skills he supposedly could not learn due to behavioral interferences. This
strategy can be deemed ineffective for this student as he was currently functioning well below
grade level and received percentile scores of four and nine in reading and math, respectively,
on third grade achievement tests. The subject had difficult relations with peers and teachers
during his early school years and although violent outbursts against them had subsided, peer
relations were still difficult for this student as the other students tended to avoid him.
The other subjects in the study seemed to have stable social acceptance and adjustment
throughout their elementary years. Students who began school with social adjustment problems
continued to have problems in this area. Students who began school with adequate social
adjustment remained adequate. According to the data obtained in this research, retention cannot
be viewed as either a positive or negative influence on the subjects’ social acceptance and
adjustment.
Emotional adjustment did seem to be negatively influenced by retention. All subjects in
this study appeared to be suffering some emotional difficulties. One parent discussed how
retention had caused her child to feel like a failure and caused her to lose confidence. Another
parent discussed how her child suffered from stomach disorders and showed signs of extreme
stress when under academic pressures. This same students current teacher made remarks
41
concerning the spontaneous nervous-type noises this student made in class. Other subjects’
parents made comments concerning low selfesteem, wanting to quit school, and feeling dumb.
Teachers made statements about the students seeming to be loners, being frustrated, and being
bothered by the fact of being older than the other children and still not doing well. When current
teachers’ perceptions and parents’ perceptions are compared to retaining teachers’ perceptions
and the way parents remembered their children before retention, a negative influence is obvious.
When parents were asked how they presented to their child the fact that he or she was
being retained, comments overall could be seen as potentially emotionally damaging. Statements
such as, “you didn’t learn enough”, “you weren’t mature enough”, and “oh, he knew it was coming
because all year we told him if you don’t do this, you’re going to flunk” were made to these
students. These comments suggest that future research or investigation of data of parent attitude
toward retention might provide further insights into the effects of retention.
Conclusions
According to the data obtained in this research, retention did not prove to be a viable
intervention strategy for helping students become more academically successful. Five of the six
subjects continued to struggle academically throughout elementary school. One subject was
currently receiving average and above average grades, but had been retained more for youngness
and health reasons than academic deficiencies. Academically, retention did not appear to have
hindered these students’ achievements, but it also did not appear to have had any positive impact.
However, retention did appear to have a substantial negative impact in the area of emotional
adjustment. These findings conclude that retention had no positive effects in any area, but did
have negative impact on emotional adjustment.
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Foster, J.E. (1993). Retaining children in grade. Childhood Education. 69. 38-43.
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(pp.16-33). New York: Falmer Press.
Holmes, C.T. & Mathews, K.M. (1984). The effects of nonpromotion on elementary and
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House, E.R. (1990). Flunking: What does it do for the at-risk child? Excellence in
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Johnson, E.R., Merrell, K.W., & Stover, L. (1990). The effects of early grade retention on
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Peterson, S.E., DeGracie, J.S., & Ayabe, C.R. (1987). A longitudinal study of the effects of
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Pierson, L.H. & Connell, J.P. (1992). Effect of grade retention on self-system processes,
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retention. Philadelphia: Falmer Press.
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Neighbors, B, & Tannenbaum, L. (1992). Early retention: Are there long-term beneficial effects?
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Walker, N.W. (1984). Elementary school grade retention: Avoiding abuses through
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Appendix A
Parent Interview Form
46
43521 PARENT INTERVIEW FORMP45321.........
A.DDHWDHDDRDHouuuoooio
Thderrrwwwaiii
A
snnntggg the year your child was retained, what did you see as the child’s biggest problem as6.Dfaor as his school work was concerned?7.Do was the main reason your child was retained?you see improvement in your child’s school work during his/her second year in the samegrade?does your child do in his school work now?you think being retained helped him/her do better in school?PART Bdid you tell your child about the fact that he/she was being retained?the first year of the grade in which your child was retained, how did he/she get alongwith classmates and teachers?the second year of the grade in which your child was retained, how did he/she get alongwith classmates and teachers? Were there any obvious differences between this year and theone before it?does your child get along with classmates and teachers in his/her current grade?your child have any serious problems behaving? If so, were these problemspresent before he/she repeated a grade?you see your child as a child who is well-adjusted child and is liked by his/her classmates?If no, please describe the problem.you think the fact your child was retained had any effect, either good or bad, on his/her
attitude toward school or his/her ability to make friends?
PART C
1. How did your child feel about him/herself and about school before he/she was retained (i.e.
self-esteem)?
4532....HHDooo
47
Howww did your child feel about him/herself and school during the year in which he/she wasrepeating the same grade?does your child feel about him/herself and school now?you think your child’s retention had any effect, good or bad, on his/her emotionalfeelings toward him/herself or toward his/her abilities in school?would you describe your child’s overall self esteem? Has this changed any since
your child was retained?
Appendix B
Teacher Interview Form
544322351
P1 49.........
A. RWDDDWHSIHIssoooohe
TEACHER INTERVIEW FORM
oo
T
heww
A
aassttdoes this child’s academic functioning compare to those of his/her classmates? Would21..HHyooouwwclassify the students abilities as below average, average, or above average?43..DDooes this student participate in any supplemental instruction such as Title 1 or resourceclasses?is this student’s academic strength? Weakness?this student motivated to do well in school? Does he/she try to achieve by putting forth effort?far this year, what are the student’s current grades?PART B does this student get along with his/her classmates and teachers?this student exhibit any recurring behavioral problems? If so, what are the behaviors?this student socially well-adjusted and is he/she accepted and liked by classmates?is this student’s attitude toward school in general?you think, or can you tell, if retention had any effect, positive or negative, on this student’sbehavior or social adjustment?PART Cdoes this student appear to feel about him/herself in the context of academic abilities (ie.confident, unsure, etc.)? Please describe.would you describe this student’s overall self-esteem?this student appear to be emotionally well-adjusted? If no, please describe student’sproblems and list any factors that you feel may contribute to the emotional problems.you think, the students retention has had any effect, either positive or negative, on the
students emotional adjustment?
Appendix C
Retaining Teacher Interview Form
465321......PWDWHInlioehadw
51
aasste RETAINING TEACHER INTERVIEW FORMwhat grade was this student retained and what was the main reason you had for retainingthis child?did you present to the child the fact that he/she was being retained?this student socially well-adjusted (i.e. getting along well with peers and teachers)?describe this students behavior.this student appear to be emotionally well-adjusted? If no, please describe.effects did you hope retention would have on this student?
Appendix D
Parent Interviews
53
PARENT INTERVIEW
Student #1
Interviewer: During the year your child was retained, what was the biggest problem you could see
as far as her school work was concerned?
Parent: Not being able to read.
Interviewer: And she was held back in what grade?
Parent: First.
Interviewer: So, the main reason she was held back was...
Parent: Well, I think it was basically her maturity level too.
Interviewer: Was she a younger child for her grade?
Parent: Urn, I don’t think so.
Interviewer: When’s her birthday?
Parent: June. She turned six and then went to first grade.
Interviewer: Did you see improvement in her school work during her second year in first grade?
Parent: Not really. No. Some. Not really. No.
Interviewer: How does she do in her school work now? She’s in fifth grade now?
Parent: Right. She’s doing much better this year. I think its starting to sink in. She’s still
struggling with reading and spelling, but she’s making more of an effort. It’s like she’s
grown up some.
Interviewer: Do you think holding her back in first grade helped her do better in her school work
now?
Parent: No. No. No. No! I won’t let...That’s...! won’t...I’d never let them hold my others back.
I should have...I probably could have fought it with my older daughter too, but that’s a
different - we won’t go into that. No, I don’t think thats the solution.
Interviewer: How did you tell her about the fact that she was being retained?
54
Parent: I told her that her teacher talked to me and we felt like she just wasn’t mature enough.
That’s what I told her.
Interviewer: Did she understand that?
Parent: She didn’t like it. I don’t think she understood. She was mad. She’s still mad. Still mad!
Both of them are still mad at me. They blame me. They think it’s my fault because I held
them back. But that wasn’t the case. You know, I mean that wasn’t...I mean I could have
said no, lets go ahead and forge on.
Interviewer: But you didn’t fight it.
Parent: I didn’t fight it because at that time I really thought that was what needed to be done, but
looking back on it now I would never do it. Never. Never.
Interviewer: OK. During the first year of...lets see...during the first year of her first grade year,
how did she get along with her classmates and teachers?
Parent: Good. Good.
Interviewer: During the second year of first grade, how did she get along with the other children
and her teachers? And did you notice any obvious differences between this year and
the previous one?
Parent: No. Still good.
Interviewer: How does she get along with everybody now - classmates and teachers?
Everything still good?
Parent: Yeah, yeah, still good.
Interviewer: OK. Does she have any serious problems behaving?
Parent: Talking.
Interviewer: Well, I don’t think we’ll call that serious!
Parent: No, that’s the only thing she has a problem with is keeping her mouth shut.
Interviewer: No, I meant more like - and I know her so I know she doesn’t - but its one of the
questions on here I’m supposed to ask. Its more like if they have attitude problems,
things like that.
55
Parent: No, I don’t think so.
Interviewer: Do you see her as a child who is well adjusted and well liked by her classmates?
Parent: Yeah.
Interviewer: Do you think the fact that she repeated a grade had any effect, either good or bad
on her attitude toward school or on her ability to make friends?
Parent: Not on her ability to make friends, but it did give her a bad attitude. You know, she holds
it against, like I said, me - and the school. She says things like, “If you hadn’t held me
back, I’d be in sixth grade.” It does give her an attitude.
Interviewer: Does she not like school now?
Parent: Oh, no. She likes school now. Actually, I’ve seen this year, she has improved one
hundred percent in her handwriting, her spelling. You know, she’s really making an effort
to forge on. She’s doing a lot better. A lot better.
Interviewer: OK. Lets see. How did she feel about herself and about school before she was
retained?
Parent: Hmm. She liked it. She liked...I think she...
Interviewer: Was she confident in her abilities?
Parent: Not really. Because like I said, she’s a slow reader. And I think... I don’t think she really
caught on to reading until the second or third grade.
Interviewer: How did she feel about herself and school during the year that she repeated first
grade? Did she seem any more confident or less confident or about the same?
Parent: Hmm. I think about the same. If anything, I think it set her back a little bit. Because she
felt like she had failed, you know. And I remind her that, you did not fail. You were held
back. There is a difference. You know - we just thought it would be better if you stayed
back. You did not go to school and make all F’s and fail. But, I put it to her like it was
more of uh, she wasn’t mature enough to move on.
