A Quasi Experimental Study of the Relationship Between Resilience, at Risk Students, and Academic Outcomes

Download or read book A Quasi Experimental Study of the Relationship Between Resilience, at Risk Students, and Academic Outcomes written by and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evaluation of programming is an integral component of assessment. The outcomes determine the extent to which objectives are met and whether initiatives will be eliminated or continued. An example of such an assessment is the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), which was designed to follow a national cohort of students from 10th grade as they progress into either postsecondary education or other paths after high school. The follow-up waves include data collected from survey participants over a six to ten year period with information on students once they enter postsecondary education and/or labor market. I utilized a quasi-experimental study to examine the relationship between at risk students, resilience, and academic outcomes from the existing dataset. The analytical sample consisted of 146 students who participated in Upward Bound and a matched group of similar students who did not participate in any pre-college program. The findings revealed that there were distinctive differences between the two groups. Upward Bound students had higher levels of resilience than the matched sample for external factors, and while Upward Bound students had similar levels of internal resilience at 10th grade, their resilience levels increased significantly by 12th grade compared to the matched sample. The findings revealed that both groups earned a GED at the same rate, however there were significant differences in regard to high school graduation, attending any postsecondary institution, and attending a four year university. The findings also indicated that although resiliency had an impact on educational outcomes, as students' progressed up the educational ladder, resilience accounted for less of the relationship between Upward Bound and educational outcomes.