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Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs Student Retention: One College’s Attempt To Deal With The Problem In The Light Of Recent Government Policy 1999-2002 Thesis How to cite: Palmer, John Charles Joseph (2004). Student Retention: One College’s Attempt To Deal With The Problem In The Light Of Recent Government Policy 1999-2002. EdD thesis The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 2004 The Author https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Version: Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21954/ou.ro.0000c0ab Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk JOHN CHARLES JOSEPH PALMER H9045316 STUDENT RETENTION: ONE COLLEGE'S ATTEMPT TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT GOVERNMENT POLICY 1999-2002 DOCTOR OF EDUCATION (EdD) 2004 \ John C J Palmer H9045316 EdD Abstract This study investigates the reasons for, and potential managerial solutions to, the problem of high rates of student drop-out on full-time Humanities programmes at a further education (FE) college in a disadvantaged area of the North of England. As rates of student withdrawal have attracted the attention of policy makers, the research examines the assumptions which shaped the decision to define drop-out as a problem and to use funding mechanisms and the inspection process to penalis~ colleges which experience higher than average rates of drop-out. A review of the literature indicated that during the last ten years the dominant assumption that influenced the policy response to student drop-out appears to have been informed by research positioned within the school effectiveness paradigm. In particular, the study by Martinez (1995) and Davies (1997) reinforced the view that withdrawal is caused primarily by deficiencies in the quality of teaching and student support. An evaluation of their findings provided a starting point for the investigation into student drop-out at the case-study college. Having identified serious flaws in the validity of their findings, this investigation, which used a range of research methods, including biographical interviews with students, suggests that withdrawal is caused by a complex combination of factors which are located mainly outside the college. Nevertheless, the study points to the delicate interaction between college-based and external influences on both leaving and completing. Consequently, a number of opportunities to improve college-based practices were identified and incorporated into a series of tentative recommendations for a managerial response to the issue of drop-out. The investigation concluded with an examination of the messages which could be drawn from the fmdings by those who shape national policy. It contends that the continuation of the current policy is likely to be counterproductive in terms of retention improvement and could also undermine other priorities such as widening participation. CONTENTS Page List of figures and tables i Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION: RATIONALE, CONTEXT AND 1 RESEARCH QUESTION The rationale for the investigation 1 The college context 2 The research issues and questions 5 The arrangement of chapters in the study 8 Chapter 2 THE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 9 The policy context and the effectiveness paradigm 9 College-based factors 12 Influences from outside the college 17 The managerial response 23 Chapter 3 THE RESEARCH DESIGN 27 The relationship of the literature review to the research design 27 The research population 28 The induction survey 30 The 'at risk' procedure 32 The biographical interviews 34 The focus groups 39 Secondary data 42 Sample size and modes of analysis 43 Chapter 4 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE FINDINGS: RESEARCH QUESTIONS 2 AND 3 48 Reasons for leaving 49 College-based factors 51 Initial guidance and counselling 52 On-programme support: attendance monitoring of students SS Pastoral support: the introduction of Motivational Interviewing (MI) 58 Quality of teaching 59 The college culture 61 Intimidation and the disciplinary procedure 63 Influences from outside the college 66 Demographic factors 67 Social class, cultural and social capital 68 Economic capital 78 Part-time work 79 Illness 81 Feeder schools 83 Prior attainment 88 Disposition to learning 90 The implications of the findings 94 ChapterS REFLECTIONS ON THE RESEARCH DESIGN 96 The induction survey 96 The 'at risk' procedure 99 The biographical method 103 The focus groups III The secondary data 113 The role of the researcher 114 Chapter 6 THE MANAGERIAL RESPONSE 117 Initial guidance and counselling 118 On-programme support outside the classroom 120 Careers guidance 120 EMAs 122 On-programme support: pastoral issues 124 The 'at risk' system 129 Motivational Interviewing 130 Peer support: the buddy system 131 On-programme support: teaching, assessment and curriculum design 134 Peer observation 134 Taster courses 137 Modularisation 137 The college culture 140 The implications at