Discuss the relationship between high school completion and gender.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this quantitative study is to explore the relationship between students’ perceptions of fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school and their decisions to complete or drop out of school. The results of the study may help educate the community, parents, school administration and staff, and students about the effect of fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school on the dropout rate. A sample of 128 students who are enrolled at the two colleges and who have their high school diplomas or are working on their GED certificate at the college will be surveyed.

Rationale for the Study

This research will provide education for staff, community, and parents in getting assistance and help for students who are considering dropping out of school because of perceived fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school to complete their education successfully and safely. This research study is designed to create awareness about how perceived fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school may affect students and their decision to stay or to drop out of high school.

Research Question and Hypotheses

Two research questions were developed to guide this study.

RQ1: Can high school completion (diploma or drop out) be predicted by perceptions of fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school, gender, and ethnicity?

Ho1: There is no relationship between high school completion and perceptions of fear/avoidance related to being attacked or otherwise harmed on school property or en route to school, or gender, or ethnicity.

HA1: There is a relationship between high school completion and perceptions of fear/avoidance related to being attacked or otherwise harmed on school property or en route to school.

HA1: There is a relationship between high school completion and gender.

HA1: There is a relationship between high school completion and ethnicity.

RQ2: Are there differences in the perceptions of fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school by gender, ethnicity, and type of high school completion (diploma or drop out)?

Ho2: There is no difference in the perceptions of fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school by gender, ethnicity, and type of high school completion.

HA2: There is a difference in the perceptions of fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school based on the interaction of type of high school completion with gender and/or ethnicity.

HA2: There is a difference in the perceptions of fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school by gender.

HA2: There is a difference in the perceptions of fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school by ethnicity.

HA2: There is a difference in the perceptions of fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school by type of high school completion.

The dependent variable in Research Question 1 is type of high school completion, while the independent variables are perceived fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school, gender, and ethnicity. A logistic regression procedure will be conducted to analyze Research Question 1. The dependent variable in Research Question 2 is perceived fear/avoidance related to being attacked or other harmed on school property or en route to school, while the independent variables are ethnicity, gender, and type of high school completion. An analysis of variance will be used to analyze Research Question 2.