Qualitative Study Discuss Section
Name:
Institution
Introduction
Online high schools require the basic essentials that come with structured management.
Putting measures of structured leadership in place guarantee that making of plans that will counter the problem facing the institutions. In addition, managerial leadership will identify the management of the learning faculties in order to put in place capable communication channels that solidify relations between teams, departments and the institutions’ pecking order.
Proposed Problems
The facts that dictate the particular experimental study in this program involves the low rate of retention among students that are completing online high schools in Southern Carolina. This is the major problem facing the state regardless of the number of high schools operating online. Irrespective of the on line high schools that offer the same courses and the standard of the education in physical programs, it is clear that students portray the want to stop school. Research by Boschee, Whitehead and Glatthorn (2008), show that students say their reason for dropping out of school is the reduction of communication with their teachers. Other students say that physical classes are more interactive since they can communicate with each other and their teachers. This conformist setting ensures that they do their class work because their teacher is there for frequent supervision.
Consequently, one of the major issues concerning research on this issue involves retaining more students in schools. How to prevent the students in online programs is the main problem especially in Southern Carolina. This is in tandem with the fact that the administrations of these programs have the authority to come up with ways to maintain and enlarge students’ involvement in the schools. Another issue ailing the online high schools is how to come up with ways to keep the students from dropping out. This issue dictates how the administrators will handle the ever increasing retention rates in the on line education programs. It involves the installation of strategies by the management in order to increase students increasing in the education programs.
Another issue that afflicts the students is the fact that they may face technological problems. Lack of the right equipment by the students in the poorer school districts may force them to drop out of the schools. This problem is further enhances by the isolation that comes with online courses. Lack of assistance with the technical problems may cause frustration and subsequent dropping out of the programs. This may be a contributing factor although it is not so common in the state of Southern California.
Lack of motivation due to minimal supervision, poorly designed courses, and lack of qualified teachers are some of the reasons why the students are dropping out of online high schools. The management put in place needs to address this issue if they are to increase the retention rate in the schools. Some of the ways in which they can do this is to hire instructors that are more qualified and put in place brilliantly planned courses so that the students are not put off by avoidable factors. In addition trying to know the students learning preferences might help in engaging the students more. Making the students more involved in the programs could dissuade them from dropping out and give them a sense of belonging.
Another contributing factor is the lack of student support that comes with online programs. Students learn from the privacy of their own homes. Whenever they encounter a problem, they have to solve it on their own or waste time looking for support elsewhere. This time could be used for learning. The student misses out and gets frustrated. Online programs should come up with ways in which the student can access the programs misses and help departments whenever the student is in need.
Purpose of the Study
One of the goals for this intended study involves the making of business strategies that are centered on boosting education in Southern Carolina. It will recognize the structured management in the online programs. As a result, the study will show that management leadership is a vital part of solving the problem. For example, the administration may focus on a way of making the program more fascinating to the student. This will result in an increment of the number of participants joining paying for the services rendered.
Low retention is a serious issue in Southern Carolina and as such, it should be addressed. The reason is that the number of students dropping out is reflective of the number of the student dropping out of the courses being taught. It makes for a bad scenario when students drop out of courses that they learn whenever they want and whose enrollment is just as easy, explains Palloff and Pratt, (2009). This fact is a good enough reason to put the administration on the spot because they are responsible for support and management of the online courses on Southern Carolina.
The outcome of these study will focus on giving numerous ways, which the programs can adopt. This will therefore counter the high number of dropouts from the online high schools. In addition managers will learn how best to manage their programs. Consequently and by carefully looking at managerial responsibilities, administrators will focus on how to most effectively maintain student retention in the programs. They will be able to make their programs more student friendly and therefore encourage student enrollment.
Methodology
Grounded Theory
In this case, application of a qualitative tactic because it will be based on providing an close description of the circumstances facing the administrators. Since this is a problem concerning low retention, the grounded theory will serve us best. Charmaz (2006) explains that The Grounded Theory consists of a collection of strategies made up of planned and flexible doctrines for collecting and assessing qualitative data to create theories from the respective data. This theory also implies the inductive thematic analysis. Research by McQueen and Namey (2012), show that the inductive thematic analysis consists of reading through data from the text, coding the observable themes, and then structuring the topic substance.
This means that the procedure will involve selecting human characteristics for the administrators of the online programs. The next process will be the method of collecting data. Usually in this method, the main methods are usually observing the participants, holding interviews and textual investigation. This will be followed by the determination of the supplementary activities to inform the proposed study. Finally, the sampling analysis and recruitment approach will be determined.
Narrative Analysis
Reissman (2007) explains that narrative analysis comprises of the use of personal accounts with the intention of deriving data. The reason for using this method in this study is that the narratives from the students are required to formulate the techniques the leaders will follow to solve the problem. The main approach for this techniques data collection is interviews. Such a method will allow students to air their reasons for dropping out of school and the management could use this information to mitigate the drop out problem. The major challenge with this method concerns reliability of the data. The collector may focus on the narratives from the students from the physical schools and not the on line high schools and make the information inaccurate.
Ethnography
This involves carrying out observations and research concerning a certain community. Fetterman (2009) explains that ethnography is the concept of behavior changing due to a number of factors like, sequential precedents, environmental factors where the participant live, social structures and the surroundings. It will be effective in determining why the students are dropping out of schools. The leaders will learn what factors the students have to live with and determine what makes the drop out to mitigate the problems.
Proposed Findings
The results in this case will determine the techniques that will be most effective to retain the students in the schools. It will also portray the duties undertaken by the leaders of these systems to retain, maintain and increase the number of students in the online education programs.
Conclusion
In summary, the study will help better understanding and conducting of management of online education across the state of Southern California. Although ratherobvious is the fact that factors affecting the students why they are dropping out, organizational leadership also play an important part. Consequently, getting better organizational management will better the chances of increasing retention in online high schools.
References
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. London: Sage Publications.
Fetterman, D. M. (1989). Ethnography: Step by step. Newbury Park, Calif: Sage Publications.
Guest, G., Mac Queen, K. M., & Namey, E. E. (2012). Applied thematic analysis. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2009). Assessing the online learner: Resources and strategies for faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Riessman, C. K. (2008). Narrative methods for the human sciences. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.