Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios
Date of Award
8-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Granting Institution
Lynn University
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EDD)
Degree Program
Educational Leadership
Department
College of Education
First Advisor
Dr. Brittany E. Kiser
Second Advisor
Dr. Jennifer J. Lesh
Third Advisor
Dr. Martha Latz
Abstract
This Action Research Design examines three problems that at-risk twelfth graders face every day when they are left to decide how to graduate within 9 weeks. These struggling twelfth graders are in the hands and at the mercy of their certified secondary school counselors. The lack of time, coupled with technology not being current, the lack of effectiveness in raising graduation rates faster, and the need for metacognitive learning theory are all problems at-risk twelfth graders face in trying to graduate on time with their cohort.
The research design and method were from a Qualitative Action Research Design. The research instrument was Survey Monkey, utilizing an online survey using Google Forms qualitative software (Google.com). Sixty-six certified secondary school counselors in Florida participated. The data from the online survey comprised 14 questions (eight Likert scale questions and six open-ended questions). The first question was the Informed Consent (if the counselors disagreed to take the online survey, they were kicked out automatically, and the survey ended).
The data analysis used descriptive statistics (mean, mode, median, standard deviation, and percentage) to analyze the online survey questions. The open-ended questions were examined by organizing them into codes to generate three themes, and the themes were used to find the answer of the overarching research questions.
The survey results concluded that certified secondary school counselors believe that both Traditional and Accelerated Online Credit Recovery Program courses effectively deliver content, allowing students to progress at their own pace in recovering their lost credits. The survey results also concluded that Traditional and Accelerated Online Credit Recovery Programs helped at-risk twelfth graders raise their grade point average. The survey demonstrated that the Traditional Online Credit Recovery Program worked best for students who needed to recover credits for four or fewer courses they failed. The Accelerated Online Credit Recovery Program improved students’ ability to recover lost credits quicker, especially if the student failed five or more courses.
The metacognitive learning theory results brought awareness to the certified secondary school counselors and helped them to understand the importance in implementing this learning theory to at-risk twelfth graders’ learning processes. The results showed that when the metacognitive learning theory was added to the curriculum for at-risk twelfth graders embarking on taking online credit recovery programs, the learning theory enhanced their learning abilities and equipped them with strategies and skills to achieve success in recovering their lost credits and graduating.
The descriptive data analysis of the research concluded that there is a significant difference in the mean, median, and mode values while the standard deviation values were lower than the range.
Recommended Citation
Maxwell-Baxter, F. (2024). Traditional online credit recovery programs opposed to accelerated online credit recovery programs for high school students [Doctoral dissertation, Lynn University]. SPIRAL. https://spiral.lynn.edu/etds/423
