3 LITERATURE AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
3.1 Introduction
Student retention is one of the most widely studied areas in HE (Tinto, 2006). Since the early 70’s theorists have pondered the causes of college drop-out rates. In this section I will review the main thread of student drop-out literature, focussing on the core literature addressing reasons for students to drop-out with a specific focus on the impact of financial support to students. The main purpose of this section is to provide understanding of key concepts and to provide a theoretical basis for addressing the research questions.
The section is set out as follows: The first movement will briefly highlight and provide context on key issues when analysing drop-out rates. This will be
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According to Scott et al (2007) the most accurate why to analyse drop-out is to analyse cohort studies. Cohort studies track the number of students in a cohort to graduate after three, four or five years. Detailed cohort data has however only recently become available in South Africa (Scott et al., 2007). Measuring student throughput is further complicated because students do not follow linear paths through HE. Students may complete one year of a course and then move to a different course or to a different institution. While these appear as 'drop-outs ' in measures of the course or institution in question, they may go on to be successful graduates elsewhere (Scott et al., 2007: 12).
3.2.3 Research
Recently, many have begun to attack and degrade higher education in the United States. In the book How College Works, authors Daniel Chambliss and Christopher Takacs claim, “As state support has eroded, and as more students attend college in an increasingly desperate attempt to find viable jobs, the price to students of attending an institution of higher education has gone up, especially at more selective institutions” (172). So is college even worth it? Caroline Bird’s excerpt from her book Case Against College “Where College Fails Us” is an adequately written article that agrees with those who question whether college is a good investment. Bird argues that although some students would benefit from college and succeed, many fall short, wasting
In today’s society, it has been found out that college graduates have a hard time seeking a job and end up with a sky-high student debt. This reality then poses a question, is going to college worth the time and money? An essay in the New York Times published in May 2014 entitled, “Is College Worth It? Clearly New Data Say,” by David Leonhardt states, “For all the struggles that many young college graduates face, a four-year degree has probably never been more valuable” (33). In his essay, Leonhardt sets the stage by describing the struggles a college graduate might have such as student debt, no work after graduating, and accepting jobs they feel overqualified.
David Brooks’ “Support Our Students” is an essay on the problem of low retention rates in higher education that I really wanted to support. As a community college student, it has been easy to see first-hand many of the problems Brooks has mentioned, from the need for childcare to the exhorbitant cost of textbooks. However, the essay, and idea, have two fatal flaws that lend it to reading more like a timed in-class essay for a community college final than as a legitimate critique of President Obama’s proposal to make community college tuition free. The critique ignores the very real problem of enrollment; that’s flaw one. Flaw two, Brooks’ own solutions are vague, unsupported, and lacking any kind of concrete evidence or sources.
Ability Profiling and School Failure by Kathleen Collins illustrates how Laura’s generalizations and lack effort to understand Jay hindered his ability to grow throughout the school year. This lack of understanding in the complexity of Jay’s learning experience reveals a greater systematic issue. Laura constantly blamed Jay’s behavior on his upbringing and labeled him as emotionally impaired. In this complex situation Laura did not look at all the possibilities for Jay’s performance in school. She had a preconceived idea of Jay’s abilities, which led her to her harsh treatment of Jay.
This student is described as not being prepared for college, either they are not willing to learn or are not prepared for the financial responsibility that comes with it. Another type of student is one who fails to meet college standards as far as literacy and reading are concerned; there are countless programs for those unable to read that would be a more suitable fit for the individual. College students who lack the desire to learn are also defined as those who fail to achieve and complete just enough to pass the class. Lastly, the reason some students who choose to enroll in undergraduate programs, despite the forewarnings, include pressure from society, parents, and admissions representatives. The definition makes it easier for the reader to have another point of view to compare students and who does not belong in college.
For the most part, personal, financial, and health reasons dominated the discussion. Some of the macro sociological reasons mentioned by students included; course availability, employment and financial instabilities, and health. On the contrary, micro sociological reasons seemed more popular with students drawing conjectures ranging from; family issues, peer pressure, failing grades, to distractions. After analyzing the Simon Fraser University report, it appeared macro sociological reasons were the primary reasons for the withdrawal of university students.
