Identifying the Most Common Reasons Why Special Education Students Drop Out of High School - Research Paper Example

Running Head: METHODOLOGY Identifying the Most Common Reasons Why Special Education Students Drop Out of High School Chapter III: Methodology Due to the increasing rates of special education students who drop out of high school and the alarming negative consequences of noncompletion, it is deemed by this researcher to focus the study on identifying the top reasons why these students decide to drop out of high school in order to create more effective dropout prevention programs. Given this objective, the key question that will be answered is “Why do students with disabilities drop out of high school?” This chapter will deal with the explanation of how the researcher plans to answer this question. Because it is a “why” question, the qualitative methodology will be used as it is more appropriate when dealing with such abstract human behaviors, such as the act of dropping out of school. Qualitative research can “see precisely which events led to which consequences and derive fruitful explanations” (Miles and Huberman, 1994, p. 1). Moreover, it has a higher chance of being able to arrive at unanticipated findings and new combinations and reationships (Miles and Huberman, 1994). These are why the qualitative research design has been chosen by the researcher as it can give a clear view of why students with disabilities drop out of high school. It must be clarified that although quantitative data, such as statistics and percentages, will also be used in the study, it will only act as supportive numbers that lay the groundwork for this study. Furthermore, this qualitative research may also act as a precursive study for more accurate and extensive quantitative study on the same topic. The study will employ a qualitative research design that is based on active observation. Data will be collected through in-depth interviews of special education high school student dropouts. The interview will follow a questionnaire prepared by the researcher that is iterative in style to be able to elicit the needed response. The data gathered will be interpreted and analyzed through the use of a coding system that is made to fit the design of the study and its objectives and include all significant variables, both status and alterable. Data analysis will also involve the grounding of the results on the various relevant theories and strategies for dropout prevention encountered through the course of secondary research. These references will be cited accordingly using the designated ciatation style. Identifying the top reasons why special education students drop out of high school is a complex task that involves varying factors and variables. These need to be taken into consideration before the data collection procedures in order to be able to come up with data that are more accurate. It must be noted that the reasons why students with disabilities drop out are personal; and so, it is also imperative to include a brief characterization of the students and incorporate this into the data analysis procedures. It must be clarified, though, that this characterization should not be treated as a diagnosis or opinion of psychological professionals. The study will not delve deeply into the personality of the participants nor will it attempt to do so. However, it is the recommendation of this study for future researchers who are interested in replicating this methodology who have more resources to employ psychological professionals and have them present as passive observers in the conduction of in-depth interviews in order to have their professional opinions and integrate them into the data collection and anlysis. If this is done, the replicated study will increase its validity and accuracy. Research Design The research design of every study is the backbone that makes it valid and accurate. It holds the study together and therefore, is of utmost importance. The research design chosen for this study is qualitative. The qualitative research design has been criticized by many for its supposed inexactness due to its “interpretative, subjective, impressionistic and diagnostic” nature (Thomson, 2007). However, when dealing with abstract data, like “the often contradictory behaviors, beliefs, opinions, emotions, and relationships of individuals” and in this case, the reasons why certain people act a particular way, the qualitative research design is best employed as its strength lies in its capability to be able to provide a textual characterization of complex events such as human experience (Mack, et al., 2005). In this way, this design is especially chosen in order to better understand the phenomenon of high drop out rates of high school students with disabilities. That is, the personal experience of dropping out will be examined in order to be able to come up with the top reasons why the chosen sample of special education students drop out of high school. The angle used will be personal, as reasons why they drop out are inherently so; however, these reasons will also be seen as a part of status and alterable variables. In other words, it is not enough to just simply ask the participants why they dropped out of high school. There are many factors and variables that relate to why they dropped out of high school (Lehr, et al., 2004, p. 12). All of these need to be considered throughout the study. Some variables may rise to be significant, while some may be inconsequential to the study. These will all be known during the stage of data analysis. This study needs a flexible research design as it deals with a human phenomenon that should also make space for behavioral factors. Hence, the qualitative method’s objectives of describing and explaining variations, relationships, individual experiences and group norms make it the most suitable for this study. For instance, when observing and interviewing participants, the set of interview questions determined beforehand should have room for follow-up questions. Likewise, analyzing the data gathered will involve flexibility as categories that were not expected will arise and factors that seem inconsequential may become significant. The researcher needs to adjust in the analysis of the data in order to be able to present more accurate and comprehensive results. Because one of the objectives of this study and also one of the more important characteristics of a good and effective research design is for its ability to be replicated by others, factors such as personality traits and status and