Who Drops out and Who Finishes? Admission Criteria and Success in Social Work Studies

Who drops out and who finishes?  Admission criteria and success in Social Work studies

Abstract 

Background: This study explored differences between 389 Israeli students in a Social Work department who finished their studies and 120 students who began, but did not complete their degree. Three groups of variables were compared: demographic variables (gender and age), test scores (on the matriculation and psychometric exams), and assessment of participation in a group interview prior to acceptance.

Method:  This study examined information from 509 people – 429 (84.3%) were women and 79 (15.6%) were men. The mean age of the participants at the beginning of the program was 24.2 years (SD = 4.18). Approximately one quarter of the students (23.6%, N = 120) did not complete their studies in the academic institution where the study was undertaken. We used computerized data from our academic institution concerning candidates who applied for school between the years 2004-2013. Using this data base, we accessed information connected to the three-stage admissions’ process used in our school: (a) Meeting acceptance requirements; (b) Inviting candidates who met the requirements to a group interview; and (c) Coming to a decision about the suitability of the candidate to be admitted to the program, based on the information and the professional opinions of the interviewers.

Hypotheses of the study

1. There will be significant differences between the scholastic achievements and the personal characteristics of the candidates who completed the program and the achievements and characteristics of those students who dropped out.
2. There will be a significant positive correlation between the pre-program achievements and characteristics of the students who finished their degree and their final GPAs.
3. There will be a significant positive correlation between the independent variables, and between the categories of finishing or dropping out of the program.

Results:  Except for gender, there were no significant differences between the students who finished their studies and those who dropped out. Among the students who completed their degree, only women, who received a higher score on the psychometric test, finished their studies with a higher average. Only the men, who had a higher score on their matriculation exams, ended with a higher GPA. The results also showed that, for the men, there was a significant positive correlation between the assessment of their performance on the interview and the final GPA. Furthermore, there were significant correlations between the way the candidates were categorized by the interviewers and the overall assessment they received on this criterion.

Implications: The results of this study add support to previous research that showed that gender, and the scores on the matriculation and psychometric exams, are connected to success in social work programs. In addition, it was found that the pre-acceptance group interview can differentiate between those candidates who will complete their studies and those who will not. These findings can hopefully help social work departments improve the procedures they use in their admissions’ mechanisms.