Interviewer: How does she feel about herself and school now?
Parent: She’s getting more confident, but like I said, every chance she gets, she’s, she’s - thats
still right back there in the back of her head.
56
Interviewer: So, it never goes away.
Parent: It never goes away. Never goes away. Just like with my oldest. She’s in the eighth
grade now and she still, ‘If you hadn’t held me back’, you know.
Interviewer: Do you think that her retention had any effect, either good or bad, on her emotional
feelings toward herself or toward school?
Parent: There again, I say that she lost confidence.
Interviewer: How would you describe her overall self esteem and has it changed any since she
was retained - from before she was retained to now.
Parent: She has low selfesteem anyway. I’m telling you, no matter how hard I try she still, she
gets upset when she can’t do something.
Interviewer: Was she that way before school, before first grade?
Parent: I don’t know, probably. Probably.
Interviewer: And that’s the last question I have to ask. Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Parent: Just that I don’t recommend retention. I’m sorry. I believe that if the child is falling behind
there should be a one on one, tutoring, or whatever it takes. But, I think it just, you know, it
just makes them feel like they didn’t pass that grade. Like there’s something wrong with
them. Like my oldest - she was just held back again in eighth grade.
Interviewer: So she was held back in...
Parent: In first grade and then now in eighth. I think more her problem was, uh, we moved
around a lot in kindergarten and first grade for her and I just don’t think she learned it, she
didn’t learn it, you know, she was just, didn’t learn it. And she’s still struggling with her
reading. I mean she can read, but she should be reading, you know, much better than she
is. Like I said, my second grader can read better than the eighth grader and the fifth
grader. And I, reading recovery, I have to mention that, because I believe that it works. It
works. Because there’s no way she would have been able to go on to second grade this
year if she hadn’t had that reading recovery - one on one. She’d have never made it. She
would have been struggling just like the others.
Interviewer: OK, well, if there’s nothing else you want to add to that, then we’re all done.
57
PARENT INTERVIEW
Student #2
Interviewer: In what year was your child retained?
Parent: Kindergarten.
Interviewer: During the year your child was retained, what did you see as his biggest problem as
far as his school work was concerned?
Parent: He was having problems with his ears, so his speech was behind. He and I would be
frustrated that we couldn’t understand him. He couldn’t express what he was trying to
because his speech was behind and other than that he, urn, he wasn’t ready to leave me.
He wasn’t around kids. He didn’t go to preschool and daycare and stuff so it was just me
and him. He wasn’t used to being away from mom.
Interviewer: What was the main reason he was retained?
Parent: The teacher just felt like he wasn’t ready to go on and that it was a good idea to keep him
back because of that. He justwasn’t really socially ready.
Interviewer: Did you see improvement in his school work during his second year in kindergarten?
Parent: Yes. He was more ready to be away from mom.
Interviewer: Was he a young kindergartner?
Parent: He turned five the day school started.
Interviewer: How does he do now in school?
Parent: Very well. Very, very good. He’s reading. He’s always getting A’s. Every once in awhile
his weekly reader or his spelling test I didn’t press him to study, he’ll get a sixty or
something. That was the last one. That’s unusual though. He usually gets A’s and B’s
on everything.
Interviewer: Great! Do you think retaining him helped him do better in school?
Parent: Yes. I felt bad about it at first because I thought, well, his sister is going to be right behind
him and he’s not going to feel, you know, he’s going to feel self-conscious or something.
But he’s not. He’s right where I think he should be now. I just feel like he should be here.
58
Interviewer: Did you tell him he was being retained that year or did you wait and tell him what
happened when he got older?
Parent: I think we told him, God, it’s been so long ago, it’s hard to remember. I think we told him.
I just said you’re going to get to be in her class again next year because we were going
here and then we moved to Elizabeth City for a little while because that’s where his dad’s
work was over there and I took a class over there. He went to kindergarten over there and
then we came back. I think it was at the end of the year here and Mrs. said she
thought he should go through again. I think we told him. I didn’t really try to hide it from
him. I felt kind of self conscious making that decision for him that it might bother him later,
but it didn’t.
Interviewer: During his first year of kindergarten, how did he get along with his classmates and
teachers?
Parent: Fine, but I think he was kind of quiet. I came up to school every once in awhile, you know,
if he forgot his snack. I couldn’t let him see me or he’d start crying and then I had to take
him home. I couldn’t leave him there, so I had to drop things at the office and let them take
it - thats when they had trailers - and let them take it because if I went to that trailer door
and once the door opened everybody knew who was there. He’d see me and start
bawling. I couldn’t leave him there like that so I had to have a real good reason to come to
that room.
Interviewer: During his second year in kindergarten, how did he get along with his classmates
and teachers?
Parent: Better, not as shy. His speech was doing better. They put him in Speech in kindergarten
or first grade. He had a tongue tie, or has, and they didn’t clip them then. The doctor
suggested, you know, we kept asking the doctor if they clipped it, his tongue, but they
wouldn’t do it. Then he had ear surgery again, so its been kind of an ongoing thing with his
hearing, but his speech is fine.
Interviewer: Were there any obvious differences in how well he got along between his first year
and his second year in kindergarten?
Parent: He was a little bit more outgoing. He was more used to being around a group of people
who wasn’t family.
Interviewer: How does he get along now with his classmates and teachers?
59
Parent: Fine. He’ll still hold back a little if an injustice has been done. He won’t always speak up
about it unless he knows its something he knows is really wrong. Like one time a teacher
told him to do something and then said, “I didn’t tell you that,” and he said, “You lied!” But
most of the time he’s pretty quiet.
Interviewer: Does he have any serious problems behaving?
Parent: No. He’s getting kind of cocky lately with me-talking back.
Interviewer: Do you see him as a child who is well adjusted and liked by his classmates?
Parent: Yes.
Interviewer: Do you think the fact that he was retained had any effect, either good or bad, on his
attitude toward school or on his ability to make friends?
Parent: No.
Interviewer: How did he feel about himself and about school before he was retained?
Parent: He didn’t always want to go. I felt guilty sending him because he seemed so little and he
cried every time he saw me. He wasn’t real excited about going like his little sister now is.
But she’s got older siblings that she follows, you know, learns from them. But, you know,
being the oldest and first one out the door to school, we were both hesitant to let him go.
He didn’t want to go and I didn’t want him to go. But he’s fine with school now. He likes it.
Interviewer: How does he feel about himself now? How is his self-esteem?
Parent: I think good. I can’t tell. I’m used to him. I don’t know. Every once in a while, so, he
doesn’t, you know, I don’t know. I just try to make them feel good about theirself. Things
that they do at school and their folders they bring home. You know, it’s important. It’s a
whole week’s work. Make them realize it is important. He does a good job and he does
certain things, and things he’s interested in are neat. And if he works around the house,
I tell him he did a good job.
Interviewer: But do you think the retention had an effect either way?
Parent: No.
Interviewer: That’s all the questions I have. Do you have anything you would like to add or to
say?
Parent: Just that in his case I think it was beneficial. I think pushing him -1 don’t know if it really
60
would have made any difference if he went into first grade or not then, but maybe if he
wasn’t capable of doing school work type stuff. If he was too young, he wouldn’t have
grasped like writing his name or reading things, he might have been behind now if he was
in fifth grade instead. I felt real bad about it at the time, but now it’s like, well, it happened,
it’s over. Life goes on. He doesn’t hold it against me. When he’s twenty he might, no
seventeen. I could have been graduated. But no, he doesn’t think of it in a bad way.
Interviewer: That’s good. Well, thank you very much for your time.
61
PARENT INTERVIEW
Student #3
Interviewer: In what grade was your child retained?
Parent: Second grade.
Interviewer: During the year your child was retained, what did you see as her biggest problem as
far as her school work was concerned?
Parent: I would say she had a lot of trouble understanding what she was reading. A lot, a lot of
trouble. She could read something, but she could not comprehend what she had read to
answer questions to it, to tell what it was about. She couldn’t grasp the idea at all.
Interviewer: What was the main reason she was retained?
Parent: She was doing very poorly in all of her work. Her teacher felt like she had not grasped
everything with the phonics because in kindergarten, I guess, and in first grade, they
deal with phonics and in second grade, they leave the phonics out and she was missing
something. So everything was suffering. She could not read very well. Her math, I mean
she couldn’t grasp one times one. Very hard. She had a lot of problems.
Interviewer: During her second year in second grade, did you see improvement in her school
work?
Parent: Most definitely. Very much. She didn’t get bogged down. Her reading improved. I think
when they held her back, she was reading at maybe a year and five months. That’s first
grade and five months to where she finally went in second grade the second time around,
she came up to almost third grade level the following year with her reading. Her math was
still fluctuating, having a hard time with it. I think she had a hard time with her fours, doing
two’s, you know, she just couldn’t times at all.
Interviewer: Now this is in - second, third?
Parent: This is in second grade. She was doing times tables. I have yet to understand this. My
other children didn’t start them until third grade, but she was doing times tables and she
could not grasp it at all. You know, zero times one, one times one.
Interviewer: So was that part of the reason they retained her?
Parent: That, and they felt like maybe she was a little - if she got an answer wrong, you know, like
doing school work as far as in the school, if she got an answer wrong, she got upset. If
someone said something to her, I mean she really had a hard time with it. She got so
62
upset, she’d come home and she would cry because the kids called her dumb or this, that,
or the other thing. She couldn’t deal with it. She couldn’t deal with it at all.
Interviewer: How does she do in her school work now?
Parent: Excellent. Which for her, you know, she’s putting out 110%. She will probably never be a
straight A student, but she gives everything she’s got. As far as I’m concerned, she’s
doing excellent. She’s getting a lot better. Her reading’s a little bit hard on her. Its come
up a little bit, but she still has, you know, on hard books and things, she has a hard time
grasping, you know, what it’s about. You know, basic things, you know with the character
or something, but when you really start talking about what the book was really about, the
morals and stuff like that, she’s still having a hard time with that.
Interviewer: She’s a fifth grader now, right?
Parent: Yes, she’s in fifth grade now. And I love her teacher now.
Interviewer: Yes, she is great.
Parent: She’s doing really great with my daughter. Like I told her, if my daughter gets D’s and that
is the best she can do, as long as she’s doing her best, I don’t care. I don’t care.
Interviewer: Do you think retaining your child helped her do better in school?
Parent: Yes. Most definitely.
Interviewer: How did you tell your child about the fact she was being retained?
