School/family/work : a mesosystem analysis of factors affecting child care teachers' persistence in community college courses

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Martha J. Buell (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Deborah Cassidy

Abstract: This study assessed factors contributing to child care teachers' commitment to earning a degree and re-enrollment behavior through analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data were collected by means of a survey completed by 125 child care teachers enrolled in at least one community college class and working 15 or more hours in a child care setting. Two of these participant were selected for interviews in order to explore the research questions qualitatively. A model was developed depicting the relationship of school integration, family, and work support on role conflict and goal commitment to earning a degree. The model is based on Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory. According to the model role conflict mediates the relationship between the independent variables and commitment to earning a degree. Path analysis was used to test the model. Role conflict was not predicted by the independent variables, nor did role conflict mediate the relationship between the independent variables and commitment to earning a degree. However, school integration and family support had a direct effect on commitment to earning a degree. For those who reported difficulty in funding education, both integration in college and family support predicted commitment to earning a degree but for those who reported ease in funding education only school integration predicted commitment to earning a degree.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 1996
Subjects
Community college students
Child care workers $x Education
College dropouts

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