An examination of the impact of student mobility on the achievement of 6th grade elementary students

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between resiliency and student mobility and the impact on achievement of Anchorage School District 6th grade students. The emphasis of the study was to look at the key factors that led to the resiliency of at risk students and ascertain if the protective factors also influenced mobile students' school achievement. Mobility has presented challenges that students must overcome. For instance, when students moved, they have had to adjust to a new school environment and family stresses generated by the move. Many of these challenges were characteristic of at risk students. These factors were often detrimental and disruptive to student learning. The literature review identified common characteristics between at risk and mobile students; however, a gap in the research existed between mobile students and resiliency research. This study has added to the existing literature and made a connection between mobility and resiliency.; The research was guided by two questions: (1) Which resiliency categories predicted passing the Alaska Benchmark Exam for mobile and non-mobile sixth graders including subgroups of mobile and non-mobile students (gender, ethnicity, SES, and bilingual)? (2) Was there a significant difference in achievement between mobile and non-mobile sixth graders, including subgroups of mobile and non-mobile students (gender, ethnicity, SES, and bilingual) on the Alaska Benchmark Exam?; To address research question one, a random sample of 6th grade students were surveyed using the Developmental Assets Profile. The survey was used to determine which resiliency factors predicted academic achievement on the Alaska Benchmark Exam. To address research question two, I compared a group of mobile 6th grade students with a group of non-mobile 6th grade students, to determine whether or not student mobility impacted their performance on the Alaska Benchmark Exam. The statistical analysis conducted included t-tests, ANOVA, and linear regression.; The Developmental Assets Profile data indicated factors that most influenced mobile student achievement. The factors identified were positive identity and commitment to learning. In addition, the study found that mobile students performance was lower than non-mobile students.