Parent: That was hard. You know, we explained to her that she was having problems in different
areas and that they were wanting to hold her back. She got all upset and cried and said
the kids would make fun of her and you know, which they were already doing that anyway.
You know how kids are. They want to make their little comments, well, ‘I knew that, why
didn’t you know that? Are you dumb or something?’ So she took it pretty hard. She
fought it. She didn’t want to be held back, I mean she cried and cried. Her daddy didn’t
want her to be held back, but I felt like it was a necessary thing for her. I mean, I was
watching her struggle with her work that she could not do and I knew that when she went
to third grade, it was going to get even worse. If she’s not grasping things they’re doing
in second grade, how is she going to grasp it when she goes into third grade with more
homework and responsibility?
Interviewer: During the first year of second grade, how did she get along with her classmates and
teachers?
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Parent: She did not like her. I did not like her. She is a very rough teacher as far as, I don’t think
she has personality. I think she was an excellent teacher because she picked up on my
child’s little problems that she were having. You know, we had a lot of problems. My child
did not like her and she still doesn’t like her, of course, she doesn’t teach now, but my child
did not like her at all. She did not get along with her, she would come home upset because
her teacher had gotten on her about this or that. We were constantly in a turmoil with her.
But, you know, as things progressed and they had her tested to see if maybe she was
having a little bit of, you know, find out about her problems and such. Then, her teacher
changed when she found out that my child did have a little bit of a problem, she done
really good with her. Then they seemed to get along a little bit better, but my child never
really liked her. She wanted out of her class.
Interviewer: OK. How about her classmates? Did she get along with them?
Parent: Yes, but there was a few in the class who teased her through half of the school year and
stuff, and I guess finally they just left her alone and she stayed away from those kids, but
she does real good.
Interviewer: During her second year of second grade, how did she get along with her classmates
and teachers?
Parent: She done real good. She done real good. She liked her teacher. She really liked her
a lot. Some of the kids, of course, she was the same size as them so they never knew that
this was her second year in second grade. Nobody never knew. She’s so small. She got
along fine. She fit right in and picked up on everything, I mean it was amazing the
improvement that we saw.
Interviewer: Well, that was my next question. Were there any obvious differences between her
first year in second grade and her second year in second grade?
Parent: There was a lot of improvements. I mean, she, we didn’t have to fight her anymore to do
homework. She would refuse to do homework and trying to help her, oh, you’d sit here
and that was the worst thing. Something that was so simple and easy, she would balk at
the first go around to where she’d sit there for an hour and be in tears and you’d want to
strangle her because you’d get so mad at her because she would just get so frustrated
that she didn’t want to do nothing and she would refuse to do homework. The second time
in second grade that changed. She would actually do her homework. She still got
frustrated, but she would actually sit down. You didn’t have to actually stand over her and
scream get it done, get it done, get it done. She done a lot better. She got along with all
the kids.
Interviewer: How does your child get along now with her classmates and teachers?
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Parent: She does great. She does real good.
Interviewer: Does your child have any serious problems behaving?
Parent: No, not that I am aware of.
Interviewer: Do you see your child as a child who is well adjusted and liked by her classmates?
Parent: Yes.
Interviewer: Do you think the fact that she was retained had any effect, either good or bad on her
attitude toward school or on her ability to make friends?
Parent: I think it had a positive effect on her. Before she was kind of quiet, withdrawn a little bit.
She had little problems. She was always afraid of being wrong and somebody making fun
of her and she has gotten through that now to where if she has the wrong answer, oh well.
Nobody’s perfect. So she adjusted a lot better from it and is more open now. She has
a lot more friends. She will work with the teacher in class a lot more now. Used to, she
would not even raise her hand and didn’t want to be called. That has all changed now.
She will actually do group activities and stuff.
Interviewer: Well, great. How did your child feel about herself and about school before she was
retained? Like her self esteem - how was it when she was in first grade?
Parent: In kindergarten and first grade, she was OK. But when she went into second grade, she
went downhill. She would say she was dumb, she was stupid, she didn’t understand this
or that. She even called herself retarded a couple of times. All from kids and just not being
able to grasp it. Her selfesteem was fine till second grade and things started bogging her
down. And you could see it too. I mean, the stress, oh.
Interviewer: How did she feel about herself and about school during the year in which she was
repeating?
Parent: She got a lot better. I mean she started out a little leery. I guess, wondering if the kids
were going to make fun of her and what was going to happen, but, like I say, you know,
they didn’t realize she had been held back because she was the same size as them and
nobody knew her age and then, you know, when the comment was made, you know, they
figured, well, birthdate, this, that, and the other, you know, kids have little ways of doing,
and she was with a different group of children. And I think that had a lot to do with it
because they were pretty good kids that even when they did find out, they went to her
because, well, ‘if this is your second year, then you’re smarter than us.’ They looked
up to her because well, you know, ‘this is your second year. You’ve already been through
this once, so you know whafs going on. You’re smarter.’
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Interviewer: But how did she feel about herself?
Parent: She thought that was really good, you know. She got to feeling better and it gave her
confidence. She had a lot more confidence because she did know what was going on
and knew what to expect so she had confidence then you know. She’d come home, you
know, ‘Mama, I can help them because I’ve already done this.’
Interviewer: OK, so her selfesteem, you think, went up.
Parent: How does she feel about herself now as far as her confidence and her self esteem?
Interviewer: Real good. Real good. She’s to the point now where if she does really good, fine, if
she doesn’t, fine, as long as she’s doing the best she can do.
Interviewer: Do you think her retention had any effect, either good or bad, on her emotional
feelings toward herself or toward school?
Parent: Positive. I think it had a positive effect.
Interviewer: How would you describe her overall self-esteem? And has it changed any since
she was retained?
Parent: Very good selfesteem. Very good. I mean, she has confidence now.
Interviewer: But you saw it as, her self esteem was OK until her first second grade year, then it
was poor, and then it built back up some.
Parent: It has built back up. She has had good teachers. You know, Mrs. was real
good with her and pushed her. You know, I mean, she pushed her and I was getting a little
leery because when she started out the first of the year in fourth grade, she was doing
really good, but Mrs. was pushing her and I can understand that, but I
started noticing signs of stress because I felt like she was having too much put on her and
you could see the little tell-tale signs, you know, different little things she would come
home with and they done books, you know, they had published. And I don’t understand,
you know, there is such a quality of difference between her book and her younger
brother’s. That was when I was like, OK, something’s going on because this book is
pitiful. I mean her writing, the things she wrote about. I mean, like something’s going on.
Every one of them stinks. And I **********was because I thought something’s going
on. She’s getting bogged down again. She’s getting too much and I had a conference
with her teacher. When I opened up that book, all I could see was a very stressed, angry
child. I just, the book just, I mean, I just looked at it and I thought, ‘What is going on?’
You know, lhad not seen her like this since second grade. I got really concerned. She
had a little bit, you know, fluctuating in third grade, but went on and breezed by, you know.
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But, I’m gonna tell you what. When I seen that book, I went to Mrs. and I’m
like, something’s going on. You’re pushing too hard. She’s getting stressed.
Interviewer: What did you see that you saw as stress?
Parent: Just the way she drew her pictures. You know, her writing. It’s hard to explain. I have
never gotten over that book. Everything to me was just kind of negative. I mean, it just
seemed to me, it was negative.
Interviewer: Does she know you feel that way about it?
Parent: No, I’ve never said anything to her. I’ve never said anything. This was the greatest thing,
book, in the world because I would never hurt her for anything, but I mean, this to me,
I know that’s supposed to be the sun, but that looks like a very mad sun to me. Just
different things. I mean her writing. Read this.
Interviewer: (reading students poem) The sun would not shine that morning. All the people in
the village were worried. They said, “Why isn’t the sun shining?” Then a person
came and said, “Someone turned it off by the switch.”
Parent: I mean, just some of the things she wrote about. I just don’t get it. I mean, I looked at this
and this one - ‘A Little Girl Walking Down the Road’. You know, different little ole things,
everything to me, I mean to me, this is not a happy picture. The dog’s biting the guy.
Then we flip to the next page and its all black and I got concerned. I mean I was
panicking. This one - ‘The Boy Who Did Not Have a Home” - see? The Toad” - the
snake wanted to eat the toad. The toad agreed to go with the snake, but when he got
there it was a trap. No one ever saw the toad again.
Interviewer: And you saw all this as when she was in fourth grade and beginning to get stressed
again by work that was too hard for her.
Parent: Yes. To me that was an angry child in that book. Something was going on. And Mrs.
changed her way of doing things because I was like look, this is my child
and I don’t care what you’re doing. You’re pushing too hard and I’ll do what I need to
do because you’re not gonna push her and stress her out and hand her over stuff that
she is not capable of doing. I mean, I can understand pushing a child for them to learn,
but, at the time, when I seen that book, nothing in there makes a whole deal of sense.
And I don’t understand why, when this was going on, I mean, I know they want them to be
their stories, but I don’t know why there wasn’t some help going on here. My daughter
has always put forth so much effort. And it has aggravated me with her brother - you
taught him. He has a mind and he chooses to let it pass by him. Then here’s his sister
who’s struggling, she’s giving 110%. She’s doing the best she can do and I know it’s
hard. So far this year, she’s doing really good. She’s done good on her work and on
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projects. She’s got a good teacher. I mean, I can understand pushing them to get them
on up there, but don’t push them the *****to point that they start having problems. And
that book, to me, was the start of a problem. And I tell you, I don’t know what’s going to
happen when she gets into high school. Then we shall see. I think her Title 1 teacher has
more problems with her than anybody. I went to the Open House and talked to her and
found out she wasn’t doing her homework. And was doing homework that should have
been done in class. But we got it all straightened out. She’s getting a little bit more
aggressive now and she won’t let anybody pick on her. But, she’s getting a little too
rough. I guess she’s taking after her mother. I tell her she doesn’t have to take nothing off
of nobody. Don’t let them push you around. And she has taken it to heart. But, I’m just
glad she’s doing good now. But, I tell you that first second grade year, I tell you. It was
something. I even called her ******a . And that was my boss’s wife. I mean we went the
gambit with her. She may be a good teacher, but personally if I had another child and she
was teaching, she would not teach another one of my children. I would pull them out of
the class. I do not like her as a teacher. I mean, she done better with my daughter after
she found out she did have a problem. She’s just a hateful teacher. She has no
personality. She does not do anything. Its like a drill sergeant. I understand there are
rules and regulations, but you don’t have to browbeat a child. And I felt like she done that.
