Analyzing The Scientific Method : Retention And Student Population

According to research, although retention continues to rise, research findings consistently show no long-term benefit for students either in academic learning or social and behavioral adjustment. The continued use of retention as an educational intervention has been cited as "one of the clearest examples of poor communication between research and practice" (Sakowicz, p. 16).

Student attrition is a growing issue among community college administrators but there’s been little research into how community colleges’ policies and practices reflect this concern, or how they affect student attrition rates. Research has shown that students in online courses continue to experience higher attrition rates than their counterparts in traditional face-to-face classes despite the advantages offered by web-based technology (Shea & Bidjerano, 2014). In prior studies, researchers have found a multitude of factors contributing to high attrition rates among college students in online classes. A number of studies found that certain environmental/life circumstance factors can affect student attrition rates in online classes (Aragon & Johnson, 2008; Atchley et al., 2013; Harrell & Bower, 2011; Park & Choi, 2009; Wigenbach, & Akers, 2013: Shea and Bidjerano, 2014; Xu and Jaggars, 2013; Xu and Jaggars, 2014). These factors include:

You see how much students learn from each other sitting in the classroom, how much they learn sitting together in the dining hall- more than from their professor. It’s hard to imagine replicating that virtually.” He used an extract from a credible source (that would appeal to his audience considering his high position at an actual college) to help stress the evidence of human interaction in the learning process, even if it’s unintentional, it is nostalgic to those still attracted to being in a classroom full of their peers and the possibility of learning from interacting with one

The authors in this article looked at many factors that lead to retention in the United Sates. The authors look at environmental factors and socioeconomic factors that have caused high retention rates in our schools. These authors broke down the rates by looking to see if boys or girls are more prone to being retained more. They broke the data down by race and location. It was described that students from low income homes have a higher chance to produce to retention. It was also discussed that policy changes at the local, state and national level can have an effect on these numbers. The article also mentions how a student’s persistence towards self-empowerment and the completion of their academic goals was a strong factor according to the article.

The public institution selected for this research project is a nonprofit, multi-campus and Georgia’s third-largest technical college based in Waco. The institution has an open admissions policy. It enrolls less than 7,000 students annually, in certificate, diploma, and associate degree programs. The highest degree offered at the institution is an associate degree. The student-faculty ratio is 18-to-1. The challenge for West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) is to design and implement effective retention strategies and programs for first-time students that monitor, encourage , and reward student retention using available resources and without burdening faculty and staff with cumbersome tracking and reporting procedures. While the limitations present an overwhelming task, the consequences of not solving the problem exceed any potential limitations. With these limitations in mind, the researcher’s task is to find a workable solution. First-year retention rates involving higher education undergraduates during the previous several years have improved marginally even with various improvement efforts (Barefoot, 2000; Tinto, 2004). Large numbers of first-year students are exiting college due to unsatisfactory academic skills, failures to adapt both socially and academically, in addition to having an inadequate commitment to the objective of finishing college (Ishler & Upcraft, 2005; Tinto, 1987).

I have since realised learning in the digital world is more challenging than it appears with feelings of isolation playing a vast role in my study to begin with. I found, during this time that I needed to participate in as much collaboration as possible and to converse with the class and my group to facilitate myself to learn as much as conceivable with also feeling connected to the class. Constructivist theorists believe a child learns best using collaboration with peers to build on their current knowledge. Vygotsky called this the "Zone of Proximal Development" (ZPD) and he came to this view by observing children who were tested on tasks individually compared to children who were tested on tasks in a collaborative way, he found that the progression of engagement helped to refine the thinking and make the learning more effective (Atherton, n.d.). I believe the same can be said for adults as well, especially after going from one online university where no group tasks were initiated to studying here were grouped collaboration was encouraged

The student success team covered how to keep freshman first year students after the first year. The team then went over the things that the freshman like and what attracted them to Northeastern to better understand what NEIU can continue to do to keep the freshman after their first year. We then went on to discuss what are some of the downfalls of Northeastern that push students away after their first year so that we can work on improving them. We discussed how if a student has someone they can go to a mentor on campus, then when things are hard they will have someone they can talk to and can get help from to help better the situation. We looked into why first and second year student retention rates are so low compared to the students who

