Browsing by Subject "dropout"
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Item Predicting Couple Therapy Dropouts in Veteran Administration Medical Centers(2012-10-19) Hsueh, AnnieThe present study examined predictors of couple therapy dropout in the VA medical centers using six different dropout criteria. The most accurate dropout definitions included using a statistical modeling procedure to determine whether the client's rate of change at the final session was greater than average of change for all clients; clients who were still demonstrating gains greater than the average rate of change at the final session were considered to have terminated prematurely. A total of 177 couples (354 individuals) who sought therapy in the VA medical centers in Charleston, SC and San Diego, CA were examined. With a few exceptions, demographic variables generally did not predict dropout. A couple's relationship adjustment and response to conflict were significant predictors of dropout. The content of therapy sessions predicted dropout only when dropout was defined, at least in part, by client's rate of change at the final session, suggesting that such methods of defining premature termination are the most sensitive to the therapy process. Therapists' characteristics, including gender and level of experience, did not predict dropout across all six definitions of dropout.Item The Impact of the Samantha Academy of Creative Education (SACE) on Students Placed At-Risk at a Suburban High School in Southwest Texas(2010-01-16) Valdez, Patrick J.Reducing student dropout is of extreme importance to the United States. The loss in revenue as well as in human terms is huge. Several problems exist concerning students placed at-risk for dropping out. These include no agreed upon method of calculating drop out rates, differing opinions on the causes of school dropout, and a body of literature that is sparse concerning educational approaches for keeping students placed at-risk in school. This study examined the impact of the Samantha Academy of Creative Education (SACE) on the students placed at-risk and the teacher perceptions of the SACE program by the teachers working in the program at a suburban high school of Southwest Texas. The population of this mixed-methods study consisted of secondary general education students from a large suburban high school in Southwest Texas who had been placed at-risk. One of these groups consisted of students that participated in the SACE program while the other group consisted of a similar group of students not participating in SACE. Statistical tests were conducted to determine if a difference existed between the two groups with regard to graduation rate, attendance rate, and core grade average. Perceptions of the SACE program by the teachers that worked within the SACE program were gathered. Results indicate that student placed at-risk who participated in the SACE program had higher core grade averages, higher rates of graduation, and higher rates of attendance compared to students placed at-risk within the same high school who did not participate in SACE. Teachers perceived that the SACE program was efficacious for students placed at risk because of three broad themes. This study further demonstrated that effective programs aimed at helping students placed at-risk can be developed within the context of a regular high school setting. Recommendations for further research and implications for practice were provided.