generating multidimensional object with array

I am generating an object like this:

As you can see education is an array inside an object, but what I want is for degree_1 and major_1 and their values to be in the same object.

This is how I want it but with education as an array:

One other thing: When I var_dump it in my php it is just fine with the arrays and everything. But my javascript gets the second image above- object of object when it was just an array..

public function show($id)
{
    $tmp = array();
    $post = array();
    $postInfo = Post::find($id);
    $params =  DB::select( DB::raw("SELECT param.*, sys_param_values.*,param_value.*,type_post.*,
                                       param.name AS paramName, 
                                       doc_param.name AS docParamName 
                                       FROM param
                                       LEFT JOIN doc_param ON param.doc_param_id = doc_param.id
                                       LEFT JOIN sys_param_values ON param.id = sys_param_values.param_id
                                       LEFT JOIN param_value ON sys_param_values.value_ref = param_value.id
                                       LEFT JOIN type_post ON sys_param_values.ref_id = type_post.id WHERE type_post.id = ".$id));

    $isMultiple = false;
    $post['postInfo'] = $postInfo['original'];
    foreach($params as $k=>$v) {

        $iteration    = $v->iteration;
        $docParamName = $v->docParamName;
        $paramName    = $v->paramName;

        if($v->value_ref == null) {
            $value = $v->value_short;
        } else {
            $value = $v->value;
        }

        if($iteration) {

            $post[$docParamName][$iteration][$paramName] = $value;
            // need to return education as array not as object
            // $post[$docParamName][] = array($paramName=>$value) ;

        }elseif(!$iteration) {
            $post[$docParamName][$paramName] = $value;
        }
    }   

    return Response::json($post);
}