Hollering and screaming at kids don’t get it. I can understand. I’d probably kill a child
if I was teaching -1 don’t know. But you’re there to, I’m sure its hard, but walk outside
the classroom for a minute, take a walk if its getting that bad or you’re that stressed. But
the thing of it is, if there are three of them stressing you out, don’t take it out on the
fourth one who hasn’t done anything. One of the comments one day when I just
happened to walk up there was, “I’ve already told you what it was.” Well, my child
didn’t quite get it so when she asked the question, she got turned to the wayside. That
didn’t go very well. If it hadn’t been for (another teacher) that day, I probably would have
killed that woman. If that other teacher had not been there, I would have slapped her.
My child was so upset over this. I don’t know what they were supposed to be doing.
She had wrote stuff up on the board and my daughter had not grasped it and was trying to
write it and, like I say, her teacher went up one side of her and down the other. I just
happened to pop in that day and that was the end of that ***** . And I did call her a
unfortunately in front of her class. All those little kids. I don’t even think the kids knew
what was going on. She was hollering and screaming. I let her know. She was hollering
at my child and I wanted her to holler at me so’s I could slap her. But all I did was call her
g ***** . I mean I thoroughly believe in the teachers and I won’t let my kids give a teacher
a hard time, but I’m not gonna have my children mistreated either. I do go to the school
and check on them. My kids may not know I’m there, but, yes, I will check on them
because there ain’t no teacher *****gonna treat them like no more.
Interviewer: Well, that was an interesting interview. And very helpful, but I think that’s about all we
need. Thank you very much for your time and for helping me.
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PARENT INTERVIEW
Student #4
Interviewer: In what grade was your child retained?
Parent: First, I think.
Interviewer: During the year your child was retained, what did you see as her biggest problem as
far as her school work was concerned?
Parent: What do you mean? Are you talking about when she was held back?
Interviewer: Yes.
Parent: She wasn’t doing any of it. She couldn’t read. She couldn’t write.
Interviewer: What was the main reason she was retained?
Parent: Her reading probably, yeah.
Interviewer: Did you see improvement in her school work during her second year in first grade?
Parent: Yes, a big difference.
Interviewer: What did you notice?
Parent: She was writing. She was reading. She was talking.
Interviewer: Talking? She didn’t talk in first grade?
Parent: No.
Interviewer: How does she do in school now?
Parent: Urn, I, (long pause - lots of shrugging) I guess, good, but she could do better. She’s a
little wild now. Hyper, I guess is what you’d say.
Interviewer: Do you think being retained helped her do better in school?
Parent: Yes.
Interviewer: How do you think it helped her?
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Parent: She’s doing it now. She’s better at it. She’s not so shy.
Interviewer: How did you tell your child about the fact that she was being retained?
Parent: I just told her I was gonna let her stay in first grade another year and it would help her
learn more. She was real nice about it. She didn’t have a hard time about it or nothing.
Interviewer: During the first year she was in first grade, how did she get along with her
classmates and teachers?
Parent: I think she got along real good. Other than just being shy, she wouldn’t really talk to
nobody, but I think she got along with them.
Interviewer: During the second year of first grade, how did she get along then with her
classmates and teachers and were there any obvious differences between this year
and her first year in first grade?
Parent: She got along great.
Interviewer: Was she more outgoing the second year?
Parent: Right, right, yeah.
Interviewer: And it was a big difference or...?
Parent: Yeah, big difference.
Interviewer: Do you have any idea what made the difference?
Parent: Well, between her kindergarten and first grade year, she lost her dad. I think thats why
she wouldn’t talk or do nothing.
Interviewer: Had she been more outgoing before that happened?
Parent: Yeah.
Interviewer: OK, so she withdrew. How does she get along now with her classmates and
teachers?
Parent: Real good. She’s doing great.
Interviewer: OK. Does she have any serious problems behaving?
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Parent: What, like, you mean, like?
Interviewer: Does she get in trouble in school?
Parent: Just hyper.
Interviewer: Just hyper, OK. So she went from withdrawn and shy to hyper?
Do you see her as a child who is well adjusted and liked by her classmates?
Parent: Yeah, yes.
Interviewer: Do you think the fact she was retained had any effect, either good or bad on her
attitude toward school or her ability to make friends?
Parent: I think it done good.
Interviewer: Do you know how it helped her or what makes you think it helped?
Parent: I don’t know.
Interviewer: How did she feel about herself and about school before she was retained?
Parent: She did not like school. She hated school.
Interviewer: How was her self-esteem before she was retained?
Parent: I don’t know what you mean.
Interviewer: I’m sorry. Did she think highly of herself or did she not have very much confidence
in herself?
Parent: To me, I felt like she had low self confidence.
Interviewer: Even before she was retained?
Parent: Yeah.
Interviewer: How did she feel about herself during the year she repeated first grade?
Parent: She was tickled. She was like - at the beginning it was slow, but after school was here
for awhile, it was like she was on top and everybody else was here. She thought she
was, you know, the star.
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Interviewer: So, do you think the retention helped her self esteem?
Parent: Yeah.
Interviewer: How does she feel about herself and school now? How’s her self esteem now?
Parent: (Gave thumbs down sign)
Interviewer: Oh really? What happened?
Parent: This year, she’s having a hard time. I don’t know if it’s where she’s hyper and ain’t got
the patience to sit down and really listen and learn or if she’s having trouble and I’ve just
not spotted that situation out yet.
Interviewer: So her self confidence is low again?
Parent: This year, yes.
Interviewer: Just this year? She was OK in third grade?
Parent: Yes.
Interviewer: Do you think her retention had any effect, either good or bad, on her emotional
feelings toward herself or toward her abilities in school? For example, does
she tend to get upset easier since she was retained or does she seem to get less
upset over her work in school?
Parent: I don’t think I’ve noticed no difference.
Interviewer: How would you describe her overall selfesteem and has it changed any since she
was retained?
Parent: (long pause) Could you repeat that?
Interviewer: OK, sure. How would you say she feels about herself overall, not just her abilities
in school, but overall, and has that changed any since she was retained?
Parent: Hmm. I don’t know how to answer that one.
Interviewer: That’s OK. Is there anything else you’d like to say about her retention as far as if
you think it was beneficial or harmful or really had no effect either way?
Parent: I think it done her good to hold her back. I really do. She learned a lot more and it was
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easier for her to learn. With, like me holding her back, and the other kids just getting
there, she felt like she was smarter and that helped her out. I think holding her back was
the best thing I could have done. It really, really done some good.
Interviewer: OK, well thank you for coming and talking with me.
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PARENT INTERVIEW
Student #5
Interviewer: In what grade was your child retained?
Parent: First.
Interviewer: During the year your child was retained, what did you see as his biggest problem
as far as his school work was concerned.
Parent: Reading.
Interviewer: What was the main reason he was retained?
Parent: Reading. They wanted to retain him in kindergarten, but I wanted them to wait and let him
repeat first grade because there are more academics there.
Interviewer: Did you see improvement in his school work during his second year in first grade?
Parent: Actually, yes.
Interviewer: What did you notice?
Parent: That he seemed to read words. He would pick up on them better, but he still didn’t, and
he still doesn’t remember words. He could read them, but if he had the same word a
week later, he wouldn’t remember what that word was. But when he went to second grade,
I do believe that he, by being held back in the first, he got a little bit of a better start on
second grade. He still wasn’t up to par.
Interviewer: Is he now?
Parent: No, he got two D’s and two F’s last week on his report card.
Interviewer: OK, that almost answers my next question. How does he do in school now?
Parent: His teacher says that he’s at a point and he just needs to cross the line and he hasn’t
jumped it yet.
Interviewer: And that means, what?
Parent: As far as, his trouble transferring it from visual, or, you know, I guess, on the board to
paper and he’s really slow. He's not real sure of himself so instead of saying, ‘I can do
this’ and going ahead and writing it down and saying, ‘I know its correct, but if it’s not that’s
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OK, but I’m getting it done’. He will sit there and ponder over how much he can’t do for
ten minutes and then he’ll get half the questions wrong. And he’s on Ritalin. We had one
of them studies done in third grade where I fill out the survey and his teachers did and
things like that and he’s got ADD without hyperactivity. He’s the most laid back little kid,
he is. I mean, he’ll sit there and I mean he’s so laid back. He thinks of so many things
in his head and it doesn’t come out in his activity. His brain is going a hundred miles an
hour. Its really weird. He’s a neat little kid, actually.
Interviewer: Do you think retaining him helped him do better in school?
Parent: Yeah. Yeah, actually. I know I answered that question as no yesterday when you called,
but, actually yeah. I think if he had went on up, he would have just got too overwhelmed. It
would have been too much for him and he wouldn’t, it would have been a lot worse for
him. So actually, I do think holding him back in that first grade gave him a little bit more
for second grade. He’s still not up to par, but I think he would have been worse if he hadn’t
been held back.
Interviewer: How did you tell him about the fact he was being retained?
Parent: Oh, he knew it was coming. Yeah, he, cause, he knew it was coming. We really didn’t
have to sit down and tell him. I didn’t have to hit him with it all at once. You know, all year
it was like if you don’t get this done and this is what’s happening - you’re gonna flunk. You
know, the quarterly reports or the report cards showed that this is not gonna be good, you
know. He was fine with it. He turned five in August when school started, so he was a
young kindergartner, so he’s not a lot older than the other kids now.
Interviewer: During his first year of first grade, how did he get along with his classmates and
teachers?
Parent: Fine. We never had no problem with discipline or anything.
Interviewer: OK. During his second year of first grade, how did he get along with his classmates
and teachers then?
Parent: Fine. Everything was fine then too.
Interviewer: How does he get along with classmates and teachers now?
Parent: He gets along just fine. Like I said, he doesn’t have any discipline problems or anything.
He’s a pretty good kid.
Interviewer: OK. Well the next question was does he have any serious problems behaving, but
you really just answered that.
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Parent: Yeah. No there’s no problems. Well, he does get frustrated easy. Like I said, if he’s
overloaded, he gets upset and says he can’t do it. He’d rather just say he can’t do it and
that’s his answer. So he does have a real problem with frustration.
Interviewer: Do you see him as a child who is well adjusted and liked by his classmates?
Parent: Yeah.
Interviewer: Do you think that the fact he was retained had any effect on his attitude toward
school or on his ability to make friends?
Parent: No. I think it was so young that it didn’t have that stigmatism and peer pressure on it.
Its actually a better time to hold them back.
Interviewer: Does he like school?
Parent: No. He says he’s quitting when he turns sixteen and he’s going down on the beach and
build cottages. And thats what a lot of kids do. I’ve got a friend whose son quit school in
the eighth grade and he’s down there on the beach every day helping them build cottages.
