Running Head: QUALITATIVE ARTICLE CRITIQUE

Article Critique of “The Voices of High School Dropouts: implications for research and practice”

Jessica Gore

Georgia Southern University

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QUALITATIVE ARTICLE CRITIQUE

In this study conducted by Meeker, Edmonson, and Fisher (2009), the researchers looked

at the reasons and factors that prevent students from completing or graduating from high school.

Based on the data from the study, Meeker et al. are able to identify 17 primary factors as to why

students drop out of high school in the state of Texas. Meeker et al. also briefly explore the

opportunities or lack there of, for high school students who have dropped out to pursue

alternative diplomas.

The General Educational Development (GED) exam was originally designed to assist

veterans who were unable to complete high school due to enrolling in the armed forces. It also

allowed them to seek degrees in higher education without having to enroll and complete high

school. However, over the years, the GED diploma has changed in purpose and people of a

variety of backgrounds are able to earn this certificate. Due to its purpose, many GED programs

were established in the 1990s to help decrease the high school dropout rate. In addition, high

school equivalency programs (HSEP) were developed to assist and prepare dropouts for the GED

exam (Cummings, 1991).

With the introduction of the GED exam and HSEP type of courses, it is believed that the

number of students who dropout of high school has increased (Chaplin, 1999) as well as the

possibility of minority students being pushed toward these type of programs (Hardy, 2002).

Although many educators believe that a GED is not as sufficient as a high school diploma, it is

more prestigious than earning nothing at all.

In order to conduct this study, Meeker et al. engaged in homogeneous purposeful

sampling. This study began by looking at 228 current and recent students from GED programs

from across the state of Texas and represents urban, suburban and rural areas. Out of these 228

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students, the research focused on only responses from participants in their teens or twenties,

which resulted in a total of 158 participants. Of these 158 participants, 93 were female and 64

were male. Ethnically, 67 were White, 52 were Hispanic, 18 were Black, two were Asian, and

19 did not indicate their ethnicity. All of the participants were deemed high school dropouts

(the independent variable) with most of them participating in GED preparation programs; some

participants had already earned their GED certificate.

The study drew on data collected by means of surveys containing open-ended questions,

focus groups, and semi-structured interviews (41): The main method of data collection was

through the means of the open-ended survey in which all 158 participants completed and the

secondary method was through individual interviews and small focus group discussions with 13

current students and 13 GED graduates. The survey’s open-ended questions asked the

participants to list factors (which indirectly becomes the independent variable) that prevented

them from completing high school, as well as their career and education plans as they related to

earning a GED certificate. For those participants who had recently completed preparation

programs were asked how the GED certificate affected their career and educational pursuits.

From this data, 17 separate factors emerged: pregnancy/parenting a child, bad

attitude/poor choices, dysfunctional home, did not fit in, working too many hours, moved too

often to earn credits, frequent discipline referrals, peer pressure to leave, substance abuse, family

illness/death, legal trouble, lacking credits, completed high school in a foreign country, language

barrier home schooled and could not pass exit exam (41). The identified factors were also

labeled as either push factors, those within the school, or as pull factors, those beyond the

school’s control (Scanlon and Mellard, 2002). Based on the results of the survey, it was

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determined that the majority of the factors that the participants listed were deemed as pull factors

(41).

Meeker et al. provide detailed survey, focus groups and individual interview information

on the eight most frequent and common factors and lump together the remaining factors data.

Through the survey, participants varied in how much information they provided, with some only

writing down a few words, while other wrote out much more detailed descriptions of their

situations. Also, within in the top eight factors, the participants also indicated several other

factors that lead to them not completing high school. Many of these “other” factors were also

one of the 17 factors that Meeker et al, developed from the original survey. Through the focus

groups and individual interviews, more detailed data was able to be collected as well as being

able to find common ground and be in agreement on topics amongst those in the focus group.

Through this study, Meeker et al. concluded that the major factors that lead to the

participants of this study to drop out of high school before graduation were pregnancy and

parenting, conflicts with school personnel as well as overall school dysfunction, having to work

too many hours, and losing too many class credits as a result of moving from state to state (50).

It is also noted with these factors that ethnicity seems to play a specific role within each of these

varying factors. As a result of the data that was collected and analyzed, it is suggested by

Meeker et al. that further research should be conducted to better understand what resources are in

place to identify at risk students in high school and what sorts of prevention measures are in

place to aid these students? Also, research on specific ethnic groups may prove useful, such as

Hispanic students that are forced to drop out of high school due to working too many hours or

black males that have issues with bad attitudes and decision making.

