Grassl, Corey Anne. Psychosocial risk factors for noncompletion from a residential vocational academic training program. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T37W6CBJ
DescriptionThe present study aimed to identify psychosocial risk factors for non-completion from a residential vocational and academic training program (RVATP) specifically in young women. The sample studied included 76 female residents aged 16 to 25. Their intake surveys were coded and analyzed. Frequency data indicated that a majority of participants who reported having anger issues, symptoms of anxiety, a history of physical abuse and a history of sexual abuse were prematurely terminated from the RVATP without completing. Correlation analyses and chi-square tests revealed significant associations between the independent variables anxiety symptoms, history of sexual abuse, anger issues, experimentation with substances and the dependent variable, completion status. Regression analyses indicated that anger issues were a significant predictor of noncompletion in participants. There is much research demonstrating the link between poverty status and school dropout. There is a dearth of literature focused specifically on the educational and vocational attainment of females at poverty level. In 1964, under the Economic Opportunity Act, the United States government set up residential vocational and academic training programs (RVATPs). RVATPs are often considered last resorts for students who have failed to obtain their high school diploma due to disciplinary expulsion or dropout from traditional school settings. Based on the present study, young women who endorse anxiety symptoms, anger issues, experimentation with substances, and a history of sexual abuse upon entry to the RVATP are at a greater risk for noncompletion than those who do not endorse such factors. Recommendations include giving these at-risk students priority in being assigned to an RVATP therapist and/or support group, referring students to the smoking cessation group more frequently, and changing RVATP policies that group young at-risk women away from their prosocial peers. School psychologists should be familiar with the research concerning school dropout and what factors specifically place a student at risk.