Canadian Council on Learning | Conseil Canadien sur l'Apprentissage

Predicting the at-risk status of males and students with disabilities

By Shirley Jorgensen, Dawson College
Catherine Fichten, Dawson College, Adaptech Network, McGill University, S.M.B.D.-Jewish General Hospital
Alice Havel, Dawson College

Description

This study examines postsecondary attrition and academic performance by sex and disability. Four main issues are addressed:

1. differences in attrition patterns among the targeted groups,
2. a comparison of the background, demographic, psychosocial and study skill variables that lead to attrition and poor first semester performance,
3. the predictive value of these variables in identifying students who are at risk at the time they enter college, and
4. reasons given by students for leaving prior to completing their diplomas.

1. six background variables obtained from the students’ records,
2. nine variables obtained from the College’s annual incoming student survey, and
3. 10 psychosocial and study skill variables obtained from the Student Readiness Inventory (SRI).

Results

Although graduation rates were similar for both groups, attrition rates were lower for students with disabilities in the early semesters. Regardless of disability, males with high school averages below 80% dropped out at higher rates than females with comparable averages, but the gap narrowed for averages above 80%. Thus, a large part of the problem of high male attrition rates (approximately 10%–12% higher than females by the tenth semester) appears to be related to those entering with low averages.

The high school average was better able to predict students achieving low grades in the first semester than students who dropped out of their programs.

Students with disabilities scored significantly lower on six of the 10 SRI psychosocial and study skill scales. The largest differences were on the Academic Self-Confidence and the Social Connection scales. The largest differences between males and females were on the Academic Discipline and the Communications Skills scales.

A larger proportion of students with disabilities than without disabilities indicated that they left the College due to disability/personal health issues. The most important reasons for leaving given by females without disabilities were to attend university, and career direction uncertainty and by males, career direction uncertainty and because they did not like the program they were in. Students leaving in their first year were more likely to say they left due to career direction uncertainty, or because they did not like the program they were in.