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Abstract
Guidance for improving retention rates in physical therapy programs has been lacking in the academic and professional literature, although decreases in retention have negative implications for colleges and universities in terms of program accreditation as well as the academic and financial consequences for students who enter this field of study. Past and present remediation efforts for students facing academic challenges in physical therapy programs have included mentoring and tutoring by faculty and peers/fellow students, computer-based learning, and other technology-based academic support. The purpose of this study is to utilize focus group discussions to identify physical therapy student beliefs in regards to tutoring and effective retention strategies during the first year of a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program. We believe that DPT student focus groups will provide consensus on the most appropriate retention strategies for students in the first year of a DPT Program.
Introduction
Admission requirements for graduate level allied health programs are created to evaluate the student's ability to handle the rigors of post-graduate education. Despite successfully navigating through a competitive admissions process, 6 - 15% of all health profession students experience academic difficulties, and these percentages are increasing (Frellsen et al. 2008; Maize et al. 2010).
Poor academic performance and scholastic failure can result in student dismissal from professional programs. Dismissal from graduate level programs decreases graduation rates for colleges and universities and increases the expenditures and debt for students (Maize et al. 2010). The annual American College Testing institutional data questionnaire reported that retention rates for students in masters or professional health programs varied from 70-76% (Johnson et al. 2009), and 45.8% of students working towards a doctoral degree accumulate a total of 57,860 dollars of debt. Students who do not successfully complete a master or doctoral program face the loss of their monetary investment without return (American Student Assistance 2012).
Researchers have investigated different types of remediation strategies to improve retention and improve student academic performance. The term 'remediation' is defined as an act of providing a remedy to a problem or a process to correct an academic fault or deficiency (Maize et al. 2010). Current research has primarily focused on two remediation strategies. The first approach is peerteaching instruction. Peer teaching involves students taking an instructional...