In the United States, the high rate of college dropouts has been a problem that many professional sociologists have studied and observed in an effort to understand why they are so high, and how to bring the number down. Students from colleges all across the country are dropping out at unacceptably high rates. If we look at the problem in a sociological viewpoint, we can look at the many reasons why this increase has occurred and how they vary under many different categories. Sociologists have a method to further examine these issue in more depth, with 3 different aspects of the problem. These three aspects include looking at the micro, meso, and macro level of college dropouts. In this essay I will examine each and determine which one most …show more content…
This would include how a dropout student interacts within their classes with teachers and their fellow classmates. If a student had bad relationships with their professors and/or peers, that would show cause for poor performance. Negative actions done by students could lead to this, making students uncomfortable to continue going to classes, which in turn could result in the student receiving bad grades. Along with bad relationships with teachers, bad friendships can deter a student from being a good student. This is an example of the rational choice theory. This theory states that if we have a bad experience, or multiple ones, we begin “making rational decisions based on weighing costs and rewards of the projected outcome of an action” (Ballantine, Roberts, and Korgen, 2017, p. 33). Within this theory, it could be said that a student would weigh the consequences of dropping out of college because of various micro-level issues the student may have. An example of this would be a student contemplating whether or not they should stay in school to have the chance to be successful in the future, or dropping out and getting a minimum wage job to help support their family because they are …show more content…
The theory that is correlated with the macro analysis of dropouts is the conflict theory, which states that “conflict is inevitable by any group or society” (Ballantine, et al 2017, p. 35). In today's world, the pressure to compete against your fellow classmates to get a degree and then compete against each other for jobs is at an all time high. This is a huge conflict that can create stress for any student, especially for those in competitive majors and job fields. This extra stress can lead to students becoming overwhelmed and eventually dropping out. If we look at the laws and policy governing college education, we would have to look at the standards and policies not only set for the students, but for the teachers as well. If the rules are made so that it is harder for teachers to help students be successful, then there are negative consequences for all which creates a conflict between the two parties. An example of this would be cuts in the funding for education. Without proper funds, some classrooms are not suited to be a proper learning environment. This issue can also lead to dropout students if they are not being taught the material adequately. Overall, decisions made at the macro level can trickle down and create conflict, which in
Students are constantly spending money over the course of four years or longer, on so many things from tuition, to dorm rooms, textbooks, and the basic needs like food and water. Many college students are coming straight out of high school. Some of them had jobs, and others did not. If I knew that I had to spend so much money, on everything, right away. I would’ve started working when I was five. Fortunately, I have parents who pay for my tuition, and help me pay for textbooks, and other things I need. But some people don’t have parents who can support their college education, or if they have paid, the cost might build up, and they can no longer afford to pay for school. So they have to withdraw or dropout. This also goes with a small part as to why I believe that college dropout rates are high, like I said, it gets too expensive for people that they can no longer attend college, without going into major debt. Gutting also talks about how, college students get these unrealistic ideas of what college life is from movies, and television shows, making it look like a dream place to go. Don’t get me wrong college can be an amazing time and place to experience new things, but the over exaggeration from the movies and
In chapter 6, "The College Dropout Boom" talked about the idea of how higher education, meaning colleg...
