Blazing New Trails - Connexions

182 CRITICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
viewed as an evolving long-term change at the deepest levels of belief about how humans
learn” (p. 17).
Too often, multiage classrooms have been implemented for the wrong reason and
without proper planning, training, or commitment. The professional development of teachers
who were implementing the multiage educational programs needs to be reviewed, planned,
and disciplined in a way that provides the support and resources necessary for the
implementation of a second order change which is perceived as a break from the past (Waters
& Grubb, 2005). Second order changes are complex; new knowledge and skills are required
for implementation; and the change conflicts with current values and norms and is outside the
existing paradigms (Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005). First order change is perceived as
an extension of the past, which fits within existing paradigms. It is consistent with prevailing
values and norms and can be implemented with existing knowledge and skills (Marzano,
Waters, & McNulty, 2005).
METHODOLOGY
This mixed methods study was designed to examine principals’ and teachers’
knowledge and beliefs of multiage programming. A survey was provided to 91 participants to
discover the factors which principals and teachers believed contributed to the successful or the
limited implementation of multiage programs in their schools. After analyzing the data from
the survey and discovering areas where the participant did not agree with the beliefs, the
researcher utilized the Sequential Explanatory Design (Clark & Creswell, 2007) to determine
additional interview questions. The Sequential Explanatory Design is a logic model which
uses information from the quantitative data collection in the first phase of the research and
after analysis, the researchers discover areas where the subjects did not agree with the stated
assumptions and connect that data to the second phase through the development of interview
questions to clarify those areas.
Sample and Procedures
The states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri do not require
schools to register their schools as multiage. The multiage schools were identified on their
web sites; therefore, the researcher used a search engine, Google, to identify the number of
schools in these states which had multiage classrooms. Once this population was identified, a
snowball sampling method was used. This strategy involved asking each participant to refer
the researchers to other participants (Merriam, 1988). Principals were asked to provide the
survey to staff members who were willing to take the survey. This population was used in
conjunction with the online survey for the quantitative portion of this mixed method research.
Introductory e-mail invitations were sent to the 60 identified schools in Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri with a response by 19 principals and 72 teachers.
An introductory e-mail was sent to the elementary principals of multiage schools in
the Midwest. Included in the letter was (a) an overview of the study, (b) the importance of the
study, (c) an invitation to participate in the survey, (d) the process and timelines for
completing the survey, (e) safeguards for confidentiality and privacy, and (f) notice of
informed consent. A link to the survey was included in the e-mail and the informed consent
was addressed in the introduction to the survey. Anonymity, confidentiality, and privacy of
responses were ensured through online participation. Participants provided consent to
participate in the study by completing the survey. Once the principals received the e-mail and