He’s always got a pocketful of ones and that amazes my son. I stay on him that he’s got to
go to college. I tell him even if he doesn’t go to the university, to go to a local college and
learn a trade.
Interviewer: How did he feel about himself and about school before he was retained?
Parent: He was so young, it really didn’t matter to him.
Interviewer: No, I mean in kindergarten and first grade, before he was ever retained, how did he
feel about himself and school?
Parent: He liked school. His kindergarten teacher, urn, he’s such a cute little thing. He’s got
that little round face and those big brown eyes and that little haircut and his kindergarten
teacher just adored him. Every time I turned around, there she was. She had her arm
around him and he was right beside her. He was the pencil passer and he was - he’s
very charming and he’s very witty and he’s very quiet. I think thats what attracted her to
him. I think maybe he thought kindergarten was a joke. Thats probably why he didn’t
do good. He thought he could go in there and hang out with the teacher and pass out
pencils all day. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, you know, how, the way she
treated him. But he was her little helper, her favorite little pet and I don’t know if maybe
he would have been streamlined or mainstreamed with the rest of them and not singled
out like that, that he would have caught on and went on. I still debate that.
Interviewer: How does he feel about himself and school now?
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Parent: He doesn’t like school. He doesn’t like homework. Its a constant struggle every night.
You gotta keep drawing his attention back to his homework. You gotta go to a separate
room with no TV and no other children. We butt heads a lot over homework. And then in
the mornings he’s crying because he doesn’t want to go to school. He fusses about that
a lot.
Interviewer: Earlier, you indicated he doesn’t have a lot of confidence in himself.
Parent: No. He really doesn’t.
Interviewer: So do you think his retention had any effect on his emotional feelings toward himself
or toward his ability to do well in school? Do you think it caused him to lose
confidence in himself or do you think it bolstered his confidence causing him to do
better in school?
Parent: I really think at that young of an age, it really didn’t phase him. He never says nothing
about it and nothing has ever come up in conversation about it that it haunts him or makes
him feel any less or any more.
Interviewer: So do you think his lack of confidence is just because things are so hard for him in
school academically and its a day to day struggle?
Parent: Yes.
Interviewer: How would you describe his overall self esteem and has it changed any since he
was retained? Do you notice any difference overall between now and before he was
retained?
Parent: His self esteem - no. He has no trouble with that. Its more of a confidence thing. Ashe
gets further and further, he keeps thinking he can’t do things. But actually, this year, he’s
finally kicking in to where he’s - he’s good in math. He’s like a little math whiz. Except now
they’re getting into multiplication and he’s done got that subtraction and addition down pat.
He seems to be getting math real good, but as far as his reading. I don’t think it’s affected
his self esteem at all. He just has a problem with confidence, you know. Instead of
tackling it, he just says he can’t.
Interviewer: Is there anything else you would like to add to this?
Parent: No.
Interviewer: OK. Thank you so much for coming and answering these questions.
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PARENT INTERVIEW
Student #6
Interviewer: It should be explained first, that you are this student’s guardian, not his parent. But
you have taken care of him since he was five. Is that right?
Guardian: Yes and from the time he was two years old - just off and on whenever his parents
would get in trouble. His daddy is my brother and I turned him in to Social Services
and then got this child. He was in foster care when he was four, but then I got him when
he was five, just before he started kindergarten.
Interviewer: In what year was he retained and during that year, what did you see as his biggest
problem as far as his school work was concerned?
Guardian: Not being able to comprehend what they were doing. His behavior was such a
problem too. His outbursts wouldn’t allow him to stay on task.
Interviewer: What was the main reason he was retained?
Guardian: Not being able to read and not being able to stay on task like the other students.
Interviewer: Did you see improvement in his school work during his second year in first grade?
Guardian: Oh, yes. Yes, a whole lot. A lot. He learned how to read. He could maintain hisself
a whole lot more in the mainstream classroom.
Interviewer: How does he do in his school work now?
Guardian: Very good. He’s doing very good in his school work now. He still doesn’t do science
that well, but math and spelling. When it comes to doing a lot of reading, he still doesn’t
do that very well.
Interviewer: Do you think being retained helped him do better in school?
Guardian: Oh yes. It helped him a lot.
Interviewer: How did you tell him about the fact he was being retained?
Guardian: I just told him he didn’t learn enough. He was going to have to stay in first grade again.
Interviewer: During his first year of first grade, how did he get along with his classmates and
teachers?
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Guardian: Not too well because then he was having some problems with his behavior and he
was just getting the right medication that he needed to help him stay on task and
control his outbursts.
Interviewer: During his second year in first grade, how did he get along with his classmates
and teachers then and were there any obvious differences between the two years?
Guardian: I guess there was a lot of difference because then he was on the medication he
needed to be. He know what was required from him by being last year in the same
class. Uh, he still have some rough spots but it wasn’t nothing like the first time.
Interviewer: How does he get along with his classmates and teachers now?
Guardian: He does very well. The outbursts are controlled. He’s doing his work good. He’s
changed a whole lot since the first year in first grade.
Interviewer: Has he also had counseling?
Guardian: He has counseling and he takes medication daily.
Interviewer: Does he have any serious problems behaving?
Guardian: Yes. That’s why it was so hard for him in the first grade. He was on six pills a day
when he was in first grade and now he takes two pills a day. So his behavior has
improved a lot.
Interviewer: So these behaviors were present before he was ever retained. They were a problem
resulting from something else and they have gotten better over the course of time. Is
that right?
Guardian: Uh, I don’t know what you mean.
Interviewer: His behavior was poor before he was retained - kindergarten and first grade. He had
trouble with his behavior then, too, before he was held back. Is that right?
Guardian: Yes, uh-huh.
Interviewer: So the behavior was a result of other problems, not the retention.
Guardian: Yes, right.
Interviewer: Do you see him now as a child who is well adjusted and liked by his classmates?
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Guardian: Some. He still has some problem with doing little things. I don’t know what I would call
them. I think a lot of the children still remember from the times that he were
misbehaving and they might still be kind of afraid to really get close to him because
of his past behaviors, but, uh, he’s doing OK.
Interviewer: Do you think the fact that he was retained had any effect, either good or bad, on his
attitude toward school or on his ability to make friends?
Guardian: No, not that he was retained. More so because of his behavior.
Interviewer: His, it helped his behavior? Is that what you’re saying, or?
Guardian: No, that retaining him helped him - ask me the question again.
Interviewer: Do you think the fact that he was retained had any effect on his attitude toward
school or on his ability to make friends? Did his retention affect the way he thinks
about school?
Guardian: Oh, no. Not being retained, no. The behavior caused him problems with having
friends. His behavior comes from other problems he’s had, not from being held back.
Interviewer: How did he feel about himself and about school before he was retained?
Guardian: He didn’t like school and he didn’t like hisself very much.
Interviewer: How did he feel about himself and about school during the year he was repeating
first grade?
Guardian: He, not so much he was retained and was still in the first grade, but more so because
he could kind of control hisself better and he could see hisself learning. He could get
his work done. So that was making him like hisself more better. He liked his teacher.
Things were being more positive toward him and he could like hisself better.
Interviewer: How does he feel about himself and about school now?
Guardian: I believe he feels pretty good about hisself and school. He still don’t like homework.
He’s lazy. He really don’t like to do work. But he has a more positive attitude toward
school and work.
Interviewer: Do you think retention had any effects on his emotional feelings toward himself or
toward his abilities in school?
Guardian: No. No. His was more behavior problems than being retained.
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Interviewer: How would you describe his overall self esteem and has it changed any since he
was retained?
Guardian: Yes, it’s changed. His selfesteem is a whole lot better about hisself because he
knows what he can do. He can read and he can kind of keep up with the rest of the
children in class. He feels good about hisself.
Interviewer: I think what I was trying to make seem clear was - do you think it’s the retention that
helped him to feel better about himself and to do better in school or do you think it
was the fact that the passage of time has allowed him to learn how to deal with his
problems. I know he had a very rough start and he’s had counseling and medication
and special teachers to help him get through all that.
Guardian: He just needed time to deal with all his problems. Holding him back just gave him
more time to deal with them.
Interviewer: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Guardian: Just that it helped him a lot. And his first grade teacher needs to be commended
because all the problems he had in her class the first time, and she wanted him back
the second time. I wouldn’t have wanted this child back in my classroom again. So
he was really throwing stuff and she wanted him back a second year. So that was really
good. But, now, I didn’t have the problems with him at home that she was seeing at
school because he knew if he acted that way at home he’d get beat.
Interviewer: Well, I’m really glad he’s doing better. Is there anything else you’d like to add about
this?
Guardian: No.
Interviewer: Well, thank you so much for your time and help. I really appreciate it.
Appendix E
Teacher Interviews
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TEACHER INTERVIEW
Student #1
Interviewer: How does this students academic functioning compare to those of her classmates?
Would you classify her as below average, average, or above average?
Teacher: She is in the “C” range. She struggles a bit with her writing and reading. She has a
hard time getting her thoughts organized, so I’d say she’s average to below average.
Interviewer: Does this student participate in any supplemental instruction such as Title 1 or
resource classes?
Teacher: No.
Interviewer: What is her academic strength?
Teacher: Well, she has a lot of good ideas when she is writing and when she takes her time, she
can get her thoughts organized pretty well. And she can write fairly well.
Interviewer: OK, what about weaknesses?
Teacher: Organization. Comprehension.
Interviewer: Is she motivated to do well in school? Does she try to achieve by putting forth effort?
Teacher: Yes, but she goes like gangbusters. She wants to get it done and she wants to go as
fast as she talks. That really trips her up. If she would take her time and slow herself
down. We talked about that and that helped. You can see a big improvement when
she slows down. But to answer your question, yes, she does put forth effort.
Interviewer: So far this year, what are her current grades?
Teacher: She had a C in Communications and Social Studies. She had a B+in Math and in
Science she had an A.
Interviewer: Does she get along well with her classmates and teachers?
Teacher: Yes.
Interviewer: Does she have any recurring behavior problems?
Teacher: Talking. She’s getting better, but she likes to talk.
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Interviewer: Would you consider her socially well adjusted and is she accepted and liked by
her classmates?
Teacher: Yes.
Interviewer: What is her attitude toward school in general?
Teacher: She seems to want to do her best. She doesn’t have a negative attitude towards doing
things or reworking something. I’d say she has a positive attitude toward school and she
does try hard.
Interviewer: Can you tell if retention had any effect, either positive or negative, on her behavior
or social adjustment?
