A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF GRADE 12 EXPLORER

IN 2019-2021 OF BUENAVISTA NATIONAL SCHOOL

AND RETENTION OF COMPARING ONLINE AND
FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

The projected increase of potential postsecondary students and online postsecondary options
provides opportunities for increases in online education programs and electives. In 2023, NCES
reported that over 65% of students in secondary education were participating in online courses.
In a 2007 study, Allen and Seaman estimated only 16% of those enrolled in online education
electives are undergraduate students seeking their first strand, counter to the projected increase in
traditional-age students. The majority of enrollees in online education are junior updating or
advancing their credentials, creating an additional educational market for colleges and
universities seeking to expand enrollment without adding physical space (Allen & Seaman,
2007a).

Background of the study

Researchers attempted to analyze the efficacy of distance education as far back as the 1920s
when correspondence electives were created to meet the need of students not willing to attend a
traditional classroom-based secondary education setting.

Statement of the problem

Research Questions: Roberts (2004) stated research questions guide the study and usually
provide the structure for presenting the results of the research. The research questions guiding
this study were: 3

1. Is there is a statistically significant difference between students’ grades in online classes and
traditional face-to-face classes?
2. Is there a statistically significant difference between elective retention rates in online classes
and traditional face-to-face classes?
3. Is there a statistically significant difference between program retention for students entering
the program enrolled in online classes and students entering the program enrolled in traditional
face-to-face classes?

Significant of the Study

Online education has become an important strategy for the secondary education institution that
was the setting of this study. First, the purpose of the study was to determine if there was a
significant difference between the elective grades of students participating in TA online classes
and their traditional classroom-based counterparts.
Scope and Delimitations
Roberts (2004) defined delimitations as the boundaries of the study that are controlled
principally by the researcher. The delimitations for this study were
1. Only data from 2019 through 2021 from Technology Administration online and face-to-face
courses were utilized.
2. The study was confined to students enrolled at Buenavista National Highschool in the
Technology Administration program.
3. Only grades and retention were analyzed.

Bibliography
The following terms are defined for the purpose of this study: Distance education. Education or
training elective delivered to remote locations via postal delivery, or broadcast by audio, video,
or computer technologies (Allen, 2007). Dropout. A dropout is defined as a student who has left
school and discontinued studies (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 1998). Face-to-face
delivery. This is a elective course that uses no online technology; content is delivered in person,
either in written or oral form (Allen, 2007).

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the background for research into the efficacy of distance education in the
delivery of secondary education. Research studies have focused primarily on grades as a measure
of the quality of distance education electives as compared to traditional face-to-face instruction.
Utilizing grades has produced a dividing line among education researchers concerning the use of
distance education as a delivery model. Retention in distance education has focused primarily on
single courses, with little program retention data available.

Distance Education
Online education became a strategy for postsecondary institutions when the first correspondence
courses were initiated with the mail service in the early 20th century (Russell, 1999). As various
technologies emerged, distance education utilized television and video models, in addition to
paper-based correspondence courses.

Summary Research studies have been conducted analyzing student retention in secondary
education, transfer and retention of students from community junior high to senior high, the
impact of distance education, and student achievement and retention factors related to distance
education. However, no comparative research was identified that compared the achievement and
retention of students participating in an occupationally oriented transfer program utilizing both
online education and traditional classroom-based instruction.
 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference between electives
grades of students enrolled in online Technology Administration elective and their traditional
classroom-based counterparts. The study also examined if there is a significant difference
between classes retention and program retention of students enrolled in online Technology
Administration elective course and their traditional classroom-based counterparts. The
methodology employed to test the research hypotheses is presented in this chapter.

Research Design
A quantitative, quasi-experimental research design was selected to study grades, elective
retention, and program retention in students enrolled in the Technology Administration program.
The design was chosen as a means to determine if significant differences occur between online
and face-to-face students by examining numerical scores from all participants enrolled, and
retention rates in both courses and programs in the Technology Administration program.

Limitations of the Study Roberts (2004) defined the limitations of the study as those features of
the study that may affect the results of the study or the ability to generalize the results. The
limitations of this study included (a) potential for data entry error, (b) curriculum modifications
not reflected in the syllabi made by instructors over the period of the study, (c) behavior of the
instructors during delivery in the two different formats, and (d) 41 rationale of students for
selecting one course delivery method over another. These may affect the generalizability of this
study to other populations. Summary This chapter described the research design, population and
sample, hypotheses, data collection, and analysis used in this research study. Statistical analysis
using twoway analysis of variance and chi-square were used to determine if there are significant
statistical differences in the course grades, course retention, and program retention of students
enrolled in online classes as compared to their face-to face counterparts. The results of this study
are presented in Chapter Four.

CHAPTER FOUR
INTREPRETATION AND ANALYSIS

The study had three main purposes. The first purpose was to determine if there was a difference
in grades between students in online classes and students in traditional face-to-face classes in the
Technology Administration program. In addition, the study was designed to examine the
difference in course retention rates of students in the online classes as compared to the face-to-
face classes. The third part of the study was designed to examine program retention rates of
students who began the program in online classes and students who began the program in
traditional face-to-face classes.
Data Collection
An Institutional Review Board (IRB) form was prepared for Washburn University approval prior
to data collection. The study was designated as an exempt study.

Data Analysis
Data analysis for all hypothesis testing was conducted utilizing SPSS software version 16.0. The
software system provided automated analysis of the statistical measures.

Descriptive Statistics Demographic data for the sample was collected from the student data
system for 2002 through 2009. The descriptive statistics presented below include gender (n =
884), age (n = 880), grades by gender (n = 884) and course selection online or face-to-face by
gender (n = 884).

CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction In the preceding chapter, the results of the analysis were reported. Chapter Five
consists of the summary of the study, an overview of the problem, purpose statement and
research questions, review of the methodology, major findings, and findings related to the
literature. Chapter Five also contains implications for further action and recommendations for
further research. The purpose of the latter sections is to expand on the research into distance
education, including implications for expansion of course and program delivery and future
research. Finally, a summary is offered to capture the scope and substance of what has been
offered in the research.

Study Summary
Online delivery of education has become an important strategy for the institution that is the
setting of this study. The purpose of this study was three-fold. The first purpose of the study was
to determine if there was a significant difference between the course grades of students
participating in TA online elective courses and their traditional classroom-based counterparts.

Findings Related to the Literature Online education has become a strategy for secondary
education to provide instruction to students limited by distance or time, or who, for other
reasons, do not wish to attend traditional classroom-based university classes. Additionally, online
education allows secondary education institutions to expand their geographic base.

Conclusions
The use of distance education for postsecondary instruction, primarily in the form of the Internet,
has both changed and challenged the views of traditional senior high-based instruction. Multiple
studies have been designed in an effort to examine whether online students have the same level
of academic achievement as their traditional higher education peers

REFERENCES
Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2003). Seizing the opportunity: The quality and extent of online
education in the United States, 2002 and 2003. Needham, MA: The Sloan Consortium. Allen, I.
E., & Seaman, J. (2005). Growing by degrees: Online education in the United States, 2005.
Needham, MA: The Sloan Consortium. Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2007a).