Persistence in Five-Year High School Graduates

Abstract

Students who fail to graduate do not reach their full potential as contributing members of society with exorbitant costs to both them and the nation. The intended purpose of this study was to understand persistence in five-year high school graduates that did not have any type of break in their education. Students that persist in school for a fifth year to earn their high school diplomas do so for various reasons. A qualitative phenomenological approach to three case studies of five-year high school graduates was conducted. The three participants were selected from the same urban school in a Midwestern state. Semi-structured interviews were conducted regarding their school experiences and decisions to persist to graduation. The ethic of care, additional social capital and resilience all contributed to participants’ persistence. Care was provided by family, school personnel, and friends. This care was reciprocated by the participants. Care led to additional social capital. Social capital allowed the participants to gain the educational asset of a high school diploma, and to improve on their futures by either attending college or entering the military. At the same time the participants became resilient “by means of human activities, including thought and action.” The participants set goals for themselves deciding that they wanted careers and not jobs. They matured realizing that they had wasted time and took school more seriously. Family finances also was a part of the decision making process. The participants did not want to live pay check to pay check. The results demonstrated that there is not one reason, but several reasons that the participants persisted.