College Student Characteristics and Attitudes about University Summer School Programs.
Eighty-four students at a regional southeastern university completed an anonymous 24-item questionnaire which was developed and designed to assess attitudes and general reasons that students enrolled in summer school at the university. The data showed where students learned about summer school, why they enrolled, if they would enroll in the future and other general summer school related attributes. The data also revealed student attitude about summer school. Demographic data is also included. The results could aid higher education summer school programs achieve goals in regard to enrollment and other university objectives. Implications and further study of the data are suggested. Introduction Higher education summer school programs have grown significantly in the last forty years, yet literature and analysis is quite limited (Fish, 2009). The first summer program started in 1891 (Young, 1988) and subsequently, between 1962 and 1993 summer school programs increased nearly 133% and in 1993 numbered at 3,027 out of 3,800 institutions (Martin, 2003). There are reasons why summer session is offered at more than 3,000 institutions nationwide. One example is that summer school is a major source of additional revenue for colleges and universities (Dev, 2005; Martin, 2003). At the institution where this study was conducted, summer school contributes 36% of summer revenue projections to the university's general fund. In summer 2009, the contribution will exceed 2 million dollars. In addition, individual colleges receive the remaining revenue after all instructional salaries, operating costs, and the general fund contribution is met. Summer school provides faculty the opportunity to earn additional income during the off time, and uses on-campus resources that would otherwise be unoccupied and under-utilized. The minimal research that has been conducted regarding summer enrollment has shown that students who complete their degree in 4-years consistently enroll in summer courses. A study at the University of Virginia (Taylor, 2003) examined early graduates (those who received their degrees in less than 4-years) and the reasons these students enrolled in summer school. Of the 33 respondents to the study, all enrolled in summer courses at some point during their education at either their home institution, or another institution. In addition, all of the respondents indicated that the decision to enroll was due to the potential of graduating early. Summer session is viewed by institutions as an extension of the academic program that affords students several additional opportunities (Kretovics, 2005). Some institutions experience a lack of grant and scholarship funding opportunities for students enrolled in public higher education programs in the summer. This does hinder students financially, but students also recognize that summer school is an opportunity to catch up on credit hours by repeating failed courses, completing courses in their major or minor, taking courses that they were unable to fit in the academic year (Kretovics, 2005), completing elective hours needed for graduation, taking a course with a preferred instructor, or repeating courses. In addition, students are able to focus on one course at a time and there are fewer social activities and athletic events to distract from the academics (Rabinowitz, 2001). Some students select more difficult courses during the summer when they know they will be able to focus on one course at a time, and complete classes that are difficult to schedule during the fall and spring (Dainow, 2001; Taylor, 2003). Purpose The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the study determined the reasons students enroll in summer school. Secondly, the study investigated student's overall attitude about summer school. Much research has been conducted in the consumer behavior literature regarding consumer attitude toward a particular product or service. …