Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine at-risk students' satisfaction with an online credit recovery program, education2020, and its potential for providing equal opportunities to get students back on track toward graduation. This study also determined the degree to which at-risk student characteristics such as socioeconomic status, gender, age, ethnicity, and academic behaviors affected experiences in education2020 as measured by student satisfaction and pace of credit recovery. This study consisted of 220 high school students enrolled in the education2020 online credit recovery program at a small, urban high school district. Students came from three comprehensive high schools and one continuation school. The sample included students who were identified for education2020 due to applicable credit deficiency. A district-initiated survey gathered all demographic information and satisfaction levels. De-identified credit recovery data from one quarter revealed credit recovery patterns of one group of 67 seniors from the original 220-student sample. The survey data was analyzed using a hierarchical linear regression analysis to determine whether any student characteristics predicted satisfaction with education2020. Credit recovery data was examined using anova and Chi-square analyses to determine the relationship between pace of recovery and specific variables such as school site, academic behaviors, age, and ethnicity. The results of this study indicated that no demographic characteristic predicted satisfaction with education2020; the only significant variance was related to school site. There was no significant relationship between demographic characteristics and pace of credit recovery, but there was a positive correlation between academic behaviors such as prior credits earned and pass rate in concurrent face-to-face classes. Because no demographic characteristic prevented or ensured success in e2020, these findings demonstrate equal opportunity for at-risk students to find satisfaction and to recover credits. However, learning environment factors and academic behaviors did, in fact, demonstrate a relationship to satisfaction and pace of credit recovery. This information suggests that further research is needed to examine the specific components of the online learning environment and of programs for at-risk students, as well as their success in concurrent face-to-face classes and ability to recover credits in an online credit recovery program.
