In the United States, the high rate of college dropouts has been a problem that many professional sociologists have studied and observed in an effort to understand why they are so high, and how to bring the number down. Students from colleges all across the country are dropping out at unacceptably high rates. If we look at the problem in a sociological viewpoint, we can look at the many reasons why this increase has occurred and how they vary under many different categories. Sociologists have a method to further examine these issue in more depth, with 3 different aspects of the problem. These three aspects include looking at the micro, meso, and macro level of college dropouts. In this essay I will examine each and determine which one most …show more content…
This would include how a dropout student interacts within their classes with teachers and their fellow classmates. If a student had bad relationships with their professors and/or peers, that would show cause for poor performance. Negative actions done by students could lead to this, making students uncomfortable to continue going to classes, which in turn could result in the student receiving bad grades. Along with bad relationships with teachers, bad friendships can deter a student from being a good student. This is an example of the rational choice theory. This theory states that if we have a bad experience, or multiple ones, we begin “making rational decisions based on weighing costs and rewards of the projected outcome of an action” (Ballantine, Roberts, and Korgen, 2017, p. 33). Within this theory, it could be said that a student would weigh the consequences of dropping out of college because of various micro-level issues the student may have. An example of this would be a student contemplating whether or not they should stay in school to have the chance to be successful in the future, or dropping out and getting a minimum wage job to help support their family because they are …show more content…
The theory that is correlated with the macro analysis of dropouts is the conflict theory, which states that “conflict is inevitable by any group or society” (Ballantine, et al 2017, p. 35). In today's world, the pressure to compete against your fellow classmates to get a degree and then compete against each other for jobs is at an all time high. This is a huge conflict that can create stress for any student, especially for those in competitive majors and job fields. This extra stress can lead to students becoming overwhelmed and eventually dropping out. If we look at the laws and policy governing college education, we would have to look at the standards and policies not only set for the students, but for the teachers as well. If the rules are made so that it is harder for teachers to help students be successful, then there are negative consequences for all which creates a conflict between the two parties. An example of this would be cuts in the funding for education. Without proper funds, some classrooms are not suited to be a proper learning environment. This issue can also lead to dropout students if they are not being taught the material adequately. Overall, decisions made at the macro level can trickle down and create conflict, which in
“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” George Santayana stated what happens if we do not learn from our past. After the Civil War the United States wanted to build itself back up. The nation was in rubble because half of the country was fighting the other. That left it in a sad and fallen state. The issue of slavery was a long debated topic. They thought they could get over this and start anew. Reconstruction means the actions or process of rebuilding what has been damaged or destroyed. Did the North or the South kill Reconstruction? That issue is still up for debate. In my opinion, the South killed Reconstruction and stopped it dead in its tracks. The South did not respect the African American’s right to vote and would terrorize
In chapter 6, "The College Dropout Boom" talked about the idea of how higher education, meaning colleg...
Tough depicts the college conundrum as a prevalent matter in America’s higher education system, and investigates the cause of this national phenomenon. He describes the college conundrum when he states, “Why are so many American students dropping out of college just as a college degree has become so valuable and just as young people in the rest of the world have begun to graduate in such remarkable numbers?” (Tough 150). He illustrates the disturbing trend of an exponential growth in college dropouts rates in America, even when a bachelor’s degree is seen as a valuable asset, and graduation rates in other countries have considerably risen in comparison. Subsequently, Tough sought to uncover the root causes for this complication. As a result,
For some students it is difficult to get a good education. These students live in a poor community and are required to go to schools that have a low graduation rate. These schools have a certain reputation such that other students refer to it as the “ghetto school”, “where the pregnant girls go”, and the “dropout factory”. This
According to the National Dropout Prevention Center, dropping out of school is a persistent problem that causes much interference within our current educational systems efficiency(Why students drop out 1). If a student drops out because of something that happens
College can be a stressful time for students. They go to college to work on creating a better future for themselves. But sometimes everything gets so overwhelming, that they can’t do it anymore. In the article “What is College For?” I found the author Gary Gutting’s thesis to be “Nonetheless, there is incessant talk about the ‘failure’ of education” (412). Gutting proves his thesis to be true throughout the article. He makes different points as to why he thinks this epidemic of failure is happening in college. Access, dropouts, students becoming disengaged in learning, and focused mainly on studying for their jobs and careers. All of these things acting as the building blocks to one another in the epidemic of failure that is happening among
Long ago, receiving education was once something only the rich could afford; it was a luxury. Nowadays it is open to everyone, but many students enter college only to discover that they are underprepared, and in turn they become disenchanted. David Leonhardt’s article, The College Dropout Boom, addresses the issues that are apparent in the education system and how it contributes to the gap between the upper and lower class while Access to Attainment by Abby Miller, Katherine Valle, Jennifer Engle, and Michelle Cooper calls to improve access to college education for today’s students. This is incredibly important because many students either drop out or never attended college and in today’s time, having a Bachelor’s degree has become a requirement
For some students, dropping out is the culmination of years academic hurdles, missteps, and wrong turns. For others, the decision to drop out is a response to conflicting life pressures -- the need to help support their family financially or the demands of caring for siblings or their own child. Dropping out is sometimes about students being bored and seeing no connection between academic life and "real" life (Furger).
Throughout the years, the dropout rate of African Americans has increased and decreased. Many people look at black students as if they sit there and do not learn anything at all, but we do try. Some may think that the only reason the black students drop out is because of their grades, but that’s not true. Some dropout because of financial pressure, health problems, mental, emotional, and social issues, and may not have family support. “Blacks have historically been under represented for the past years” (Herndon 489).
Azzam, Amy M. "Why Students Drop Out." Educational Leadership 64.7 (2007): 91. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
Regularly, a student receives a diploma after a certain required course load is completed. On the other hand, some students can complete high school by a means of an equivalency test and receive a diploma that way. Unfortunately, each state, district, and even school uses the term dropout differently (USDE, 1996). The United States Department of Education?s National Center for Educational Statistics has stated three separate ways used to calculate the dropout rate. The first is when the percentage of students who drop out in a single year are reflected by the event rates. The second is when the status rates reflect a percentage of those students who in a certain age range have not finished high school ...
We sometimes drop out of the college because of bad friendship. For example, my brother’s friend was just 19 years old and he dropped out of college only because he wanted to fit into a group that was bigger than him. As a result of this, he wanted to be seen as “cool,” but that wasn’t all. Due to this, he used drugs that dropped him out of the college totally. These students don’t want to seem irresponsible, so they make up an excuse, such as the bad friendship.
The following essay is an attempt to critically compare and contrast these two approaches from various aspects, and deduce which one is more encompassing.
Since the early 70s theorists have pondered the causes of college dropout. Generally referred to as “student attrition,” this problem has spurred numerous causal theories and theoretical models. Vincent Tinto led the research with his revolutionary 1973 study, which he later revised (1987) amid criticism from other luminaries in the field, most notably Bean, Astin, Terenzini, and Pascarella. It is on the work of these scholars (including also Tinto) that all modern research in the student attrition field is based. I found and will review in brief some of the extensive research from Tinto to the present, including the basic criticisms therein. I will further explain the steps some colleges are currently taking to counteract this increasingly important issue.
First important reason why students drop out school is tuition expenses. In high schools and lower education, most of schools are funded by government, so parents does not much their budget for their children. In higher education, however, parents have to pay tuition. That is a painful problem for poor family. In poor families, they have low salary. Every single dollar is worth for them to survive such as homeless. They better have money for food than go to university because fo...