Develop a research problem, purpose and questions.
Problem Statement (as presented in activity #7). The requirement or need for developmental education has increased within community colleges all over the nation. While the need for remediation increases, retention and graduation rates are plummeting. There has been research done by many to better understand the epidemic of underprepared college students and their lack of success or persistence. While some have attributed the epidemic to a single reason, others have determined that there exist many barriers that many first-time entering freshman face. For many students, being a first generation student is an obstacle (Stebleton & Soria, 2012), for there is so much pressure to be successful, no external knowledge to help prepare them and lack of understanding of what to expect. Other students (single mothers and working husbands/fathers) may have family and work obligations (Brock, n.d.). These barriers along with the community college open admission standards, socioeconomic status (poverty), and the growth rate of remedial courses may have an effect on completion rate.
The specific problem is to investigate interventions or best practices that will meet the needs of a growing and diverse population of students who require remediation. To meet the needs of such a population, new instruction and program methodologies should be considered No single intervention will be effective with every student; therefore, it has been suggested that colleges adopt a holistic approach to developmental education by looking at multiple strategies and promising practices or interventions. These include, but are not limited to, learning communities, supplemental instruction, embedded tutors, ...
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...ion of the research study. The mixed method approach will be advantageous in gaining statistical and perceptional data from the students in the program. It will also allow for a larger population. These two types of research can be combined to equal an even larger scale research project that would yield a lot of information. The quantitative research method could be used to determine if students are more successful in best practice program courses than in traditional courses. It could be used to determine if more students are retained in the redesigned courses than in 16-week courses. Then, the qualitative research method could be used to determine why students are more successful or why students were unsuccessful. It could be used to understand more about student perception and persistence behaviors while in redesigned courses versus traditional courses.
Community college is the next step for higher education. Sara E. Keene explains the path she took to achieve the american dream in Keene’s article “Higher education and ‘The American Dream,’”. Keene quickly becomes disappointed with community colleges because instead of helping break down down social classes, ethnicity, and other social barriers and opportunities they are encouraging them. Keene wants all students to be equally challenged to reach their full potential. Just like her professors Ted Hamilton and Paula Clarke challenged her to reach their full potential. Keene believes that remedial courses do not help challenge students to become successful. I agree that all students should
Although community colleges struggle with low retention and transfer rates, Everett (2015) mentioned that community colleges created opportunities for first-generation students through five divisions of admission (p. 52). The intention of this article was to address the five divisions of access provided by community colleges for first-generation college students which include: financial accessibility, geographic accessibility, programmatic accessibility, academic accessibility, cultural/social/physical accessibility and also the problems faced by these students after admission.
In college students must learn how to manage their time, organize their schedule that meets their college and personal duties, how to be resourceful, and how to interact with people whom they never met. Before college, a variety of students already learned how to accomplish these skills, but only a few of these students are fully responsible for themselves before leaving their home. Students who are dependent are most likely to have been helped by their parents who took an overprotective or extreme interest in the life of their children. Many students do not get the help they need to become independent and being overwhelmed may lead a student to commit suicide, fail, or even drop out during college. If a student fails, his or her self-esteem can be permanently damage, and the consequences can effect an entire lifetime. Students must receive more helped by college administrators and professors and influence them to self-mange better. It is understandable that some people do not want colleges to help more because they want the students to do mista...
How does being the first in one’s family to graduate from college impact one’s desire to finish college? Some of the major barriers first generation college students face include lack of motivation, lack of support, and low income finances. Some freshman students might lack the motivation to do well in school because of the lack of appropriate role models or mentors in the academic environment. These difficulties can be tied to lack of support at home; the parents might not be concerned about their child's education, maybe the parent lacks the ability to guide them through college, the parent might not have the process of having not navigated it themselves. Parents might feel embarrassed that they don’t have any knowledge to help them through college.
First generation college students are students who comprise a distinct minority within most institutions of higher learning. These groups of students are the first generation of students in their family lineage to attend a college or university (Allwood, 1966). Due to the lack of family guidance in navigating through the college experience, first generation students face an array of obstacles upon entering the realm of higher education. These students are less likely to obtain their bachelor degree due to finance, family support and retention, all which ultimately limit their college experience. Not only do these students experience issues migrating through high school into college, they also lack the necessary resources some students need to achieve higher standards. For instance financial assistance, mentorship, and other motivating factors that can help a student grow into a professional.
