Date of Award
11-1-1986
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Abstract
For the past several years the high attrition rate at Mirror Lake Tomlinson Adult Center (MLT) has been of tremendous concern to the teaching staff and administrators. It is suspected Chat there are several major factors pertaining to curriculum that contribute to this dropout, problem. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to secure certain data relative to former MLT persisters and non-persisters, so that recommendations regarding curriculum and program changes could be made that might lead to a decrease in the attrition rate. Persisters, in the attrition study, are those students who completed their program or graduated from MLT. Non-per-sisters, on the other hand, neither completed their program nor graduated from this school. The data collected, analyzed and presented in this research effort were formed from the response of these students to a demographic, study skill and personality questionnaire. A t-test of proportions and chi- square analysis were performed, where appropriate, between persisters and non-persisters of these collected data to assess differences between these two groups. The date and the statistical treatment of them helped to determine that changes are needed in the school curriculum to diminish its high attrition by providing answers to the following research questions: 1. Are there any significant differences in demographic characteristics of persisters and non-persistence in MLT students? 2. Are there any significant differences in the study habits of persisters and non-persisters in MLT students? 3. Are there any significant differences in personality traits of persisters and non-persisters in MLT students? Following are some major conclusions that have been developed about the 1983-85 participants in the research investigation. The non-persisters are, as a group, students who lack effective study skills, who previously, attended a regular high school where they, it seems, did not do well academically, and who presently have no future plans to continue their education. Non-persisters were found to be no older than persisting students. These non-persisters were, however, from slightly lower socio-economic status than their counterparts. The non-persisting students, unlike the persisting sample, worked full-time jobs and depended primarily upon these jobs for their livelihood. A logical assessment, therefore, is that non-persisting participants' prioritize were to earn a living, not to attend school. Consequently, they withdrew from MLT. Non-persisters comprised 33 1/3 percent of the 1983-85 student body at MLT and was thus an important group with unique needs. These needs have been translated into recommendations of a programmatic and curricular nature, and those that are deemed to be of particular importance for non-persisters, as well as for many other students, are as follows: 1. establish a Saturday and/or weekend school, enabling working students to attend in lieu of or an addition to week-day classes, and, also, enabling them to complete their education (in a shorter period of time), 2. expand the counseling program, to provide additional personal and academic counseling services, 3. expand the counseling program, to investigate and reevaluate the required 38 clock hour transfer credit policy, 4. expand the counseling program, to evaluate the selective admissions procedures adhered to by health. services personnel, 5. develop a cooperative educational program with local government, industry, and business, to employ students in their chosen fields, 6. develop credit courses in special interest areas; such as, child-care, parent effectiveness training, family and, budgeting. In order to accomplish these, recommended. changes, both the MLT Director and the District Superintendent have been