Identifying Significant Features that Impact URM Student Academic Success and Retention Upmost Using Qualitative Methodologies: Focus Groups
Identifying Significant Features that Impact URM Student Academic Success and Retention Upmost Using Qualitative Methodologies: Focus Groups
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使用定性方法确定影响 URM 学生学业成功和保留率的重要特征：焦点小组
DOI：
10.18260/1-2--21468
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发表时间：
2012
影响因子：
2.1
通讯作者：
R. Hargraves
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
R. Alkhasawneh;R. Hargraves
本研究的目的是开发一个混合框架，以模拟一年级学生的学业成功和保留下代表少数民族（URM），包括非洲裔美国人，西班牙裔美国人和美洲原住民。该模型是通过将定量和定性的结果，以获得URM学生保留和学业成功的充分了解和建模他们的表现和保留在大一。本文将着重强调本研究的定性（焦点小组）部分。焦点小组的目的是征求参与者的反应，以确定影响他们保留最多的因素，并提供更多的知识，他们的第一年的经验，学术和社会。简介：长期以来，提高科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）学科的学生保留率和学术成就一直是高等教育机构的目标之一。已经作出了重大努力，预测学生在高等教育中的保留，并通过使用相关因素开发学生保留的理论模型来了解大学1-3的辍学过程。Seymour 4报告说，STEM学科的入学率和保留率都有所下降。更具体地说，Tinto 5报告说，大一的辍学率最高，特别是在第一学期的前六周。统计数据显示，与其他群体相比，有色人种的学生有更高的流失率，尽管这种趋势在过去二十年中一直在下降6-8。这些群体倾向于以少量的STEM专业入学，并以较高的数字9，10离开。本研究的目的是开发一个混合框架，以模拟一年级学生的学业成功和保留URM包括非洲裔美国人，西班牙裔美国人和美洲原住民。该模型是通过结合定量（遗传算法）和定性（焦点小组）结果建立的。获得URM学生保留和学业成功的充分了解，并在大一期间建模他们的表现和保留，通过识别STEM领域的风险学生为机构服务。焦点小组的参与者是2008-2010年三年期间的前夏季过渡计划（STP）学生。STP是一个为期四周的住宅计划，针对14个STEM专业，包括工程，自然科学和数学科学。焦点小组的目的是从参与者中找出影响他们保留最多的因素，并提供更多的知识，他们的学术和社会的第一年的经验。有关STP的更多详细信息，请参见10。定性研究设计定性研究方法是分析非定量数据或文本而非数字形式的数据的有效方法。研究人员将定性研究定义为“社会科学和应用领域的重要研究模式，如教育，区域规划，健康科学，社会工作，社区发展和管理。十一岁定性研究的优势来自三个要点：1）“探索和发现”，旨在了解特定的人群，2）“背景和深度”，通过提供对人们行为和经验的洞察，3）“解释”，它给出了对人们行为背后的推理的理解。定性研究包括多种数据收集策略，例如观察、现有来源的内容分析、访谈和焦点小组。这项研究将采用焦点小组作为收集数据的策略，以深入了解弗吉尼亚联邦大学（VCU）的STEM学生的经验，并确定可能阻止他/她继续从事STEM学科的参与者特征。
The purpose of this research is to develop a hybrid framework to model first year student academic success and retention for Under Represented Minorities (URM) comprising African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans. This model was built by incorporating quantitative and qualitative results to obtain an adequate understanding of URM student retention and academic success and modeling their performance and retention during freshman year. This paper will focus on highlighting the qualitative (focus groups) part of this research. Focus groups were designed to elicit responses from participants for identifying factors that affect their retention the most and provide more knowledge about their first year experiences, academically and socially. Introduction: Increasing student retention and academic success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines have been among the goals of higher education institutions for a long time. Significant efforts have been made to predict student retention in higher education and to understand the process of dropping out of college 1-3 by developing theoretical models of student retention using associated factors. Seymour 4 reported that both enrollment and retention rates in STEM disciplines have declined. More specifically, Tinto 5 reported that freshmen year has the highest dropout rate especially in the first six weeks of the first semester. Statistics show that students of color have higher attrition rates compared with other groups, although this trend has been decreasing over the past twenty years 6-8 . These groups tend to enroll in STEM majors in small numbers and leave in higher numbers 9, 10 . The purpose of this research is to develop a hybrid framework to model first year student academic success and retention for URM comprising African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans. This model was built by incorporating quantitative (genetic algorithm) and qualitative (focus groups) results. Obtaining an adequate understanding of URM student retention and academic success and modeling their performance and retention during freshman year, serves institutions by identifying at-risk students in STEM fields. The focus groups participants were former Summer Transition Program (STP) students over a three year period of time, 2008-2010. The STP is a residential four week program for entering URM freshmen targeting fourteen STEM majors including engineering, natural sciences, and mathematical sciences. Focus groups were designed to elicit responses from participants for identifying factors that affect their retention the most and P ge 25711.2 provide more knowledge about their academic and social first year experiences. More details about the STP can be found in 10 . Qualitative Research Design Qualitative research methodologies are effective way in terms of analyzing nonquantitative data or data in the form of text rather than numbers. Researchers defined qualitative research as an “important modes of inquiry for the social sciences and applied fields, such as education, regional planning, health sciences, social work, community development, and management.” 11 . The strength of qualitative research comes from three main points 1) “exploration and discovery” in which it aims to learn about a specific group of people, 2) “context and depth” by providing an insight into people’s behaviors and experiences, 3) “interpretation” where it gives an understanding of the reasoning behind people’s behaviors 12 . Qualitative research includes several strategies for data collection such as observations, content analysis of existing sources, interviews, and focus groups. This study will employ focus groups as a strategy for collecting data to gain insights into the STEM students’ experience at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and identify participant characteristics that may prevent him/her from continuing in a STEM discipline.