A survey of teachers' and principals' view on grade retention

Abstract

This study surveyed teachers' and principals' views on grade retention in grades K-13. 833 teachers and principals, a sample representative of the school population in Lebanon, were asked to fill out a questionnaire on their opinion of the practice, the reasons for retention, the characteristics of the retained and on who should make the retention decision. The results revealed those teachers and principals overwhelmingly supported grade retention and believed that the retention decision should be made jointly by teachers and principals. With respect to the characteristics of the retained, "low concentration" was the characteristic most often marked, followed by " low motivation" and "low intelligence". As to the reasons for retention, "overall academic weakness" was the reason most often cited, followed by "lack of basic skills" and "excessive absences". Differences between the views of the teachers and the principals and the effect of background variables like type of school, geographic location, years of experience, subjects and grades taught, and language of instruction were also investigated.