alterable variables need to be a part of the equation in order for the study to produce very specific results. Qualitative research is usually designed to build on “a rich and complex understanding of a specific social context or phenomenon typically takes precedence over eliciting data that can be generalized to other geographical areas or populations” (Mack, et al., 2005, p. 2). Due to this fact, qualitative studies can usually be replicated only with similar characteristics, but not with larger populations. Because the study deals with a very specific target population, namely students with disabilities who have dropped out of high school, and one of the objectives of this study is to give schools and school districts a method that they can apply to various schools with special education that will provide results tailored to the specific schools’ demographics, the qualitative research design is very suitable for this purposes. It must be noted that if quantitatively done, this study mirrors that of cohort rates, wherein small groups are studied for more accurate results as opposed to using statistical data of a large population (by state or by country) that leaves room for more exceptions and innacuracy. Having defended why the qualitative research design has been selected by this researcher, it is then imperative to situate this methodology to the topic at hand. This study will identify the top reasons why students with disabilities opt to drop out of high school by conducting in-depth interviews of special education high school student dropouts from a chosen school that ahs a high percentage of students with disabilities. A set of interview questions will be fashioned that will take into consideration each participant’s characteristics. These characteristics, such as status variables like race/ethnicity, age, financial situation, and alterable variables, such as grades and extra-curricular activities, will be provided through the examination of each student’s school records. This will comprise the preliminary investigation into the reasons why they dropped out of high school. After the data has been sorted and categorized, the in-depth interviews will ensue, in the order most convenient for the participants. Follow-up questions may be asked. This will be at the discretion of the interviewer, which is also the author of this study. All interviews will be recorded and transcribed. The transcription, together with field notes, will then be analyzed using qualitative data analysis (QDA). Results will be tabulated in order to ascertain the top reasons why these students chose noncompletion. Recommendations will then follow, with regards to the appropriate dropout prevention strategies that best suits the school. The application of dropout prevention strategies will be based on the analysis of this researcher of secondary academic sources; more specifically, academic articles and studies that have been previously conducted and published that are closely related to the topic of this research. Sampling Sampling in qualitative research means getting a sample from an entire population. For instance, all the residents of a city or community need not be interviewed in order to achieve valid findings (Mack, et al., 2005, p. 5). The study makes use of purposive sampling, which “groups participants according to preselected criteria relevant to a particular research question” (Mack, et al., 2005, p. 5). In this case, the sample is limited to third and fourth year high school students with disabilities who have dropped out from the chosen high school during the school year 2007-2008. Purposive sampling has been selected over quota sampling because the study does not aim to work on a strict quota wherein, for example, a fixed and equal number of male and female participants need to be covered. Although the study also presents some percentages in that it aims to rank the top reasons why students with disabilities drop out of high school, the study will only work with available resources. It must be noted that these students may or may not give their consent and so even though the target is all special education high school dropouts from Charlottesville High School, there is a possibility that not all of these students will be interviewed. Some may have moved to another place that is unaccessible to the researcher, while some may choose not to be interviewed. This is the reason why the researcher intends to get the permission of a particular high school that has a relatively high percentage of special education high school student dropouts—to increase the likelihood that a large number of participants will choose to give their consent to be a part of this study. Participants The participants in the study will comprise mostly of male and female special education high school dropouts from the chosen high school in the state that has exhibited a large turnout of dropouts during the school year 2007-2008. The age of these students with disabilities will range from 16 to 16 years old. The students must have dropped out during their third or fourth year in high school. Aside from students with disabilities, if consent is given, the researcher would also like to interview tenured faculty members and the principal with regards to their experiences and educated opinions on why their students dropped out. Karen Wilson, the Special Education Department Chair of Charlottesville High School has provided remarkable ideas as to the reasons why special education students have dropped out. Interesting insights can be gleaned from these educators that can be incorporated into the data anlysis. These high school levels were selected because they are the ones closest to graduation. This operates on the premise that these students must have had very specific reasons for deciding not to complete their high school education when graduation is not so far off. This does not mean that high school freshmen and sophomores do not have the same significant reasons; but they have more time to go back to school. For these juniors and seniors, they must have had heavy reasons for not graduating. What could their reasons be that they could not endure them for the short period of time until graduation? Demographics The demographics of the sample population will be determined during the preliminary data collection procedure wherein the school records of the future participants will be accessed with the school administration’s permission. age, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic background, native language, region, mobility, ability, disability, parental