The impact of social and academic integration on the probability of completing high school
Abstract
The major purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of social and academic integration factors as postulated by Tinto (1975) and operationalized by Pascarella and Terenzini (1980) on the potential to drop out of high school. A sample of 739 students from 14 New York City public high schools participated in this study. Students in this study completed a questionnaire requesting their perceptions of how social and academic integration variables including parental involvement, and selected demographic variables influenced the potential of completing high school. Four hypotheses were stated and assessed using multiple regression analysis. The results of data analysis provided support for Hypotheses One and Four. Specifically, with respect to Hypothesis One each of the social and academic integration variables including parents' involvement and academic ability as well as the combined contribution of the foregoing variables explained a significant amount of variance in students' probability of completing high school. With respect to Hypothesis Four, the contribution of social and academic integration variables including parents' involvement, gender, ethnic background, and academic ability accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in students' probability of completing high school. Evidence was not found to support gender and ethnic differences, Hypotheses Two and Three respectively, when the students' probability of completing high school was regressed on the social and academic integration variables. The findings of this study supported the predictive validity of Tinto's model (1975) and the findings of the study of Brady (1985). It was concluded that social and academic integration variables including parents' involvement may be important variables when examining the students' probability of completing high school. It is suggested that increased social and academic integration in high school, as well as parents' involvement in the education of their high school children reduces students' alienation from high school and increases their sense of bonding with school internalizing the school environment and its experiences while developing school-related goals.
Subject Area
Secondary education|Educational evaluation
Recommended Citation
Finnan, Patrick Rogan, "The impact of social and academic integration on the probability of completing high school" (1991). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI9511228.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI9511228