senior management level 141 Chapter 7 TilE POLICY IMPLICATIONS AT NATIONAL LEVEL 147 The challenge to the dominant policy assumption 147 College improvement 148 An alternative perspective 149 Conclusion 151 References 153 Appendices Appendix 1 The induction survey 165 Appendix 2 The 'at risk' procedure 179 Appendix 3 Summaries of the life histories of the biographical Interviewees 192 List of figures and tables Figure 3.1 The Biographical Interviews 38 Figure 3.2 Padilla's analytical model 45 Figure 4.1 College organisation structure from February 2001 57 Table 3.1 The survey population for the induction questionnaire and the 'at risk' procedure 43 Table 3.2 Sample sizes of the biographical interviews in focus groups 44 Table 4.1 Reasons for withdrawal given by leavers to their tutors in 1999-2002 50 Table 4.2 College-based and external reasons for withdrawal in 1999-2002 51 Table 4.3 Date of withdrawal 53 Table 4.4 Retention rates in the most popular Humanities A Level subjects 61 Table 4.5 Gender, age and ethnicity of the survey population 67 Table 4.6 Social class of Head of Household 68 Table 4.7 Parents' age on leaving school and highest qualification obtained by parents 69 Table 4.8 Number of books in household which could assist school work 70 Table 4.9 Number of members of immediate family, other than parents, who have been in full-time education beyond the age of18 70 Table 4.10 Frequency of attendance at parents' evenings 70 Table 4.11 Frequency of parental enquiries about progress at school 71 Table 4.12 Frequency of parents offering to help with homework 71 Table 4.13 Level offamily support for student's decision to join the college 71 Table 4.14 Measures of Affiuence 78 Table 4.15 Level of confidence in the use of the computer 79 Table 4.16 Students with part-time jobs during the course 80 i Table 4.17 Impression gained about the college by 16-19 year old students while attending feeder schools 84 Table 4.18 Teachers' attitudes towards the decision to join the college (16-19 year old students only) 85 Table 4.19 Students' main source of information about their college course 87 Table 4.20 Prior attainment and withdrawal rates: a comparison of GCSE points scores on entry to each programme 88 Table 4.21 Improvement in retention rates within ALIS value added cohorts 90 Table 4.22 Commitment to current course and history of previous withdrawal 91 Table 4.23 Reasons for attending the College 92 Table 4.24 Date of application to the College 93 Table 4.25 Comparison of average GCSE score bands (prior attainment) with TDA bands (aptitude scores) and withdrawal rates 1999-2002 93 Table 5.1 Extract from Table 6.1: Operation of the 'at risk' procedure 106 Table 6.1 Results of the operation of the 'at risk' procedure 1999-2002 129 Table 6.2 Reasons for completing the course 130 ii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION: RATIONALE, CO~TEXT AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS The rationale for the investigation This study investigates the reasons for, and identifies a potential managerial response to, the high rates of student withdrawal 1 at a further education college based in an economically disadvantaged area of the North of England. The issue of student drop-out has been a major cause of concern in the Further Education (FE) sector since the early 1990s when policy makers began to make colleges accountable for rates of withdrawal following the publication of a report by the Audit Commission (1993), which challenged the view that some 'wastage' was inevitable. As a result of this report, student drop-out was defined as a 'problem', and colleges whose retention rates fell below national benchmark standards faced the consequences of critical inspection reports and funding penalties. Thus the need to address this problem has became a priority for such colleges. However, while a key purpose of this research is to identify possible solutions to a significant managerial problem facing the college that is in the foreground of this investigation, the study also explores the implications of the findings for the broader policy context beyond the institution. By examining the reasons for leaving in the case-study college and comparing the data with the evidence from the existing literature about this topic, the research considers whether the current policy assumption that withdrawal from FE courses is caused primarily by weaknesses in teaching quality and student support is justified. While this study is not attempting to dismiss the possibility that weaknesses in teaching quality and support may influence some withdrawals, it does start from the position that the emphasis placed on such factors has been unhelpful and damaging to colleges which are attempting to identify and address the full range of issues affecting a student's decision to leave or 1 For the purpose of this investigation the tenus 'drop-out', 'leaver', non-completer', 'wastage' and 'withdrawal' are regarded as being synonymous with the act ofleaving a college course without completing it 1 complete a course.