Date of Award

Spring 2005

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership

First Advisor

Cathy Stockton

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to answer two research questions: (1) Is there a relationship between high school seniors' levels of hope and their postsecondary educational plans? and (2) Is there a relationship between high school seniors' coping efficacy and their postsecondary educational plans? Three hundred and twenty-five students enrolled in English IV classes from seven high schools in three separate school districts in north central Louisiana completed the three survey instruments. Standard descriptive statistics were derived as appropriate for each of the two independent variables and dependent variable. The two independent variables were hope, as measured by the Future Scale, and coping efficacy, as measure by the Coping Efficacy Index. Postsecondary educational expectation for high school seniors was the dependent variable, measured by the Survey of Postsecondary Plans. Educational options included levels of certainty for 4-year college or university, community college, or vocational school, as well as general postsecondary expectations, which was a product of the former three. The two sets of hypotheses were analyzed using the Pearson product-moment correlations. The tests of the hypotheses were performed using the Total Future scores and Overall Coping scores tested against the Survey of Postsecondary Plans. A Pearson correlation determined a statistically significant correlation between Total Future scores and the certainty to attend a 4-year college or university, with greater reported hope associated with greater reported certainty of the subjects' expectations to attend a 4-year college or university. A statistically significant correlation between Overall Coping scores for both general certainty for postsecondary education and for certainty for 4-year college or university was found. In this case, greater coping efficacy was associated with greater certainty for 4-year college or university as well as with greater general certainty for postsecondary education. The overall findings revealed that the two independent variables, hope and coping efficacy, showed significant but modest relationships to the dependent variable, postsecondary educational expectations of high school seniors.

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