Academic and Transitional Experiences of High School At-Risk Youth
Open Access
- Author:
- Okou, Jane Egau
- Graduate Program:
- Workforce Education and Development
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- February 18, 2004
- Committee Members:
- Kenneth Gray, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
David Lynn Passmore, Committee Member
Cynthia Pellock, Committee Member
Edgar Paul Yoder, Committee Member - Keywords:
- at-risk youth
poverty
disadvantaged
academic experiences
transitional experiences
racial differences
youth employment - Abstract:
- ABSTRACT This study investigated academic and transitional experiences of at-risk youth with a purpose to establish whether these experiences vary among them by race, race and gender, and race and residence. Of particular interest was whether the experiences of at-risk white males differ from those of other at-risk youth. Five specific experiences were examined, namely: program of study, high school graduation, dropout, transition to postsecondary, and transition to employment. The main research question that guided the study was: Among at-risk youth, do the academic and transitional experiences vary by race, race and gender, and race and residence? Data for the study were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97). A sub-sample of 837 participants was used. At-risk youth were defined as those from families living below poverty level in the United States and who are at risk of experiencing academic and transitional difficulties as a result of their poor economic backgrounds. Descriptive and multivariate statistics were used to analyze the data. Frequency counts, percentages and Chi-square tests were used in the descriptive analysis and logistic regression and survival analysis were used in the multivariate analyses. Findings revealed that among at-risk youth there are no variations in high school graduation, dropout, and transition to postsecondary education. In general, at-risk white males are as likely as all other at-risk youth to experience the negative effects of poverty when faced with equal levels of economic hardships. Their patterns of enrollment in programs vary slightly, but overall all at-risk youth are more likely to follow a general curriculum. The one major exception is that blacks in rural America are significantly less likely to be employed than their white counterparts even when poverty levels are controlled. It is recommended that while policy makers should continue to support the disproportionately disadvantaged minorities, it is important to recognize that among at-risk youth there are more whites than other racial groups and they are also experiencing similar academic and transitional difficulties that characterize most minorities. The central issue in addressing problems of at-risk youth should be poverty and not race.