Rovai, A. P. (2002). Development of an instrument to measure classroom community. The Internet and Higher Education,5(3), 197-211. doi:10.1016/s1096-7516(02)00102-1

Many colleges and universities throughout the United States and several other countries face a common problem. Student retention is a growing problem across the nation for all ethnic groups and all ages. Each individual who chooses to drop out of school has their own personal reasons as to why they do. However, many drops out can be completely avoided. When students drop out they are not clearly thinking about how it’s going to affect their future, the future of their children and even grandchildren. Although there are several reasons as to why students drop out of school, we will be exploring a few as it relates to why student retention is a growing problem.

We as societies are hindered in advancement by secluding ourselves alone. Learning in groups working together adds an element of scaffolding and accountability to learning. The shared construction of meaning is most visible and available for research at the small-group unit of analysis, where it appears as group cognition (Stahl et al., 2006). Social cohesion adds elements of accountability and a sense of enjoyment, camaraderie, and social acceptance of all cultures. Adding to the literature, Akyol & Garrison, 2014, Community of Inquiry argues “Social presence may well have more influence in informal learning environments, K-12 settings, or in online learning where students are new to this medium (Akyol, & Garrison, p.18, 2014). Positive reinforcement striving to acquire meaningful relationships build lifelong ethical citizens.

Change is inevitable for education; subsequently, educational institutions are becoming more competitive, which is why there is a need for developing a retention program. Educational institutions are competing for innovation, funds, and students; therefore, they are offering programs that will provide the best and most beneficial student experiences that should include access to programs that will increase retention.

Student retention has become a priority in public and private institutions of higher education. Using student retention as a performance indicator has provided an increase in data reporting of overall university student retention as well as retention rates within academic programs. This data has shown a trend in decreasing retention rates among college music majors at many universities (Fitzpatrick, Henninger, & Taylor, 2014; Gavin, 2012). Recent studies attribute this decrease to career uncertainty and student burnout (Bernhard, 2005; Gavin, 2012; Orzel, 2010).

However, advocates of classroom learning believe the online method isolates the students from one another as well as their professor minimizing the overall value of taking the course. They also claim that students learn better when working together with their instructor and their fellow classmates. Students learn better when they are given the opportunity to ask questions, join in class discussions, and they move the process of learning forward through their participation. Face-to-face advocates firmly believe that this kind of interaction is not possible over the Internet; and for many types of education, e-learning will never meet the potential of live human interaction in the classroom. An article in the New York Times titled, “Second Thoughts on Online Education,” backs up the points made above. A recent research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, comes to the conclusion; “A rush to online education

Compared to classroom learning, the interaction occurring at online courses is more international. Learners can develop online conversations on forums and interview other students around the world by using web-conferencing technology (Kruger-Ross and Waters, 2013:182). However, it is reported that students prefer face to face contact directly with the tutor who was seen as the focal point of learning, a channel through all interaction that connects ideas, builds understanding, provides feedback and gives summary immediately (Sweeney et al, 2007:316). Additionally, establishing social relations may need classroom environment (Paechter & Maier, 2010:295). Classroom teaching and learning is a complex, multilayered, and social experience, which develops friendship, connection and satisfaction among students. Social community is considered to be relatively poorly experienced in online learning due to learners’ disconnection and could probably cause isolation (Baturay & Bay, 2010:44).

People are born and lured into the world to become social from the very beginning. Some claim they do not have a social life but any type of communication is social. In college, people are social because they interact with professors, students, and the people around them. Some students might perform better in school when they are around others. They meet with others and form study sessions as a group. Other students might find if better if they find a peaceful place and study alone. Literature reviews are important because it gives researchers a better understanding on what is out there and how to improve a topic. An aspect in social life that I would like to study has to do with the benefits in class performance when students form study groups than when they study individually. There are methods and literature reviews that can help me determine which will boost a student’s performance the most.