The Effect of Teacher Degree Level, Teacher Certification, and Years of TeacherExperience on Student Achievement in Middle School Mathematics

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in studentgrowth on the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade mathematics Measures of AcademicProgress (MAP) among types of teacher certification, teacher degree levels, and years ofteaching experience in a suburban school district in Kansas. The population consisted ofmiddle school students and middle school mathematics teachers employed by the schooldistrict during the 2011-2012 academic year. Nine one-factor analyses of variance(ANOVAs) were conducted using student growth scores (fall 2011 to spring 2012) as thedependent variable and years of teaching experience, teacher degree level, and teachercertification as the independent variables. A post hoc analysis was conducted when anANOVA produced a significant finding. Analyses revealed statistically significantdifferences in six of the nine research questions. Sixth grade students with teachers whowere K-6 or K-9 certified had higher growth in mathematics than students with teacherswho were certified in mathematics. Seventh grade students with teachers who were K-9certified had higher mathematics growth than students with teachers who held othercertifications. Seventh grade students with teachers who held a master’s degree or higherhad higher mathematics growth than students with teachers who held only a bachelor’sdegree. The mean growth of eighth grade students with teachers who had a bachelor’sdegree was higher than the mean growth of eighth graders with teachers who had amaster’s degree or higher. Sixth grade students with teachers who had 0-5 years ofexperience had lower mathematics growth than students with teachers who had more thanfive years of experience. Seventh grade students who had teachers with more than 30 years of experience had higher mathematics growth than students who had teachers with30 years of experience or less.Because the findings were mixed, it is important to continue to research whichteacher qualifications have a positive relationship with student achievement. Studentsdeserve high-quality teachers in each classroom, each year. School administrators areresponsible for hiring the most qualified individuals for each position, and the resultsfrom studies such as this can help lead them in the decision-making process.