The purpose of the dissertation is to attempt to identify the circumstances, conditions and situations which appear to have been important in keeping students in school through graduation. The study focuses on the histories of twenty at-risk students in the graduation class of 1991 and seeks insights into the factors affecting the successful completion of secondary school requirements. It is intended that the information gleaned from this study will be utilized in the development of early intervention procedures and programs for students at all levels. Twenty students were selected for this study and were interviewed at their high school during the 1990-1991 academic year. All of them, in early years, had been deemed at-risk for dropping out of school; all of them had academic profiles and histories that included the following: (1) excessive absences; (2) low scores on achievement tests that were administered in elementary schools; (3) promotion/retention difficulties; (4) teacher observations, recorded in students' cumulative folders that were indicative of the potential to drop out of school. In addition, a review of related literature was completed to provide background for this study and to identify the most appropriate factors in selecting the students for the study. The review signaled the areas of inquiry and directed the development of the questions. The conclusions of this dissertation reflect several recurrent themes and point to hope for improving the currently bleak dropout predictions: (1) The presence of at least one mentor in the lives of the students; (2) satisfaction with their high school experiences; (3) respect that these students received form their teachers, parents and other significant adults. Each student provided unique insights into understanding the complex paradigm of staying in school until graduation. From each of these students came differing sets of life circumstances, attitudes, motivations and values. The twenty students presented twenty distinct and poignant autobiographies; the challenge is to learn, and to learn from each one of them.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:dissertations-8282 |
| Date | 01 January 1991 |
| Creators | Murphy, Patrick Joseph |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest |
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