A comparison of achievement scores of rural and urban ninth-grade students, Kenosha County, 1962-1965

Includes bibliographical references.Statement of the Problem. It was the purpose of this study to determine whether there are significant differences in the achievement scores of Kenosha County students and the students from the city of Kenosha. The comparison utilized the Iowa Tests of Educational Development and its various scores in different areas. Hypotheses. Several hypotheses were established in regard to the achievement of rural and urban students on the basis of the Iowa tests of Educational Development. It was felt that; (1) there will be a significant difference on the composite score which will favor the urban student; (2) the most significant differences will occur in Background of natural Sciences and Use of Sources; (3) the scores on Reading natural Sciences, Reading Literature, Quantitative thinking, and Vocabulary will favor the urban student, but not necessarily at a .05 level of significance; (4) the scores on Correctness of Expression, Background of Social Studies; and Reading Social Studies will be similar for the two groups; (5) the chronological age of the two groups will not differ significantly. Procedure. The study involved 1172 ninth grade urban and rural students at Gilbert S. Lance Junior High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. An analysis of the standard scores on the Iowa Tests of Educational Development was made for the two groups and the chronological ages of the students were also investigated. The statistical t test was employed to determine if the means of the two groups were significantly different. Results. The findings supported many of the hypotheses. A significant difference on the Composite Score of the Iowa Tests of Educational Development was reported at the .01 level of confidence. The most significant difference was found in Background of Natural Science. Use of Sources had the second highest level of confidence which lends support to the second hypothesis. It was felt that differences would be found in Reading Natural Science, Reading Literature, Quantitative Thinking, and Vocabulary, but these differences might not be significant at a high level of confidence. The study found, however, that all were significant at the .01 level of confidence. The fourth hypothesis was that no difference would be found in Correctness of Expression, Background of Social Studies, and Reading Social Studies. The differences found in Correctness of Expression and Background of Social Studies were not significant at the .05 level of confidence. However, the differences in Reading Social Studies were significant at the .01 level which would make the fourth hypothesis partly incorrect. The fifth hypothesis was supported when it was determined that the difference in chronological age was not significant. All of the findings, with the exception of Background of Social Studies, Correctness of Expression, and chronological age, favored the urban student at a high level of confidence. These findings in regards to achievement have certain implications for the educational setting in both the rural and urban areas.M.S. (Master of Science