employment, and family structure are the categories for status variables that will be identified for each special education high school dropout (Lehr, et al., 2004, p. 12). This will comprise the demographics of the study. Because demographics inherently deals with statistics, the researcher will tally the results to be able to come up with percentages per category. For instance, the sample may be composed of 56% Caucasians, 22% African Americans, 13% Latin Americans and 9% Asians. The demographics will follow the list of status variables that are commonly used by dropout prevention researchers. Data Collection The data collection procedures will carry on in the same qualitative manner. There are several forms of data gathering that the study will employ. They will involve keen observation and accurate research, as well as good communication skills. It has been established that preliminary data will be provided by the students’ school records. Aside from the demographics, the researcher also aims to get accurate data of when they dropped out, their grades before they quit school, the classes they have been taking, and the teachers they have had. It must be noted that all possible correlations will be viewed here. The likelihood that the ineptitude of some teaching strategies may be partly responsible for students dropping out will not be discounted. If possible, the researcher will also need the guidance counseling profile of these students in order to be able to get an initial view of the alterable variables involved. These are: grades, disruptive behavior, school policies, absenteeism, school climate, and retention (Lehr, et al., 2004, pp. 12-13). The school’s permission will be asked in order to get access to these records. The chosen high school will also be responsible for providing the contact information for these students, like postal and e-mail addresses and phone numbers. After this preliminary data gathering, the researcher will rely on the methods of in-depth interview, the collection of field notes and intensive research. These instrumentations are discussed in detail in the following paragraphs. In-depth Interviews Because the study is personal in nature in that it aims to ask the reasons why special education high school students have dropped, in-depth interview was chosen method as it has been proven to be “very effective in giving a human face to research problems” (Mack, et al., 2005, p. 29). What could be more appropriate than coming to the real persons who have experienced the phenomenon in question. In this case, it is best to go the dropouts themselves and ask them what their reasons are for dropping out shortly before graduation. However, certain steps need to be taken in order for these interviews to produce useful, reliable and accurate data that can be analyzed. First, the targeted participants will be made aware of the research study and the researcher’s desire to ask them to participate through an initial formal letter that will be sent through snail or electronic mail. The researcher will allow for three to seven days after the letter have been sent to the targeted participants before phone calls will be made personally asking these students to participate in the study and be interviewed. This includes special education high school dropouts, chosen faculty members and the pricipal. Informed Consent. The targeted participants will be made fully aware of what the study is all about before the interviews are to be conducted. It is vital to the validity of this study that the participants give their informed consent. A short and concise form stating that they are giving their consent—for minors, parental consent will also be asked—will be given to them to be signed at least a day before the in-depth interviews are to be held. The participants will also be asked where, when and what time is most convenient for them to be interviewed. Confidentiality. The researcher guarantees that the participants’ identities are going to be made confidential. In no way will their names and other personal information that may make them identifiable will be disclosed in the study. They will only be given numbers and/or letters (not pertaining to their initials) as their identities. However, the principal and some members of the faculty will certainly be recognized through their positions. They will be informed of this so that they may take this into consideration before giving their consent. Interview Questions. These are crucial to the study. Interview questions will be fashioned before the in-depth interviews are to be conducted in order to ensure that important questions are addressed and to maintain uniformity and consistency. The questions will also take into consideration alterable variables, such as sense of belonging, attitudes toward school, educational support in the home, parental employment (in case the school records are not updated), and stressful life events (Lehr, et al., 2004, p. 13). Additional and follow-up questions may be made at the discretion of the interviewer, especially in cases where the interviewee seems to be too shy to answer or too nonchalant and general with their replies. All of the interviews will be recorded and transcribed. Field Notes. Throughout the course of the interviews and transcription, the researcher/interviewer will take note of what is deemed important based on analytical observation. Ideally, there is a third party that acts as an observer and jots down events and statements worth remembering. It is like highlighting important passages in an article and making comments on the borders of a text to provide short and useful explanations. Field notes are highly important, especially during data analysis, as they highlight events and statements that may prove significant to the study. Intensive Research In order to make sense of the data that has been gathered through in-depth interviews, research needs to be made to ground the data to theories and other findings that other studies have come up with. Articles published in academic journals and books will be researched to provide useful and relevant data. Research regarding the topic should be accomplished at the very beginning of the study, even before its approval. This will establish the study’s significance, relevance and validity. For instance, there are different dropout prevention strategies and principles that are being used today. The researcher can make recommendations on what can be appropriately used to address the results for the school. The school may apply the