Submitted by Career Lady (not verified) on April 17, 2008 - 07:29.
While I agree that the college dropout rate is fueled by lack of coping skills and emotional intelligence, I can't concur with Ms. Flury that this is the central cause. As an avid consumer of research about dropout rates, I have never seen any studies she references, which "cite self-esteem, stress, anxiety, depression, and minor health issues as the most accurate predictors of grade-point averages and enrollment-retention figures for college freshmen." To say that lack of academic skills is not the culprit in many cases, misses the point that in many MORE cases, it is. In fact, ACT has determined that only 23% of the college bound students who take their admissions tests meet all benchmarks for college success in composition, math, science and social science. (Come to think of it, I bet that's pretty stressful, too) Research also shows that students who require remedial courses are far less likely to complete a degree than those who don't. In addition, the National Survey of Student Engagement reports "Less than one-fifth of first-year students expect to spend more than 25 hours per week studying,the approximate amount of time faculty say is needed to do well in college." There is also considerable evidence that having educational goals that align with career goals is also an important factor in college retention. I consider Ms. Flury's suggestion about coping skills,(along with the many individual responses)to be useful anecdotes that individuals should consider in preparing themselves or their students for college. But in general, if we want to help young people succeed in college, academic preparation, career planning, and placing a priority on school work remain the real deal.
Drop out rate due to stress, anxiety and lack of coping skills
Submitted by Career Lady (not verified) on April 17, 2008 - 07:29.
While I agree that the college dropout rate is fueled by lack of coping skills and emotional intelligence, I can't concur with Ms. Flury that this is the central cause. As an avid consumer of research about dropout rates, I have never seen any studies she references, which "cite self-esteem, stress, anxiety, depression, and minor health issues as the most accurate predictors of grade-point averages and enrollment-retention figures for college freshmen." To say that lack of academic skills is not the culprit in many cases, misses the point that in many MORE cases, it is. In fact, ACT has determined that only 23% of the college bound students who take their admissions tests meet all benchmarks for college success in composition, math, science and social science. (Come to think of it, I bet that's pretty stressful, too) Research also shows that students who require remedial courses are far less likely to complete a degree than those who don't. In addition, the National Survey of Student Engagement reports "Less than one-fifth of first-year students expect to spend more than 25 hours per week studying,the approximate amount of time faculty say is needed to do well in college." There is also considerable evidence that having educational goals that align with career goals is also an important factor in college retention. I consider Ms. Flury's suggestion about coping skills,(along with the many individual responses)to be useful anecdotes that individuals should consider in preparing themselves or their students for college. But in general, if we want to help young people succeed in college, academic preparation, career planning, and placing a priority on school work remain the real deal.