Most first generation college students are significantly older than the average, approximately 24 year of age (Pascarella et. al 2004). The surrounding low-income environments that many of these students are raised around can explain this late age. This financial pressure can also explain another category of first generation students, preparation (Chen & Carroll, 2005). These students are often less prepared to enter the college life. They have not been exposed to the necessary preparation needed to succeed on college admissions tests and furthermore don’t meet the performance requirements that universities and institutions require. Analyzing the prefaces that surround the environment of first generation college students aids in understanding current problems faced in college as well as assist in proposing solutions for this subset of
If failure ever becomes an option, reconsider your choices and work out a plan where it is not even considered. Finding groups that help first generation students will help you tenfold. Students do not have to face the learning curve alone. Tutors and professors understand that being a first generation student is difficult even if the university doesn’t have anything to help. On top of not knowing about college and dealing with a learning curve, first generation students also have a fear of becoming unrecognizable to their own families. The development of two separate identities can often make it difficult for these students to branch out and learn. The fear of becoming someone else and not knowing can lead students to living in a shell where they are not only excluding themselves from others, but also from learning and being educated. More colleges need to implement a program that helps first generation students transition to college life. Without anything being done, these students will continue to have the highest dropout
While overall college enrollment and graduation rates have risen for all minority groups, there continues to be concerns for this segment of the population, particularly for African American students. Even though there have been significant increases in enrollment and graduation figures over the past several decades, issues concerning retention persist. About 30 percent of African Americans who enroll in college drop out prior to degree completion (Rye, 2009). This is further documented by Museus (2011) who reports that less than one-half of minority students who begin college at a 4-year institution achieve a degree within 6 years. This is significant since college retention has been linked with both self-efficacy and future academic success (Brittain, Sy, & Stokes, 2009).
Many students struggle with college for various reasons, whether it is financial, academics, or personal. We may not fully understand why college students struggle the way they do; however, it does not mean help is unavailable. “Clearly, many of the benefits that accrue from a college education are explained by the knowledge, skills, and contacts that students gain from their time on campus and in the classroom (Brock 2)”. A certain degree of success in life can be related to the amount and quality of education which can also relate to income.
Copeland, S. R., Hughes, C., Carter, E. W., Guth, C., Presley, J. A., Williams, C. R., & Fowler, S. E. (2004). Increasing Access to General Education: Perspectives of Participants in a High School Peer Support Program. Remedial and Special Education, 25(6), 342-352.
Determining college readiness is an essential part of determining who will qualify as a good candidate for admission into a college or university. The last thing that colleges want is for students to qualify for admission and drop out, this affects drop out rate and graduation rate. Robin Chait and Andrea Venezia (2009). to about 83 percent of high school graduates enroll in some form of postsecondary education, but only about 52 percent of students complete their degrees. Further, a very small proportion of students complete a degree in four years—“among students starting at ‘four-year’ institutions, only 34 percent finish a B.A. in four years, 64 percent within six years, and 69 percent within eight and a half years.”
When entering college freshman students face difficulties by not knowing how to adjust to the new expectations college brings. A freshman student tends to approach college with the same mentality used throughout their high school years. But as the first semester start, they encounter a variety of challenges, including having to change their study habits and knowing how to wisely manage their time. The book “The Elements of Learning” by B. Banner, Jr., and C. Cannon, introduces the elements a student must possess in order be successful in college. The research made by my team, “Collin’s Angels”, will determine important factors for freshman success, and the changes that a student makes in order to succeed through the first year of college.
College success has become a most desirable goal. However, many students struggle through college. In fact, according to the Website Ask.com, approximately 15 percent of college students receive a degree. Because I’m willing to earn a degree like many other successful students, I find that college is the stepping stone to my dream goals. I know that college is difficult, but I realize that attaining my dream of a college education will require me to understand the benefits of what I’m learning, to prepare for obstacles, to seek advice, and to create effective and reasonable strategies will help me achieve my goals.
Many students entering college may discover that they are not prepared for college curriculum courses. These students enter college courses facing a major issue. They find that high school has not adequately prepared them for the difficulty of college level courses. These students lacked the sufficient basis in being well equipped for advanced careers and college entry. These students have suffered a great inequality prevalent throughout high schools since several high schools do not receive equivalent aid. The unequal funding in high schools prevents students from attaining the same education that other students in different areas may receive. Unequal school funding in secondary schools causes inadequate preparation for students wanting to attend a post-secondary institution.
….both quantitative and qualitative research are important and useful. The goal of mixed methods research is not to replace either of these approaches but rather to draw from the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of both in single research studies and across studies.