Date of Award
11-29-2016
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
School Name
Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education
Department
Education
Major Advisor
Dr. Elizabeth Dinkins
Abstract
An average of 1.8 million students drop out of high school each year (National Council of Education Statistics, 2014). Dropping out of high school is a problem for both society and the individual (Rumberger, 2003). It can lead to lower wages, unemployment, and incarceration. Mobile students make up a part of those who drop out of school. Students are considered mobile if they attend more than one high school in four years (Rumberger & Larson, 1998). One way of helping highly mobile students is to offer asynchronous virtual classes. Using Institutional Theory (Rumberger, 2001) and Academic Mediation Theory (Vygotsky, 1978; Bachman, Green, & Wirtanen, 1971; Ekstrom, Goertrz, Pollack & Rock, 1986), this qualitative study explores the number of mobile students attending one virtual school, and how the virtual school is helping mobile students. Participants were purposely sampled and included six teachers from a range of subjects, the administrator, and school counselor. Data was collected for one year and included two interviews, an observation, and document examination. Findings show 100% of students at the virtual school are mobile with 60% attending three or more schools and 9% attending five or more schools. There are three other findings: (a) the asynchronous nature of the virtual school enables teachers and students to work outside of normal strictures in order to help mobile students, (b) the school and teachers are counteracting communication and instructional challenges in order to help mobile students, and (c) there are policies and procedures the virtual school utilizes in order to help mobile students progress through courses. These findings speak to the potential of virtual schools to positively mediate mobility factors by enabling students to learn in an asynchronous environment from anywhere there is an internet connection.
Recommended Citation
Dickinson, Amy G., "The Potential of a Virtual School to Help Mobile Students" (2016). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones. 33.
https://scholarworks.bellarmine.edu/tdc/33
Included in
Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons, Other Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Secondary Education and Teaching Commons