In recent years, an increasing amount of attention has been given to the dropout crisis in the United States, particularly in urban areas. What has not been emphasized as often is the substantial percentage of students who drop out of the traditional educational system, but subsequently drop back into alternative educational programs. This dropping back in is particularly evident in the "adolescentization" of the GED, as currently in the United States, one out of every three GED's is awarded to a person eighteen years old or younger (Murnane, Willett, & Boudett, 1995). However, little research is devoted to describing the life and/or educational experiences of those involved in re-entry (Rumberger, 1987; Metzer, 1997; Altenbaugh, Engel, & Martin, 1995; Chuang, 1997). In this study, thirty students in an urban GED program (GEL) were interviewed regarding their educational experiences. Several themes were identified and examined across student experience according to three main phases: how and why students dropped out of school, how they came to re-enter education, and what kept them there. The overall story emerging from the data and analyses began with students experiencing a tremendous amount of tumult and lack of support in both their home and school lives, which eventually led to their early departure. After dropping out, they experienced internal change and maturation wherein getting their GED became tremendously important to them. It is during this time that students were able to take advantage of the positive individuals in their lives and/or seek out more positive individuals who provided them with support and motivation. Once they decided to go back to school they made multiple re-entry attempts but were dissatisfied with the quality of alternative educational programs until they found the GEL program, at which point they experienced an ethos of caring and support from their teachers and fellow students. Theoretical contributions regarding the role of social capital in re-entry and practice and policy implications are also discussed. / Urban Education
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TEMPLE/oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/1277 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Gasiewski, Josephine Ann |
| Contributors | Horvat, Erin McNamara, 1964-, Brooks, Wanda M., 1969-, Hill, Marc Lamont, Partlow, Michelle Chaplin, 1941-, Walker, Thomas J. |
| Publisher | Temple University. Libraries |
| Source Sets | Temple University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 119 pages |
| Rights | IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/1259, Theses and Dissertations |
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