Date of Award
Spring 2011
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology
First Advisor
Bardwell, Rebecca
Second Advisor
Melchert, Timothy
Third Advisor
Sutkiewicz, Frederick
Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to examine factors that discriminated between high school students who graduated from those who did not. High school graduation was chosen as a discriminating outcome for the comparisons groups due to the positive implications graduation has on students' future professional and emotional development. Data were collected from students enrolled in their fourth year of high school. Specifically, the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) were used to assess students' internalizing and externalizing behaviors as they related to academic achievement. Seventy-eight fourth year high school students agreed to participate in the study. The current study failed to identify predictor variables due to the large discrepancy in the sizes of the two outcome groups. No significant differences were found between the groups with respect to the independent variables. Significant differences were found between gender and graduation outcome. Additionally, differences in grade point average and school attendance were significant between groups. In addition to these statically significant findings, moderate and large effect sizes were identified among the independent variables and high school graduation.