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Dissertation Information for David L. York

NAME:
- David L. York

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- University of Missouri (USA) (2003)

ADVISORS:
- Joi Moore

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Gail Fitzgerald
- Julie A. Caplow
- Alex Waigandt
- Thomas C. Hall

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: Falling through the net: Implications of inherent characteristics in student retention and performance at a community college

Abstract: This study's purpose was to investigate the relationship of a student's inherent characteristics [Socioeconomic status--SES, age, gender, ethnicity] and performance or attrition in online and face-to-face [FTF] courses at a community college. The sample group for this study was every enrollment instance at a Midwestern community college from Spring 1998 through Spring 2002. A series of Analyses of Variance [ANOVA] was conducted on SES and age to investigate a correlation between those characteristics and performance or attrition in online and FTF courses. ANOVA test results showed no statistically significant relationship between SES and student performance and attrition in either online or FTF courses. For the variable age, the ANOVA showed a statistically significant relationship between student performance and attrition. Older students [aged 24-102] performed at higher levels and withdrew less often than younger students [18-23] in online courses. For FTF courses, just the opposite proved to be true.

A series of Chi-Squares tests was conducted for the variables of gender and ethnicity. Both demonstrated a statistically significant difference between each of the gender and ethnic groups. Women appear to perform at a slightly higher level online than men do, with comparable performance for both genders FTF. Women also took incomplete grades for online courses nearly 10 times more often than men did. Only Euro-American students excelled in online courses at this community college, while other groups performed better in FTF. Online, the attrition rate for students ranged between 20% and 37%, while with FTF courses, the attrition rate was from 7.7% to 20%. Future research should focus on three very distinct areas of student performance and attrition in online courses: (1) Expanded research on all aspects of two-year postsecondary education programs and institutions. Online learning, in particular, seems problematic for some of these two-year students. (2) The relationship between academic support and student performance and attrition in both online and FTF courses. (3) The communication constructs of meaning that are used in the design of courses, particularly in visual and textual communication that online courses rely so heavily upon.


MPACT Scores for David L. York

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:19:42

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Students under David L. York

ADVISEES:
- None

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- None