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Overall, Meeker et al. found that just because a student drops out of high school does not

mean that they will not be successful in earning a GED certificate later. There are many

common factors that lead to a student not graduating high school in the traditional sense, and

these factors should be addressed within the school system in order to avoid them dropping out.

In addition, programs that are aimed at these at risk students should be readily available as well

as their worth defined as to aid and encourage students to complete high school in the non-

traditional sense as well as possibly continue their educations within the higher education realm.

Reflection

I found this study to highlight a very important topic within today’s educational systems.

Knowing and understanding the factors that influence and cause a student to drop out of high

school is something that should be of upmost importance to a board of education, high schools,

teachers and even students. I believe that study did produce useful data but overall I question the

true connection that they were trying to show between traditional and non-traditional high school

graduates.

The entirety of the literature review that is provided talks about the GED and HSEP. It

discusses the background of these programs but I do not feel it adequately provides information

that pertains directly to the data that was collected. It would have been helpful to provide a

background from other researcher about the factors that lead to a student dropping out of high

school, why they are or are not encouraged to earn a GED and what factors cause a students to

want to earn their GED after dropping out. This additional information would have helped shed

some light for Meeker et al. in the development of their own research question.

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The single research question for this article was very straight to the point. With all of the

emphasis on the GED in the literature review, I was expecting the research question to pertain to

more than just the factors that lead to students not completing high school in the traditional

sense. The research question could have been developed more to incorporate this idea of the

non-traditional high school student/graduate, considering the fact the only students used in this

study were those that were currently enrolled in GED preparation courses or had earned their

GED certificate. If the study’s only question pertained to the factors that lead to a student

dropping out of high school, student’s who were not working towards earning a GED could have

been included in the collection of data as well. The use of homogenous sampling proved useful

in this study, but only provided data on a very select group of high school dropouts.

In conducting qualitative research for this study, the sample size is a bit on the large size:

even after they focused the study on 158 of the 228 original participants. The study could have

potentially produced many of the same factors if it had been of the quantitative nature and also

used a questionnaire/survey to obtain data. With the single and simple research question that is

posed, a quantitate study would have provide very similar results as well as statistical data to pull

upon.

By conducting this study through a qualitative manner, you are able to gain some insight

into the thoughts and feelings of the students who dropped out of high school. However, with

the responses from the survey, focus groups and individual interviews, there is not an in-depth

understanding as to why the student dropped out, only the surface reason. If the study had

focused on a smaller sample, then it could have provided more detail into the factors that caused

the student to drop out as well as their thoughts, feels, ideas, etc. I do not feel the short responses

that are provided within this study are sufficient enough to gain a true understanding of each

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factor. Also, it seems as though many of the student’s mention several factors that lead to them

dropping out with one being predominant over the others so is the list of 17 main factors an

accurate representation of why students are dropping out of high school. As for the data that is

provided, the study could have provided more information that linked to the student dropping out

of high school, earning a GED and career and educational pursuits of the students.

The ideas and questions that are posed as ‘recommendations for further research’ are very

well developed. These possibilities incorporate not just the factors that lead a student to drop out

but also focus on ethnicity and gender. These factors of ethnicity and gender would be beneficial

to study in order to better understand a specific group of students such as Hispanic students who

have to work. If studies show that Hispanic students have to work in order to support their

family and therefore are dropping out of high school, then perhaps districts with high Hispanic

populations may find way to help these students.

Overall, Meeker et al’s study helps to shed light on the factors that lead to students

dropping out of high school in the state of Texas. I believe that many of these factors are the

same across the country and would be useful for all board of educations’ to know and

understand. If you know and understand why students are dropping out of high school, then you

can recognize it and hopefully prevent it. Also, through this study, it is noted that earning a GED

or alternative diploma is not always a bad experience. If these student’s are proving to be

successful despite having had to drop out of high school, then perhaps school districts should

provide more opportunities for these at risk students.

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References

Meeker, S. D., Edmonson S., & Fisher A. (2008). The voices of high school dropouts:

Implications for research and practice. The International Journal of School Disaffection

Trentham Books, 6(1), 40-52.

Jessica, well done!

You included the important sections of the paper were articulate in your work. I really

appreciate and enjoyed reading your reflection piece.

14.5/15 points

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