How all-girls high school experience affects college freshman social interactions

¶ … Girls' High School Experience on Entering a Co-Educational College

Proposed Qualitative Research Project

Qualitative research, unlike quantitative, is an investigative research activity that studies societal and/or cultural events, psychological, educational, or sociological phenomenon, or historical and philosophical trends that are described, not on the basis of numerical data, rather seeking to uncover and give meaning to events that are interpreted from the participants' perspective. As such qualitative research attempts to determine the tenor and characteristics of a particular group of people. Most often the approach to a qualitative research activity is phenomenological in design wherein the research investigator attempts to determine the significance of the phenomenon being investigated through a determination of the structure and essence of the experiences of a group of individuals. It is from this perspective that the present research activity is being proposed, namely to investigate, from the participant point-of-view, the changes that might or might not have take place when individuals leave a same sex high school (female) and enter a coeducational college.

Background. For today's youth the possibility of traveling to the far corners of the world by the click of a "mouse" may well broaden one's experiences and add to the learning paradigm. However, absent in our mega technological world are events and individual actions that cannot be explained by computer facilitation. What Rene Descartes stated centuries ago, "Cogito Ergo Sum," I think, therefore I am" has given way to my computer thinks, therefore I am. Unfortunately, the explosion of technology has created a world of quantification, a world fast becoming absent human interrelatedness and expression, and a world void of human voice. Today a graduating high school student can sit in front of a computer and escape into a world of virtual reality, avoid the sharing of all emotions if desired, and enter a chosen college without even having personal contact with an environment that will shape and form their life forever. The extent to which this last tenet is singularly important is with respect to female students coming from a single-sex high school and enters a co-educational college - an almost bipolar situation.

Having participant access for the situation cited above this research investigator is determined to shed light upon the issue by way of seeing how, if at all, coming from an all girls' high school setting would affect them as they enter a co-educational college environment. The research study is phenomenological in design by way of case study and focus group composition.

Problem Statement. Knowing that coming from varied environment an individual can often encounter frustration, bewilderment, anxiety, and even failure when entering a new environment, the problem of value, experience, and expectation transfer is, and can be, a problem for the transferee. Within this scenario it is important therefore to explain and give reason to the possibility that female high school students coming from a single sex high school and entering a coeducational college might possibly run into social adjustment problems.

Research Question. On the basis of the problem cited above the following research question is being presented: To what extent will an all girls' school high school education impact upon a female student's social interactions in the freshman year at a co-educational college. Secondary main effect questions are presented below:

What are the most salient differences between social interactions at the high school level vs. freshman college level?

Are the social settings different between the high school and college environments?

What would be good advise to a female coming from an all girl's high school and entering a co-educational college with respect to social adjustment?

Are their expressed differences with respect to freshman college classroom interaction between those coming from an all girls' high school and those who do not?

What are some of the most memorable, positive and/or negative, classroom incidents during the freshman year at college?

Are their differences in classroom interactions between high school situations and freshman college classroom situations?

What sound advice should an incoming freshman student coming from an all girls' high school be given?

Sample Rationale. In order to shed some preliminary light on the problem being investigated two female freshman students having come from an all girls' school high school environment were selected for observation and interviewing. On the basis of the data retrieved from this preliminary step the research investigator will form a focus group of 10 similar situational freshman students for an in-depth qualitative assessment and analysis. The interview questions and observation format used for the preliminary sample will be applied to the focus group as well. As such compliance to the principle of standardization of data being retrieved will be maintained as well as its integrity.

Guiding Interview Questions. The uniqueness of qualitative research endeavors lies in the accepted principle that interviews can be expanded upon so long as the bottom line intent remains the same, namely uniform data in support of the research question. In order to garner the necessary information from the two (2) sample and the focus group participants the following sample questions will be presented:

How large was your all girls' high school?

How large is your co-educational college?

What was the general size of your high school classes?

What is the general size of your freshman college students?

Do you have any college classes that are all female?

Do you reside in a co-educational dormitory or all female dormitory?

Do you reside off campus and share housing with other females?

Did you date in high school?

Are you dating in college?

Did you have many friends in high school?

Do you have many friends in college?

Of you high school friends were any of them males?

Of you college friends are many of them males?

Did you date in high school?

Are you dating in college?

Was your first friend in college male of female?

When offered a choice in college between a male instructor and female instructor for the same class which one are you likely to choose?

In college do you usually seek out social activities that are male and female or mostly female?

In college do you attend sports activities?

Do you belong to a sorority in college?