Teacher: No.
Interviewer: What about her academics? Do you think retention helped?
Teacher: No. I mean she’s struggling in some things, especially reading and writing. She gets
kind of frustrated.
Interviewer: How does she feel about herself as far as her academic abilities are concerned?
Teacher: She’s unsure of herself. And I think it bothers her sometimes. She’s a bit older and
still not doing well. I think that does bother her. Sometimes she’ll say something or
you can tell by the expression on her face when we’re going over something that she’s
upset or embarrassed.
Interviewer: How would you describe her overall self esteem?
Teacher: I think she’s fine. She has her highs and lows. Sometimes she gets down about
something, but she bounces back really quickly.
Interviewer: Does this student appear emotionally well adjusted?
Teacher: Yes. She’s a typical fifth grader. She’s very outgoing.
Interviewer: Do you think retention had any effect, either positive or negative on her emotional
adjustment?
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Teacher: Like I said, it bothers her that she’s not doing well. Her mother said that sometimes she
gets teased about being held back and not being in the class she’s supposed to be in
and not doing as well even though she’s been held back. But I don’t see or hear her
saying things that it bothers her.
Interviewer: That was the last question I had. Do you have anything you’d like to add?
Teacher: No.
Interviewer: Well, thank you very much.
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TEACHER INTERVIEW
Student #2
Interviewer: How does this student’s academic functioning compare to that of his classmates and
would you classify him as below average, average, or above average?
Teacher: I think that he is average to above average. He did make the A/B Honor Roll this nine
weeks. He seems to be right on target for fourth grade with his reading. In his math, he’ll
make careless mistakes, but he hasn’t had a problem yet. One of the things I see in him
is some immature behaviors. He sits quietly and does his work. I don’t have to stay
on him, but yet he knows he’s not doing what he’s supposed to.
Interviewer: Does this student participate in any supplemental instruction?
Teacher: No.
Interviewer: What is his academic strength and weakness?
Teacher: His strength would be his reading and even some math. So far, he’s done very
well in both of those areas. He likes to read and he’s reading some of the longer
chapter books. He likes math and he’s doing fairly well on his multiplication tables.
He’s on his five’s, so he’s right in there with everybody else. He’s not shining any
higher or lower. He’s right solid in the middle. One of his weaknesses, just writing is
hard for the fourth grade with us coming up with the writing prompt. He writes, but its
not always to the prompt, butthafs something that we’re all working on.
Interviewer: Is he motivated to do well in school?
Teacher: Oh, yes. He seems to be motivated. He wants to please you and any tender loving
care you give him makes him do even better.
Interviewer: So far this year, what are his grades?
Teacher: He made A/B honor roll. He’s done very well and his mom has seemed real pleased.
Interviewer: How does he get along with his classmates and teachers?
Teacher: He gets along. I can see that sometimes he stands off and I don’t know if thats just
from his home life or if he’s just kind of out. Every once in awhile, he’ll get in there and
get involved. He hasn’t had any problems with his teachers.
Interviewer: Does he have any recurring behavior problems?
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Teacher: No. He likes to play with stuff in his desk, but thafs like all of them. There’s nothing
thats any different than any other fourth grader.
Interviewer: Is he socially well adjusted and accepted and liked by his classmates?
Teacher: I thinks so. He is a loner type person so he’ll stand off and look and then he’ll start
getting in, but he participates in a group as a member and class.
Interviewer: What is his attitude toward school in general?
Teacher: I think he wants to do well. Getting on the A/B Honor Roll really surprised him. I send
their work home every other week because it’s hard to get enough to send home each
week when its a long assignment. But he’s really motivated to do well and he works.
If he knows he’s not got something done, you’ll see him working on it.
Interviewer: Do you think, or can you tell, if the retention had any effect, either positive or
negative, on his behavior or his social adjustment?
Teacher: I think what it did for him was allow him to develop in his maturity level.
Interviewer: How does he appear to feel about himself in the context of his academic abilities?
Teacher: He’s more confident now especially since the report cards went out, but sometimes
he’s unsure. He wants to do well and you can see him thinking. I think that goes day
to day with how things are going at home, too, whether he’s confident or unsure.
Interviewer: How would you describe his overall self esteem?
Teacher: He’s not overly confident, but he seems to be comfortable. Like yesterday, he wrote on
his test - they had to write about pretending to be a king and ruling the kingdom - and he
wrote about everything going good and then he wrote, “but today I don’t feel like a king”.
I think it depends on how things are going from home to here and then from here to
home. But once he gets in here, he doesn’t smile a lot. I try to perk them all up because
this is a really good group. He’s in with a lot of good kids.
Interviewer: Does he appear to be emotionally well adjusted?
Teacher: I think thafs coming. His father has been in prison and he just now got out from what I
understand. The mother has been really protective of her kids because they don’t know
exactly where he is. I think they are afraid he might take the children. She’s been here
every day and she calls everyday to remind them to go to the church. Its been really
strange. He looks like he doesn’t sleep well sometimes. He’ll have real dark circles
under his eyes. I don’t feel comfortable talking to his mother a lot because she’s a
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little strange sometimes. She won’t let them be very independent. I think he could be
more independent than he is.
Interviewer: Do you think his retention had any effect, either positive or negative, on his emotional
adjustment?
Teacher: I think it was probably positive just him being a little immature and developing up. He
has progressed and is right where he needs to be.
Interviewer: That’s all the questions I have unless you have anything else you’d like to add.
Thank you for your time.
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TEACHER INTERVIEW
Student #3
Interviewer: How does this student’s academic abilities compare to those of her classmates and
would you classify her as below average, average, or above average?
Teacher: Below average. I have some high achievers and then some that are very low, so she’s
probably in the lower percentile.
Interviewer: Does she participate in any supplemental instruction?
Teacher: Title 1.
Interviewer: What is her academic strength and weakness?
Teacher: Her strength this year has probably been math. She’s not really quick at it, but
she has tried to take her time. She checks and rechecks. I think she’s making a B
in math, but she works really hard for it. Her weakness is common sense problems.
In her math, she can do the computations really well, but the application skills are
very weak. She’s weak in inferencing, drawing conclusions, and main ideas.
Interviewer: Is she motivated to do well?
Teacher: She tries to do well, but if she doesn’t, its no big deal.
Interviewer: Does she try to achieve by putting forth effort?
Teacher: Yes. She tries.
Interviewer: So far this year, what are her grades.
Teacher: She’s averaging C’s except for her math computation, which is probably a B
right now. Her reading is very low. Her reading level is 2.5 to 3.2. She’s still
reading on a second to third grade level. She’s doing pretty well with those books.
Interviewer: How does she get along with her classmates and teachers?
Teacher: She gets along fairly well. Everybody seems to like her.
Interviewer: Does she have any recurring behavior problems?
Teacher: Constantly making noises. She’ll blurt out. It can be completely quiet in the room and
she’ll make some nervous type of loud noise. I’ll ask her if she knows she just did
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that. She’ll say no, yes, no. She doesn’t know when she does it.
Interviewer: Do you see her as a child who is well adjusted and liked by her classmates?
Teacher: Yes, but she’s still fairly immature. Every once in awhile, there’s a little bickering
like you always have with fifth grade girls, but for the most part she does fine.
Interviewer: What is her attitude toward school in general?
Teacher: It seems fairly positive. She doesn’t get stressed out by having to redo things.
Interviewer: Do you think, or can you tell, if retention had any effect, either positive or negative,
on her behavior or her social adjustment?
Teacher: I think she’s still immature, but I don’t know if that one year would have kept her from
getting any further. Academically, she is still struggling. Definitely more so in her
reading and writing than in her math. I don’t know what her math grades were like
before, but she’s very conscious of her math. Probably not a whole lot of improvement
since she’s still reading at the second grade level. I mean, she’s enjoying what she
reads and she likes to read and thats always good, but her reading ability is still low.
Interviewer: How does she feel about herself in the context of academic abilities? Is she
confident or unsure of herself?
Teacher: I don’t know if she knows. She has made comments. She knows of course that she
has been retained, but she doesn’t seem to think much of it. She doesn’t seem to really
care one way or the other. I don’t think she thinks about herself real positively, but
there’s no negative. I really don’t think she even thinks about it.
Interviewer: How would you describe her overall self esteem?
Teacher: Average, normal.
Interviewer: Does she appear to be emotionally well adjusted?
Teacher: Seems to be.
Interviewer: Do you think that her retention had any effect on her emotional adjustment?
Teacher: Doesn’t seem to.
Interviewer: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
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Teacher: Nothing I can think of.
Interviewer: OK. Thank you very much.
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TEACHER INTERVIEW
Student #4
Interviewer: How does her academic functioning compare to those of her classmates and would
you classify her abilities as below average, average, or above average?
Teacher: OK first of all, this child’s situation is very unique. She started off being in the BEH
program because she would not communicate with anybody. She started
communicating and she is LD in written language. She is not on grade level. She is
very below. She can read well, but other than that, everything is very below. I have
already talked to her mother about being retained again this year in the fourth grade.
So she will not be going on to fifth grade. So it’s really a strange situation with her.
With her past background where she wouldn’t communicate, she wouldn’t do anything.
She wouldn’t even talk to anybody. So she spent two and a half years in that situation.
So now that she’s coming out, she’s doing stuff that she should have done in the
end of first grade or beginning of second grade in socialization and communication
skills, just verbally.
Interviewer: Is she mentally handicapped?
Teacher: I, there’s something not right.
Interviewer: Does she participate in any supplemental instruction?
Teacher: She goes to resource for two hours a day.
Interviewer: What is her academic strength and weakness?
Teacher: Her reading is her academic strength. She can read and her comprehension is almost
really OK, but inferences from that text and trying to write is poor. And her math - she
can’t add two digits to two digits. She can’t add or subtract either. Her writing looks
like a first grader’s writing. One day it’s OK and the next it will be something different.
She’s also been writing two different names on her papers. That makes me wonder if
there’s two different ways she’s thinking because one day she goes by her first name
and her work is different and then the next day she goes by her middle name and it’s
different again. She is very much attention deficit and I have spoken with her mother,
but she is very much against medication. I told her there were some natural things she
needed to look in to. I asked her about her diet because you can change a lot by eating
healthy foods. Her mother is not educated enough to know what I’m talking about and
she just looked at me.
Interviewer: Is she motivated to do well in school? Does she try?
