The Perceptions of High School Honor Students on the Academic Skills Needed to Succeed in College Science Classes

Abstract

High school honor graduates at a rural high school in the Southeastern United States of America have not been as prepared for science classes at the college level as their teachers expected. At the study site, which is located in one rural high school, honor graduates have been struggling with their freshman college science classes although these students were honors students in their high school science classes. The purpose of this study was to understand how well prepared high school honor graduates felt upon entering college. This qualitative case study was grounded in the brain-based theory of Caine and Caine with regard to honor high school students entering college. The research question focused what teachers and administrators can do to more effectively prepare honor students for college science classes. Twenty high school honor students participated in semi-structured face-to-face interviews, and a predominant theme was identified through coding of the interview transcripts by case and research question. The findings revealed what skill sets were most important for success in college.