concepts of monitoring and increasing student engagement and sense of belonging if the results show that a high percentage of the special education students who have dropped out of their school in the previous school year did so, even with passing and/or high grades, because they did not care about going to school because they had no friends and were not involved in other school activities. In this way, dropout prevention for the chosen school will be more personalized—depending on the results of this study. Data Analysis Qualitative data analysis involves a flexible process of mainly noticing things, collecting them, and thinking about them (Seidel, 1998). This process is derived from the QDA process of “Noticing, Collecting, and Thinking about interesting things” developed by John V. Seidel (1998). Noticing things pertinent to the topic involves the observations made during the course of research and in-depth interviews. These observations translated into field notes and the transcription of the interviews will be thoroughly read and reviewed. During this process of noticing interesting things, coding has also begun. As the data is being reviewed and analyzed, the researcher codes these data and classifies them into general categories This is essentially the coding system that is known today. Codes serve to summarize, synthesize, and sort many observations made of the data....coding becomes the fundamental means of developing the analysis....Researchers use codes to pull together and categorize a series of otherwise discrete events, statements, and observations which they identify in the data (Charmaz, 1983, p. 112 cited in Seidel, 1998). Once the data has been coded, it is now imperative to collect and sort them. This involves “searching for types, classes, sequences, processes, patterns or wholes” that will “assemble or reconstruct the data in a meaningful or comprehensible fashion” (Jorgensen, 1989, p. 107 cited in Seidel, 1998). In this way, the coded data can be organized and categorized into meaningful groups of data that can be easily analyzed and examined. Subcategories will be made when needed and new categories may arise throughout the course of sifitng through data that has already been initially coded. Throughout this process, data will make more sense and spotting correlations and relationships between variables and the reasons why special education students drop out of high school will become less problematic and complicated. Thinking about the data that has been coded and collected has three main objectives: 1) to make the data found on various categories and subcategories make sense; 2) to find and identify patterns and relationships between categories and subcategories and between various types of general categories; and 3) to analyze these relationships to be able to come up with new findings (Seidel, 1998). This part is the most difficult and effort-intensive as the researcher really needs to exhaust all possibilities and examine and pinpoint significant correlations—whether or not these correlations and relationships are significant and useful. This will make up the final findings, which should also be supported by researched data and intensive analysis. The researcher has chosen this coding process because of its comprehensive and analytical procedures that are iterative and progressive, recursive, and holographic in nature (Seidel, 1998). Iterative and Progressive. This qualitative coding process is iterative in that each step are repeated over and over again until such time when the researcher has already exhausted all analytical possibilities. It is progressive because each step brings you closer to attaining the final results. Recursive. This process is recursive because there is no single successive procedure that needs to be followed. It is not imperative for the first step of noticing things and coding data to be all done before the researcher progresses to collecting data. As the qualitative data analysis moves forward, the researcher can go back and start noticing things and coding/recoding data again if needed. Holographic. This method of analysis is holographic in nature in that “each step in the process contains the entire process” (Seidel, 1998). For instance, while collecting and sorting through coded data, the researcher is also noticing new things, recoding them and analyzing them. Conclusion Having thus explained the coding process that makes up the qualitative data analysis and its nature, it can be seen how this method easily and perfectly fits this research study. Because the study is humanistic and personal in nature, the best way to collect data and analyse the data gathered is through a qualitative research design. This study may be replicated per school and possibly per school district, but not for large populations, such as state- and nationwide statistical studies. In this way, dropout prevention programs that are specifically designed for a particular school may be implemented. This will increase the program’s effectivity as it is especially targeted for the special education students of that school. It must be noted that each school presents different demographics and student characteristics—what may be effective for School A may not be as effective for School B. The researcher recommends that the formulation of dropout prevention programs be supported by statistical data taken from that school. For instance, a short and concise survey may be created that will ask what reasons can make students drop out of high school. This should be given to the entire student population of the school. In this way, dropout prevention programs will be more accurate and effective. References Lehr, C. A., Johnson, D. R., Bremer, C. D., Cosio, A. and Thompson, M. (2004 May). Increasing rates of school completion: Moving from policy and research to practice. Minneapolis, MN: National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET). Mack, N., Woodsong, C., Macqueen, K. M., Guest, G. and Namey, E. (2005). Qualitative research methods: A data collector’s field guide. North Carolina, USA: Family Health International. Miles, M. B. and Huberman, A. M. (1994). An Expanded Sourcebook: Qualitative Data Analysis. California: SAGE Publications, Inc. Seidel, J. V. (1998). Qualitative data analysis. Retrieved August 12, 2009 from ftp://ftp.qualisresearch.com/pub/qda.pdf Thomson, R. (2007). Qualitative research study design. Retrieved August 12, 2009 from http://www.gfmer.ch/Medical_education_En/PGC_RH_2007/pdf/Qualitative_research_study_design_R_Thomson_WHO_2007.pdf Read More