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Teacher: One minute she’s trying and the next minute - she does better if you’re right there with
her, but i can’t always do that. You know, sometimes she’s there and a lot of times
she’s somewhere else and she doesn’t know where she is. You can tell her to do
something and she’ll be doing it, but then if you leave her and come back to her, she’ll
be doing something totally different.
Interviewer: So far this year, what are her current grades?
Teacher: She’s right down there in the one’s and two’s on her report card and I have been
working with her on a lower level than what fourth grade is.
Interviewer: What grade level does she function on?
Teacher: In math, she is at the second grade level. Now reading, she seems to be strong third
grade. There is such a gap with her ability and her performance.
Interviewer: How does she get along with her classmates and teachers?
Teacher: She does fine. She has friends. She seems to want to do what you want her to do,
but she just loses it.
Interviewer: Does she have any recurring behavior problems?
Teacher: I haven’t had any behavior problems. The only problem I see is with her two different
personalities. It’s two different writings and two different ways of thinking. When she goes
by her first name, she’s like an older child. When she goes by her middle name, she is
a younger child. I talked to her mother at conference night about it.
Interviewer: Is she socially well adjusted and liked by her classmates?
Teacher: I think she is more socially aware of some things that these other kids are not. I think
there is something else. She has a stepfather who is not a father and she’s made a
statement like she thought her father was dead. That is just something she’s coming
up with herself.
Interviewer: What is her attitude toward school in general?
Teacher: I really don’t think she has an attitude. She’s just here. She sits here and she’s quiet,
but she’s not focused in on anything. She’ll come in and she’ll be doing things that
smaller children would do in the morning, you know, just kind of standing and looking
around.
Interviewer: Do you think that retention had any effect, either positive or negative, on her
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behavior or social adjustment?
Teacher: Oh, I think it has a lot to do with her even staying focused. I write up exactly what they
need to do every morning, but, well, she does sign in now every day. But to get her
to sit down to do her geography or her journal, it’s hard. She’s got it out, but she’s not
doing it.
Interviewer: So do you think the retention didn’t help her then?
Teacher: I don’t know. I think she was totally different when she was retained in first grade than
she is now. Being BEH and now she’s in the LD program, I think its almost like two
different cases.
Interviewer: How does she feel about herself in the context of her academic abilities?
Teacher: I don’t think she knows. When she gets a bad grade, it doesn’t sink in that its a bad
grade. She just looks at it. She did really poorly on a math test. She got them all
wrong. Then I went back and she had to correct them. I worked with her in a small
group with others who had missed some and she seemed to be with me when I was
pulling it all out, but nothing independently. She did better on the test the second time,
but it was still very poor.
Interviewer: How would you describe her overall selfesteem?
Teacher: I think that she is a happy child. I don’t know that things that would bother most fourth
graders would bother her because I don’t think she’s developed up to that level.
Interviewer: Does she appear to be emotionally well adjusted?
Teacher: I don’t think so. I think this going back and forth between her two names and
her personalities is escaping to another person. I really don’t know.
Interviewer: Do you think she is abused?
Teacher: I have suspected it. She’s had some bruises on her arm and she was in that school
bus accident and that really shook her up and it shook up her mother. She seems to
be clean, but she’s so thin. She’s just, there’s something, I’ve been trying to keep an
eye out on just her arms because they are bruised a lot. I know the bus accident
bruised her but thats been a while back now, so her resource teacher and I have been
trying to watch. She always wear long pants. She doesn’t ever wear shorts or dresses.
Interviewer: Do you think her retention had any effect, either positive or negative, on her
emotional adjustment?
94
Teacher: It probably helped her in a positive way, but there again, being classified as
something different than she is now, I really don’t remember her when she was in
first grade.
Interviewer: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Teacher: No, not that I can think of now.
Interviewer: OK. Thank you for helping me.
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TEACHER INTERVIEW
Student #5
Interviewer: How does his academic functioning compare to those of his classmates and would
you classify his abilities as below average, average, or above average?
Teacher: Below average. He’s an ADD child. He does not do what he’s supposed to be doing.
You constantly have to remind him to do his work.
Interviewer: Does he participate in any supplemental instruction?
Teacher: He goes to resource. He’s classified LD in reading, math, and language.
Interviewer: What is his academic strength and weakness?
Teacher: Probably science would be his strength. He likes doing experiments. His weakness
would be reading.
Interviewer: Is he motivated to do well in school?
Teacher: No. Not at all.
Interviewer: Does he put forth any effort?
Teacher: No. None.
Interviewer: So far this year what are his grades?
Teacher: D’s and F’s.
Interviewer: How does he get along with his classmates and teachers?
Teacher: He doesn’t like authority at all so he doesn’t get along that great with me. He gets
along with some of his classmates that are mischievous.
Interviewer: Does he exhibit any recurring behavior problems?
Teacher: Yes. He doesn’t stay on task, talking, talking out. He’s just a general disruption to
the other students.
Interviewer: Is he socially well adjusted and liked by his classmates?
Teacher: I think some of his classmates get tired of his silliness, not paying attention. They get
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frustrated with him, especially if I say if everybody does this, he’s always the one that
doesn’t do it.
Interviewer: What is his attitude toward school in general?
Teacher: He doesn’t like it. His mom said he was going to quit when he’s sixteen.
Interviewer: Do you think, or can you tell, if retention had any effect on his behavior or his
social adjustment?
Teacher: He is still very immature. He throws temper tantrums. I don’t see where it has hurt him
at all. But, I don’t think it helped either. He is still behind academically, too, but a lot
of his problem is he doesn’t want to do the work. I think he could do better if he would
put forth an effort.
Interviewer: How does he feel about himself as far as his academic abilities are concerned?
Teacher: I think he gets frustrated. He’s unsure. He thinks he can’t do it so he just won’t.
Interviewer: How would you describe his overall selfesteem?
Teacher: Low. He tells us that he’s dumb and that he can’t do the work and he can’t read.
Interviewer: Does he appear to be emotionally well adjusted?
Teacher: I don’t know. I really don’t know.
Interviewer: OK. Do you think his retention had any effect either positive or negative on his
emotional adjustment?
Teacher: No.
Interviewer: OK. Is there anything else you’d like to add to it?
Teacher: No.
Interviewer: OK. Thank you.
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TEACHER INTERVIEW
Student #6
Interviewer: How does this student’s academic functionings compare to those of his classmates
and would you classify his abilities as below average, average, or above average?
Teacher: His academics are definitely below average, not necessarily because he’s not capable
of achieving more. He’s now in the fourth grade and I’ve had him since he was in the
first grade. His behavior problems were so severe for so long that the academics kind
of took a back seat. We couldn’t start on the academics until we had him so he could
control his emotions for five minutes at a time. Because of that, he did get behind, but
now we’re seeing in the last year where we’re really able to concentrate on the
academics, we’re finding a lot of gaps. He had been taught, but has forgotten things he
has never learned. A lot of that is also because, socially, he is very manipulative. He’s
very good at manipulating situations so that he does what he wants to do. If its a
writing assignment and he doesn’t want to do it, he will get himself in trouble because
he doesn’t want to write.
Interviewer: Does he participate in any supplemental instruction?
Teacher: He’s in the resource class in my room several hours a day. He receives a lot of one
on one instruction and a whole lot of just catching up on what he should have done in
his classroom.
Interviewer: What are his academic strengths and weaknesses?
Teacher: Academically, he’s a perfectionist. He won’t turn something in until he knows it’s
perfect. Writing is a struggle for him. Comprehending simple math problems is very
difficult. He can’t tell whether you should add or subtract. Very low critical thinking
skills academically, but when you put him in a social situation, that weakness becomes
his strength.
Interviewer: Is he motivated to do well in school?
Teacher: No. He is motivated to do whatever is going to get him something in return. There’s
a lot of reinforcements, a lot of rewards, in fact, there have been so many in the past,
we are finding it difficult to wean the office staff and custodians and other teachers - all
the people who are so used to dealing with him for so long and giving him little
reinforcements - it’s difficult to get them to break that habit. I am trying to get him to
become more internally motivated. He has become the school mascot and everybody’s
crazy about him so its hard to break that cycle. But what’s happened is now ifs really
hard to get him to do something without an award now.
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Interviewer: So far this year, what are his current grades?
Teacher: Below grade level, but, I would say he’s about a year behind the other students. But
when you consider where he came from, it’s really not that bad. Its sad though
because he could do so much better.
Interviewer: How does he get along with his classmates and teachers?
Teacher: He gets along until a teacher turns her back and then it becomes a game to him to see
who he can get started. The tougher a child is to get irritated, the more persistently
irritating he will be.
Interviewer: Does he have any recurring behavior problems?
Teacher: For a long time, we had recurring violent, very verbal, very physical outbursts. We
haven’t had that for a long time, but we still get him saying things under his breath.
If he feels like he’s not getting enough attention or if he perceives things as getting too
difficult, he’ll let one of his old behavior problems pop up probably to remind us of what
we could be dealing with.
Interviewer: Is he socially well adjusted and liked by his classmates?
Teacher: He’s liked by his classmates, but they don’t like the fact that he’s so manipulative.
Interviewer: What is his attitude about school in general?
Teacher: Not very serious. He doesn’t take academics seriously. It’s something he’s doing
because he knows he has to come to school.
Interviewer: Do you think retention had any effect, either positive or negative, on his behavior
or his social adjustment?
Teacher: I think it was wonderful for him socially and academically. His teacher knew his
behavior was getting in the way of him learning. He needed the extra year to learn
some social skills, but he also needed to re-visit the first grade curriculum.
Interviewer: How does he feel about himself as far as his academic abilities are concerned?
Teacher: He doesn’t see his academics as being connected with him. Really. He feels no
ownership ofmost of the assignments he does. Now if it’s something he’s worked
on quite a while and become interested in, he’ll be proud of it, but most of the time he
points out what he has done wrong rather than what he did well.
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Interviewer: How would you describe his overall selfesteem?
Teacher: I think he tries very hard to look like he is very self assured, but he’s not. He takes a
lot of things very personally. He revisits his emotions - things that may have happened
quite some time ago. He was abused in every way - physically, sexually, verbally,
mentally and it haunts him. It was repeated abuse by his father. His mother’s abuse
towards him was more along the lines of neglect. The sexual abuse happened by a
relative. This relative is mentally disabled so he has a limited responsibility. The
student we’re discussing still sees this relative and he still sees his parents. We know,
for example, if he’s spent the weekend with his mom, that Monday is going to be a bad
day. It brings up memories that are hard for him to deal with.
Interviewer: Does he appear to be emotionally well adjusted?
Teacher: I think he tries to appear that way, but he needs much more counseling.
