The Impact of a Summer Bridge Program on Nontraditional Student Development: Teacher Care Matters |
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| Authors: | Leah D. Hoops Lindsay Kutrybala |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Dennis Learning Center, The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio, USAhoops.25@osu.edu;3. Graduate School of Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA |
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| Abstract: | Summer bridge programs (SBPs) improve the likelihood that students will succeed in postsecondary education. The majority of SBP research has focused on programs designed for underprepared high school graduates rather than nontraditional populations (i.e., older, [General Education Diploma] GED-holders, parents, etc.). This study sought to address this literature gap by taking a qualitative approach to discover how nontraditional students felt they had developed, both academically and personally, during their respective experiences with a technical and vocational SBP. Results showed that students reported growing personally and affectively (64%) more than academically (36%), and they attributed the majority of growth to instructors (77%) rather than program content (23%). Findings are discussed in terms of SBP curriculum and instructional practices that may promote nontraditional students’ college preparation and persistence to award attainment. |
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