College Persistence: Low Income Single Mother Welfare Recipients
Fran Butler
Capella University
Title of the Study
College Persistence: Low Income Single Mother Welfare Recipients
Research Paradigm
The research paradigm that has been adopted for this study is Post-positivism and Critical-Advocacy.
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Statement of the Problem
This research will explore why a high percentage of graduates from the Life Design for Single Mums’ program are dropping out of higher education and regressing to previous program, give up or joining other community social service programs.
The ‘Life Design for Single Mums’ is a two-track education program designed and structured to provide a high level of workforce literacy education and foundation skills training. As a result, participants may qualify for the jobs available now and compete effectively in the current job market, or the jobs of the future, post higher education.
In recent years colleges and universities have seen significant increase in nontraditional student enrollment. The "non-traditional" label includes a variety of groups of students such as displaced homemakers, empty nesters, blue collar wives, seniors, and single parents (Marlow, 1989). A growing sub-group within the non-traditional student group is low income single mothers (Holliday, 1985). More single mothers are going to college to achieve something much more than minimum wage and welfare. However, the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, legislation barriers and the lack of adequate response by educators to the significant obstacles faced by low income single mothers, may challenge their ability to learn and complete their studies makes it difficult for them to acquire relevant post-secondary education to improve their economic status and raise their children out of poverty (Adair, 2001).
It is vital that a problem statement in a research proposal is presented in context and that it is easily recognizable. Creswell (2008) observed that the problem statement should be stated in the introductory sections of the research
Capella University
Title of the Study
College Persistence: Low Income Single Mother Welfare Recipients
Research Paradigm
The research paradigm that has been adopted for this study is Post-positivism and Critical-Advocacy.
.
Statement of the Problem
This research will explore why a high percentage of graduates from the Life Design for Single Mums’ program are dropping out of higher education and regressing to previous program, give up or joining other community social service programs.
The ‘Life Design for Single Mums’ is a two-track education program designed and structured to provide a high level of workforce literacy education and foundation skills training. As a result, participants may qualify for the jobs available now and compete effectively in the current job market, or the jobs of the future, post higher education.
In recent years colleges and universities have seen significant increase in nontraditional student enrollment. The "non-traditional" label includes a variety of groups of students such as displaced homemakers, empty nesters, blue collar wives, seniors, and single parents (Marlow, 1989). A growing sub-group within the non-traditional student group is low income single mothers (Holliday, 1985). More single mothers are going to college to achieve something much more than minimum wage and welfare. However, the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, legislation barriers and the lack of adequate response by educators to the significant obstacles faced by low income single mothers, may challenge their ability to learn and complete their studies makes it difficult for them to acquire relevant post-secondary education to improve their economic status and raise their children out of poverty (Adair, 2001).
It is vital that a problem statement in a research proposal is presented in context and that it is easily recognizable. Creswell (2008) observed that the problem statement should be stated in the introductory sections of the research
References: Adair, V. (2001). Poverty and the (Broken) Promise of Higher Education. Harvard Educational Review, 71(2), 217-39. Retrieved from ERIC database. Creswell, J. W. (2008). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Holliday, G. (1985). Addressing the Concerns of Returning Women Students. In Evans, N.J. (Ed.), Facilitating the development of women. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. Klein, B., & Rones, P. (1989). A Profile of the Working Poor. Monthly Labor Review, 112(10), 3-13. Retrieved from ERIC database. Lyter, D., Sills, M., Oh, G., & Institute for Women 's Policy Research, W. (2002). Children in Single-Parent Families Living in Poverty Have Fewer Supports after Welfare Reform. IWPR Research in Brief. Retrieved from ERIC database. Marlow, C. (1989). Identifying the Problems and Needs of Non-Traditional Students at Your Institution. NASPA Journal 26(4), 272-277. Polakow, V., Butler, S. S., Stormer Deprez, L. & Kahn, P. (2004). Shut Out: Low Income Mothers and Higher Education in Post-Welfare America. Retrieved Saturday, December 11, 2009 from http://psychcentral.com/news/archives/2004-11/ps-hef113004.html Tinto, Vincent. (1975). Dropouts from Higher Education: A Theoretical Syntheses of Recent Research. Review of Educational Research 45(1): 89-125.