Interviewer: Do you think his retention had any effect on his emotional adjustment?
Teacher: I think emotionally it created a strong bond between his first grade teacher and him.
She had him for two years. She and her husband have become the two stable rocks
in his life. Her husband is his psychologist. I He has spent the night with them. The
psychologist comes to school and eats lunch with him a lot. He knows they are two
people who will always be there for him.
Interview: Thats really wonderful. Is there anything else you would like to say about his
retention?
Teacher: I think retention can be very bad for a lot of students, but I think in his particular
situation, it gave him time and stability. It also gave him that bond with those two
people we talked about because that second year is when they really clicked. His
behavior was better and he learned how to trust someone. They developed a bond
that will always be there. But, I don’t think he will grow up and be OK. I wish I did, but I
don’t. He needs intense counseling to deal with his anger. Even if he turns out to be
not violent to others, he’ll be taking it out on himself. He’s gone through too much.
Interviewer: Thank you for talking to me.
Appendix F
Retaining Teacher Interviews
101
RETAINING TEACHER INTERVIEW
Student #1
Interviewer: In what grade was this student retained and what for what reason did you retain her?
Teacher: She was retained in first grade. She was very immature and didn’t learn how to read in
her first year in first grade.
Interviewer: How did you tell her about the fact she was being retained or did you?
Teacher: We started talking about it early in the year. I usually talk about it as a class throughout
the year with the children who have difficulty. We all learn to walk at different times. We
all learn to talk at different times and we all learn to read at different times. And
sometimes it takes some children longer to learn to read so it’s necessary for them to
repeat first grade because it’s the most important grade as far as learning to read.
Interviewer: Was she socially well adjusted? Did she get along well with her classmates and
teachers?
Teacher: She got along fine. She was a little on the immature side, but she got along with
everybody fine.
Interviewer: Please describe her behavior.
Teacher: As I remember, she was quite a chatterbox. She took a long time settling down to get
anything done and had difficulty doing most of her work. She was a very sweet little
girl.
Interviewer: Did she appear to be emotionally well adjusted?
Teacher: Yes.
Interviewer: What effects did you hope retention would have on her?
Teacher: I hoped it would help her to become at least an average reader. And I don’t know what’s
happened because I haven’t talked with her teachers since.
Interviewer: Well, maybe I’ll be able to fill you in! Thanks for helping me.
102
RETAINING TEACHER INTERVIEW
Student #2
Interviewer: In what year was this student retained and what reason did you have for retaining
him?
Teacher: He was retained in first grade because he was very young, very immature, and hadn’t
mastered the basic skills yet.
Interviewer: How did you present the fact to him that he was being retained?
Teacher: I’m not real sure if I presented it to him. I talked to his mother more about the things he
was not learning. He cried a lot and she was aware of that.
Interviewer: Was he socially well adjusted? Did he get along with his classmates and you?
Teacher: I think he got along with everybody. He just was extremely unhappy at being at school.
He was so attached to his mother.
Interviewer: Describe his behavior.
Teacher: He, the best I remember, just cried and cried. He was sick quite a bit. He had a lot of
throat problems. He was sick. If his mother would come to school to bring him his lunch
or to bring him his snack, he was uncontrollable for the rest of the day and a lot of times
she had to take him home. She had a hard time letting him go to school because he was
very scared. He had a hard time being at school because of the fact he didn’t feel
well so much of the time.
Interviewer: Did he appear to be emotionally well adjusted?
Teacher: I would say that he probably was not. Aside form the fact that he didn’t feel well
and he was very young, I think there was a lot going on in his home. His parents
were not getting along. I know every time I made a phone call there, someone was
crying in the background. They separated at some point and it was just a bad situation
at home. That definitely had to have effected him also. It was a bad year for him,
emotionally and physically. He was too young to be here in the first place, for him,
anyway. Then he had all the emotional upheaval at home and then the physical
illnesses on top of that.
Interviewer: What effects did you hope retention would have on him?
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Teacher: That he would grow up a little bit and be more ready to be at school and learn to read.
Interviewer: So he was basically just not ready to be here yet.
Teacher: He was just a baby. He was four when he started kindergarten. He was just still too
young. He was not ready for what we were doing in school.
Interviewer: Do you have anything else you would like to add?
Teacher: No. That’s about all I remember.
104
RETAINING TEACHER INTERVIEW
Student #3
Interviewer: In what grade was this student retained and for what reason did you retain her?
Teacher: She was retained in the second grade for many reasons. She had done well in
kindergarten, but began having difficulties with reading and math by October of her
first grade year. She missed quite a bit of school her first grade year also. She had
a lot of special intervention help with her academics in first grade. Her curriculum was
modified. She was tested in February of her first grade year and found not to have a
learning disability. Her IQ was found to be low and that she was functioning accordingly
with her IQ. In second grade we were very concerned about her work level. The child
was frustrated because she couldn’t do what the other children were doing. So we
spoke with her mother and decided to let her work at her own level in second grade and
do the best she could. She was a very small child and had been a failure to thrive
baby. We felt like since she was so small for her age and was having so much trouble
and was seeming to take it so personally, we felt like a repeated experience of second
grade would bolster her ego, help her to have a better self concept, and to be
successful.
Interviewer: How did you present to this child the fact that she was being retained?
Teacher: We were honest with her and showed her examples of her work and talked about how
she felt about herself.
Interviewer: Was this student socially well-adjusted?
Teacher: She was, and is, a very social individual, very creative, and was a leader. She began
having some behavior problems in her first year of second grade due to the difficulties
she was having.
Interviewer: Please describe this students behavior.
Teacher: She tries very hard and exceeds her ability. She likes to talk a lot and is somewhat
hyper. She accepts suggestions and is happy and courteous. She has never been
a behavior problem except that first year of second grade. After the retention she was
much better and more positive.
Interviewer: Did this student appear to be emotionally well adjusted?
Teacher: Yes, she did.
Interviewer: What effects did you hope retention would have on this student?
105
Teacher: I hoped that retention would boost her ego, give her a sense of competence, and
help her to acquire and apply information in a way that she had a handle on.
* It should be noted that this interview was conducted with this student’s Title 1 teacher. Her
regular classroom teacher who retained her is no longer teaching. This student’s Title 1 teacher
has worked with this student since she was in first grade and was the person responsible for
recommending retention.
106
RETAINING TEACHER INTERVIEW
Student #4
Interviewer: In what year was this student retained and what was the main reason you had for
retaining her?
Teacher: She was retained in first grade. She was emotionally handicapped. She was
withdrawn. She did nothing in class and kept her coat over her head. Socialization
skills - she needed a lot of those. I felt that it would be in her best interest to keep her
back until she felt safe and secure and gain her academic skills.
Interviewer: How did you tell her about the fact that she was being retained?
Teacher: I always tell them that they’re not ready for second grade. And basically they already
know that. They know they're not ready. They know that they’re not ready to do the
work. I tell them that staying back would help them and that they would be a leader in first
grade and then they will be a really good second grader.
Interviewer: Was she socially well adjusted? Did she get along well with her classmates and
teachers?
Teacher: No. No. That was one of the main reasons. No. No friends - just totally withdrawn.
Interviewer: Please describe her behavior.
Teacher: She kept her face covered up. She didn’t talk at all and hid under her desk. She walked
in the door huddled up the first day and that’s how she stayed. Her mother had some
mental problems too, so I don’t know what all was going on.
Interviewer: Was she emotionally well adjusted?
Teacher: No, she wasn’t. She is now, but she wasn’t.
Interviewer: What effects did you hope retention would have on her?
Teacher: Well, emotionally and socially to be able to function in a classroom and academically.
107
RETAINING TEACHER INTERVIEW
Student #5
Interviewer: In what year was this student retained and for what reason did you retain him?
Teacher: I retained him in first grade and I retained him because he was very immature and made
very little, if any, progress.
Interviewer: How did you present the fact that he was going to be retained to him?
Teacher: We talked about it with him together, but I don’t remember what we said to him.
Interviewer: Was he socially well adjusted?
Teacher: Not really. He just kind of stayed to himself.
Interviewer: Describe his behavior.
Teacher: Very immature. He was like a little baby in first grade.
Interviewer: Was he emotionally well adjusted?
Teacher: He did have a temper. He was a young first grader and he did have a temper and once
in awhile - an attitude like Tm not going to even try to do that.’
Interviewer: What effects did you hope retention would have on him?
Teacher: I was hoping that he would grow up a little bit and that he would learn to read. He didn’t
know the alphabet or any of that.
Interviewer: And you felt like that was due to immaturity or a lack of academic ability?
Teacher: I felt like with this child it was a lot - very immature, very immature, and young.
He was the youngest in the family. I think he had probably been babied and it
showed.
Interviewer: Is there anything else you can think of you’d like to add?
Teacher: No.
Interviewer: And thanks again for your time.
108
RETAINING TEACHER INTERVIEW
Student #6
Interviewer: In what grade was this student retained and for what reason did you retain him?
Teacher: He was retained in first grade. I retained him because I saw potential. I felt like he had
ability, but his behavior was interfering with his learning. We finally got that under control
and then I felt like he needed another year so he could learn.
Interviewer: How did you tell him about the fact he was going to be retained?
Teacher: Gee, I had such a good relationship with him. I just talked to him about it. I told him
he needed another year and he wasn’t ready. He understood.
Interviewer: Was he socially well adjusted?
Teacher: No! No. He did not like authority. He bit, hit, kicked, screamed, threw fits, spit,
everything against authority or whatever he didn’t want to do. He didn’t want people in
line behind him, stuff like that. He was pretty paranoid. The other kids liked him OK. You
know, kids that young are like puppies. If he was nice to them that day, they’d play with
him.
Interviewer: Please describe his behavior.
Teacher: He would just go off in a heartbeat over nothing. Most of his anger was not against the
kids. It was teacher directed - directed at authority. He had been abused in every
possible way by the authority figures in his life.
Interviewer: Did he appear to be emotionally well adjusted?
Teacher: No. He was physically, sexually, and emotionally abused. He was neglected. He
wasn’t well adjusted at all.
interview: What effects did you hope retention would have on him?
Teacher: I hoped that he would learn some academics since we had his behavior basically
under control. I wanted him to be able to learn and not have his behavior interfering.
The second year, he learned. He learned how to read and he learned how to do math.
He learned how to function in a classroom. He used to go off daily - I’m talking having
to hold him down. He has come a long way.
Interviewer: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
109
Teacher: No. That’s about it.
Interviewer: Well then, thank you very much for taking your time to help me.