At-Risk Students in an Experiential Education Based Setting: An Examination of Attitudes and Engagement

Term

Summer 8-15-2016

Capstone

Thesis

Degree Name

MAT

Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair

Shelley Orr

Secondary Advisor/Reader One

Bill Zimniewicz

Peer-Reviewer/Reader Two

Val Honey

Abstract

The research question addressed in this study is how does an experiential education-based setting change the attitudes about school and learning of students at-risk for not graduating? It begins by offering the author’s experiences in a traditional education setting juxtaposed by experiential education opportunities. It moves into a review of scholarship surrounding the term “at-risk” and its history, followed by that of experiential education. It marries these two topics together through addressing the needs of at-risk students and the philosophy of experiential education, as conveyed by Dewey and Kolb. The action research takes a mixed-methods approach through interviews, surveys and student data from one unique, urban charter school to interpret how student attitudes have evolved as a result of their participation in an experiential education-based school. It concludes that at-risk students greatly need and desire one-on-one connections with teachers, dynamic classroom environments and hands-on learning opportunities.

Research Methodology

Action Research, Interview, Survey

Keywords

At-risk Students, Charter Schools, Learning Styles, Motivation

Publisher

Hamline University

Source

School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations at Hamline University

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