negativity and retention
There have been quite a few students nearing the end of their learning at our school that have some how grown a great negativity towards the school. They tend to show this to new students and it grows like wildfire. Everyone needs to work as a team to target these problems early on and to help aid these students with there issues. If this happens, we can enforce a more positive environment for the students and increase retention
It sounds like you know exactly what to do. Try to find out why and resolve. Word of mouth is like fire... hard to get under contol.
L
You are not alone. We also have a group of students that will graduate in a few weeks that have shown negativity toward the school. Many of the issues that they vocalize have no factual basis, nevertheless, the problem exists. I have found that this has stemmed from a few individuals that have negatively impacted the rest of the class. It is easy for classmates to follow suit. In the future, I plan to take a more agressive approach early on to address these students and their issues, legitimate or not. It is not acceptable for a few individuals to disrupt the learning process for their classmates.
Having my students for 3 weeks I am usually successful in turng there negativity around. Unfortunatly, my classes are near graduation. If we can get all instructors on the same page it will make a world of difference
Suggest that you get to the root cause of the negativity. Deal with it straight on. Sometimes it is just a small thing that makes a big difference in retention. Be fast, friendly, and accurate. Students will respect that.
Dr. B
Perfect. Do all you can to control the negativity.
Dr. B
I agree with you, negativity breeds negativity. When I have the opportunity to teach the students first class, I express to them the various types and attitudes of the students already attending. I then ask them to think about the goals they have and then ask them if they would allow others to affect their goals. I ask then to continually remember why they are here and to think about the "real" reputation the school has and the reasons they were attracted to our school.
I find that the negative students did not have their expectations meet. Their recruiter could have done a better job so the student can have realistic expectations; I find that most recruiters like all salesmen embellish to get that student hooked. This is bad!! Tell it like it is and let the program speak for it self .
This is the key. Tell the same story and a truthfull story.
Dr. B
I have also found that the negativity comes from the student failing themselves, but blaming it on the instructor or school.
I agree, Students so often blame their failures on the school or Instructors . I often make a point to explain to them to take a look at themselves to see if they could have increased their effort to be successful.
Sometimes, faculty put learning barriers in the way, though. So, be careful. Do all you can to remove learning barriers. For example, word definitions can be a barrier to mis-understanding.
Dr. B
I agree here, too. Whether they have a legitimate beef or not, the negativity needs to be addressed or it will spread and become systemic. Also, determining the true source of the negativity (their school or private lives) can help us to help them.
In every school there is always a bad seed that infects the group, but the idea is reinforcement of the positives and the challenges those students have overcome to get to graduation. In the end the student would not have made it had it not been for their positive attitude to succeed so the positive attributes should prevail.
You have the right idea. It is not always easy. Sometimes you can turn the negative person into your most loyal student. Not easy, I know.
Dr. B
It really is about making the studetns at the end of their time feel every bit as important as those who are new. I agree most often the ones who are negative are tos whoe feel that their expectations have not been met.
I hear this from my students often. I will usually ask my students how much research they have put in to the career path and what was expected from them by the school. I generally get the answer that the student has not done any of their own research into these topics and I try to turn it into a learning experience for them and teach them that they need to do some research and find these things out for themselves. I then try to spend some time with them and answer their questions about my experiences in my field, so far I have had more positive outcomes than I have had negative.
Interesting. Very important that the educational program is linked to careers.
Dr. B
Using the school or the instructor as the scapegoat for a student not learning or not progressing is a sign of fear or confusion. Many times a student who is not challenged or becomes frustrated due to a lack of understanding or a lack of support whether from the instructor or peers tends to find someone else to blame. The student needs guidance. Many times, if the instructor sits down witht he student at the first sight of disconnect, they can curb the negativity and allow the student to advance at their own pace.
You know, there is another side to this. Often, schools place learning barriers in front of students. Sometimes, they don't know it. Consider removing learning barriers. Just a thought.
Dr. B