Tough explains their analysis and conclusions, by which he reiterates, “… high school grades reveal much more than mastery of content. They reveal qualities of motivation and perseverance - as well as the presence of good study habits and time management skills - that tell us a great deal about the chances that a student with complete a college program” (Tough 153). As apparent in the above text, non-cognitive abilities such as motivation and perseverance are key predictors to the completion of a college degree. In essence, the researchers suggest that the increase in college dropouts is associated with an absence of these character
According to Leonhardt, many people who drop out usually plan to go back eventually to get their degrees, but very few actually do. According to “Access to Attainment”, approximately 65% of all job openings will require postsecondary education by the year 2020 and “many of the long-standing programs and policies designed to foster access no longer supports the needs of today’s students” (Miller, et al. 5). The availability of higher education to the public has greatly changed over time, and thus the system and the programs must adapt as well to continue providing the best access and opportunities possible to individuals. “….a college education matters much more now than it once did” (Leonhardt). Lower-class students coming from low-income high schools might not have the same opportunities for learning as their upper-class counterparts, and as a result they are less likely to be accepted to elite universities. The education system is beneficial for many but it is flawed as well, especially in preparing high schoolers for college, which has the potential to greatly impact their
Regularly, a student receives a diploma after a certain required course load is completed. On the other hand, some students can complete high school by a means of an equivalency test and receive a diploma that way. Unfortunately, each state, district, and even school uses the term dropout differently (USDE, 1996). The United States Department of Education?s National Center for Educational Statistics has stated three separate ways used to calculate the dropout rate. The first is when the percentage of students who drop out in a single year are reflected by the event rates. The second is when the status rates reflect a percentage of those students who in a certain age range have not finished high school ...
Throughout the years, the dropout rate of African Americans has increased and decreased. Many people look at black students as if they sit there and do not learn anything at all, but we do try. Some may think that the only reason the black students drop out is because of their grades, but that’s not true. Some dropout because of financial pressure, health problems, mental, emotional, and social issues, and may not have family support. “Blacks have historically been under represented for the past years” (Herndon 489).
The reality is that the rise in college tuition is no longer affordable for the average American household. Parents cannot afford to pay for their children’s tuitions on their incomes and students are very often forced to enroll part time in order to have the time to get a job to pay for college. This very often causes a decrease in these students GPA and consequently increases the number of dropouts in the long run. Other times, it will take these students double the time to complete their degrees. Students are faced to deal with these problems when deciding whether continuing their education is the right choice.
For some students, dropping out is the culmination of years academic hurdles, missteps, and wrong turns. For others, the decision to drop out is a response to conflicting life pressures -- the need to help support their family financially or the demands of caring for siblings or their own child. Dropping out is sometimes about students being bored and seeing no connection between academic life and "real" life (Furger).
For some students it is difficult to get a good education. These students live in a poor community and are required to go to schools that have a low graduation rate. These schools have a certain reputation such that other students refer to it as the “ghetto school”, “where the pregnant girls go”, and the “dropout factory”. This
Since the early 70s theorists have pondered the causes of college dropout. Generally referred to as “student attrition,” this problem has spurred numerous causal theories and theoretical models. Vincent Tinto led the research with his revolutionary 1973 study, which he later revised (1987) amid criticism from other luminaries in the field, most notably Bean, Astin, Terenzini, and Pascarella. It is on the work of these scholars (including also Tinto) that all modern research in the student attrition field is based. I found and will review in brief some of the extensive research from Tinto to the present, including the basic criticisms therein. I will further explain the steps some colleges are currently taking to counteract this increasingly important issue.
The following essay is an attempt to critically compare and contrast these two approaches from various aspects, and deduce which one is more encompassing.
Azzam, Amy M. "Why Students Drop Out." Educational Leadership 64.7 (2007): 91. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
We sometimes drop out of the college because of bad friendship. For example, my brother’s friend was just 19 years old and he dropped out of college only because he wanted to fit into a group that was bigger than him. As a result of this, he wanted to be seen as “cool,” but that wasn’t all. Due to this, he used drugs that dropped him out of the college totally. These students don’t want to seem irresponsible, so they make up an excuse, such as the bad friendship.
Every 26 seconds one of our kids drops out of high school, that's 1.3 million students each year. The main reason for dropping out, the failure to succeed. Society puts an insurmountable amount of pressure on these kids to succeed, however this can actually be extremely detrimental to the students and children.
First important reason why students drop out school is tuition expenses. In high schools and lower education, most of schools are funded by government, so parents does not much their budget for their children. In higher education, however, parents have to pay tuition. That is a painful problem for poor family. In poor families, they have low salary. Every single dollar is worth for them to survive such as homeless. They better have money for food than go to university because fo...