Most of my friends who are currently in college have between 5000$-20.000$ in federal and private loans. In many cases, besides for the loans, students have to work and study at the same time, which results in a stressful life for the student. In fact, many students are not able to finish their education because, since they can’t afford it, they have to work over their studies. Out of all the possible reasons to drop out of college, “the No. 1 reason many young adults drop out of college is an inability to juggle school and work” (Johnson). Finishing college is the most decisive forecaster of prosperity in the workforce and the inconsistency in college completion between children of rich and poor families duplicated since the late 1980s (McGlynn 55).
Purpose and Focus: The purpose and main point of chapter one of Hope and Healing in Urban Education are that youth in low-income environments need extra hope and attention in order to succeed. Shawn Ginwright explains that while it may be difficult to reach these communities, it’s a worthwhile investment of time and resources to improve them. Ginwright uses personal examples of people who have been affected by the struggle of living in a crime-ridden and low-income neighborhood in San Francisco. The eldest sibling examined, Tanya, a community organizer suffered the loss of her younger brother, who was murdered while he was visiting her on holiday from college.
The newly changed law that high schoolers can’t skip college and go pro is thought to be changed in the future. The current law says that the athlete must be at least 19 years old to enter the league. Whether the law is for or against high schoolers going pro, it will change basketball at all levels. From peewee to pro it will all be different. Being able to succeed in the NBA without going to college is a big topic of controversy in the sports industry.
Pharinet makes it a point to let it be known that every person has the right to an education, but also lets it be known that not everyone should attend college (Pharinet 680). Though the drop-out rates vary, it is estimated that in the U.S., approximately 50% of students who begin college never graduate (Pharinet 680).Pharinet gives plenty of examples why college is not for everyone, financial challenges being the most common, working full-time, having children, or just having the mental mindset to stay focused just to name a few. Pharinet mentions that students usually end up working full-time jobs and going to school full-time, which can sometimes cause a great deal of stress and low grades. Students then usually end up dropping classes or taking fewer hours in order to keep up (Pharinet 680). Pharient states that “the best financial planning in the world will not prepare a student for the academic challenges that await them” (Pharinet
Our educational system is failing us. The United States of America is supposed to be the “greatest” country in the world but statistics are showing that our government/educational system is failing us; children/young adults of the nation. Being a student of a middle ranked school in Arizona, I personally have had a first-hand feel for how good and/or bad teaching affects students. Just in high school I have had teachers that would just assign websites as our lesson and even teachers that sit at their desk for the whole hour; don’t even go over the mindset, homework, and maybe only show one problem so that we’ll know what the homework will be like. Until sophomore year I didn’t even know the differences between you’re, your, too, and to.
The phrase “education being worth it no matter the cost” has been drilled into students as well as their families. This has led to student loans eclipsing a total of $1 billion every year, and in total reaches more than $1 trillion. While most loans don’t have to be paid off until after graduation, many students aren’t able to find jobs to subsidize the loan payments once they have
You are failing a class in school. Were you not prepared for the quiz? Did your parents not help you? Or do you have an awful teacher? Whose fault is it if a student is failing a few classes in school; the parent, the teacher, or the student?
It is different than just looking at the micro level because the reasons for the dropout rate do not just apply to one person or family, but a larger audience. One reason for the high college dropout rate could be high schools are not preparing students properly. At the high school level, students are not treated the same as they are in college. The course work can be easier, teachers do not give their students as much freedom, and there are much longer hours in class. All of these aspects sound good for the high school level, however, they can be the polar opposites of how students are treated in college.
High School Dropouts Neil Urbano DeVry University High School Dropouts I. Introduction A. Thesis Statement: High School students who dropouts matters after they exit school because there is a direct and negative impact on life outcome, the labor market opportunities are limited, and there are disadvantages that leads to poverty. 1) Main Idea: High School students who dropouts matters after they exit school because there is a direct and negative impact on life outcome. 2) Main Idea: High School students who dropouts matters after they exit school because the labor market opportunities are limited. 3) Main Idea: High School students who dropouts matters after they exit school because there are disadvantages that leads to poverty. II.