Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Description
Disadvantaged students often need more than remedial academic
programs in order to succeed in college. They need experiences in
personal-social development that engender self-understanding, self-confidence
and the problem solving skills necessary for adjustment to
the college setting. The purpose of this study was to determine the
status of personal-social development programs for the disadvantaged at
the community-junior college level throughout ·the United States. Three
hundred and thirty-eight community-junior colleges, with full-time equivalent
enrollments of 1,000 students or more, were contacted with a
questionnaire. Eighty-three (approximately thirty-eight per cent) of the 219
colleges responding indicated that they are currently operating such
programs. It appears from the findings of this study that most of these
programs have developed since the 1967-68 academic year. The rate of development of new programs, however, appears to be decreasing. The
major cause for this trend appears to be the additional expenses involved
in providing these programs. The per capita costs were reported to average
nearly seven hundred dollars. It seems apparent that when the social
disturbances that spawned these programs subsided, the majority of colleges
were increasingly reluctant to expend the additional resources necessary
to operate such a program. The study implies that, although most of these colleges are attempting
to provide a variety of personal-social development experiences, little
has been done to evaluate their effectiveness in changing behavior. Personalsocial
development should be measured to determine whether or not these
programs are enhancing the academic achievement and adjustment of the disadvantaged
students. This study provides background information from
existing programs to identify the essential components of personal-social
development programs. Now, evaluation of the effectiveness of these
components seems necessary in order to justify the existence and expansion
of these programs.
programs in order to succeed in college. They need experiences in
personal-social development that engender self-understanding, self-confidence
and the problem solving skills necessary for adjustment to
the college setting. The purpose of this study was to determine the
status of personal-social development programs for the disadvantaged at
the community-junior college level throughout ·the United States. Three
hundred and thirty-eight community-junior colleges, with full-time equivalent
enrollments of 1,000 students or more, were contacted with a
questionnaire. Eighty-three (approximately thirty-eight per cent) of the 219
colleges responding indicated that they are currently operating such
programs. It appears from the findings of this study that most of these
programs have developed since the 1967-68 academic year. The rate of development of new programs, however, appears to be decreasing. The
major cause for this trend appears to be the additional expenses involved
in providing these programs. The per capita costs were reported to average
nearly seven hundred dollars. It seems apparent that when the social
disturbances that spawned these programs subsided, the majority of colleges
were increasingly reluctant to expend the additional resources necessary
to operate such a program. The study implies that, although most of these colleges are attempting
to provide a variety of personal-social development experiences, little
has been done to evaluate their effectiveness in changing behavior. Personalsocial
development should be measured to determine whether or not these
programs are enhancing the academic achievement and adjustment of the disadvantaged
students. This study provides background information from
existing programs to identify the essential components of personal-social
development programs. Now, evaluation of the effectiveness of these
components seems necessary in order to justify the existence and expansion
of these programs.
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