What Factors Contribute to a Successful Computer-Based After-School Dissertation

What Factors Contribute to a Successful Computer-Based After-School Programm for At-Risk Children in an Urban Middle School - Dissertation Example The scope of this work is focused on whether the participation in an after-school program is beneficial to at-risk middle school students. This topic is important because there is a need for increasing the amount of time in which students are involved in educational activities beyond the regular school day. In these days of increased budget constraints any program that is competing for funding will have to be able to prove its efficacy. Having data to support the impact on academics of at-risk students will be beneficial to the program which requires funding, the entity which will supply the funding, and the students themselves as they will be able to determine if their time and/or money will be well-spent. This was a research project using interviews and reviews of academic progress reports/report cards. These methods allowed the researcher to not only establish a baseline as far as the students’ grades are concerned but allowed for a look at the students’ points-of-vi ew of the program. The interviews took place at a middle school. The findings show that participation in the after-school program led to improvements in academic performance in math. However, there were also several additional benefits as a result of the participation in terms of feelings, attitudes and behavior. ... I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my parents, Theodore and Patricia Wilson for their encouragement and support in what has turned out to be one of my greatest journeys. Without the additional support and understanding of my family and friends, this dissertation would not be in existence. Acknowledgements I would like to express my appreciativeness to my committee chair and mentor, Dr. E. Alana James, for her constant inspiration, feedback, and reinforcement. Thank you to Dr. Camilla Ferebee and Dr. Thea Williams for serving stupendously as my dissertation committee members. Their valued suggestions and knowledge have guided me through this wonderful three year journey. Table of Contents Abstract II Dedication III Acknowledgements IV Table of Contents IV Chapter I: Introduction of the Study 1 Background of the Study 1 Problem Statement 2 Purpose of the Study 3 Research Questions 3 Early Signs of Need of Extended Day Learning 4 Key Terms 4 Assumptions, Limitations, Scope, a nd Delimitations 5 Assumptions of the Study 5 Limitations of the Study 5 Scope of the Study 5 Delimitations of the Study 6 Significance of the Study 6 Summary 6 Chapter II: Review of the Literature 7 Introduction 7 History of After-school Programs 7 No Child Left Behind 10 Federal Role of Out-of-School Learning 12 At-Risk Students 14 Computer Usage in After-school Programs 15 Attendance and Academic Success 17 Benefits of Math After-School Programs 18 Summary 18 Chapter III: Methodology 20 Introduction 20 Research Questions and Hypotheses 20 Research Questions 20 Hypotheses 21 Background and Purpose 21 Methodological Design 22 Participants 24 Data Collection and Analysis 24 Consent and Confidentiality 26 Assumptions and Limitations 26 Summary 27 Chapter IV: Results 27