IntroductionThe end of high school represents a time of change for youth as their life goes from being a student in high school to being a college student, vocational student, or a full-time employee. Youth need to be prepared for their academic or vocational life after high school and have a good understanding of their options, whether they plan to go to college or they choose vocational training.

The ProblemCollege success cycles through generations, therefore, developing programs that can assist students in their preparation and understanding of their choices after high school can lead to perpetual long-term educational benefits and success for a community.

The PurposeThe purpose of this project is to evaluate the post-secondary preparatory efforts in a small private high school in the coastal area of South Carolina, utilizing the transtheoretical model stages of change.

The TheoryThe transtheoretical model has received a great deal of attention in areas other than a high school student’s change from high school to life after high school. A fairly large body of literature exists that addresses the transtheoretical model and its use in treatment of an individual (Norcross, Krebs, & Prochaska, 2011). However, there is no known study that utilizes the transtheoretical model of the stages of change to a student changing from high school to life after high school. Therefore, the definitions of each of the stages of change will have to be modified slightly for this study. The following modified definitions were derived from Norcross, Krebs, & Prochaska, (2011).

Guiding Questions1). How do students see the nature of the role mentors play in assisting them in their preparation for life after high school?2). How do students see extra-curricular activities helping them achieve their goals for life after high school?3). How do these 10-11 graders seem to be progressing through the transtheoretical model of the stages of change?

The Model

The Modified Definitions 1) Pre-contemplation is the stage in which there is no intention to change behavior in the foreseeable future. Most students in this stage are unaware or under aware that they should be preparing for life after high school. Teachers, guidance counselors, and mentors however, are often well aware that precontemplators need to begin their preparation for life after high school.

2) Contemplation is the stage in which students are aware that they need to begin to prepare for life after high school and are seriously thinking about beginning, but have not yet made a commitment to take action. Contemplators struggle with their positive evaluations of their daily behavior and the amount of effort, energy, and loss it will cost to overcome.

Mentor

Pre-contemplation

Extra-curricular activities

Contemplation Preparation Action Maintenance

Using the Transtheoretical Model of the Stages of Change as a Progression forStudents to Prepare for Life After High SchoolBy: Christopher HarrisYouth Development Leadership ProgramCollege of Health, Education, and Human Development

Literature Review• It is not enough for a student to say they are

“sure” that they are going to college. Elliott, Sherraden, Johnson, and Guo (2010) found that 61% of second graders and 75% of fourth graders said that they were sure they were going to go to college.

• Some students do not reach their full potential in choosing and attending college even though they are academically qualified (Bedolla, 2010).

• The benchmark for these students should not be attending college, but whether or not they made a choice that was well informed (Roderick et al., 2009; as cited in Bedolla, 2010).

• The value of mentoring has been discussed and shown in various studies (Larson, 2006; Perkins and Caldwell, 2005).

• The people that a high school student surrounds himself or herself with (i.e. extra-curricular activities) can also have an impact in both positive and negative ways (Anderson, Sabateli, and Kosutic, 2007).

A Qualitative Study This is a qualitative study that relies on focus groups to gather data as well as a demographic survey and researcher notes. The focus groups will be grouped by grade. There will be two focus groups. The groups will contain between 6-11 students and will be composed of 10th graders in one group and 11th graders in the other group.

Implications of Findings1. More Effective Preparatory Programs.2. Provide a Framework for Progression to Life

After High School.3. Provide a Basic Time Frame for Preparation.4. Provide a base for a possible Plan For Every

Student (PFES).

Modified Definitions cont.3) Preparation is the stage in which students are intending to take action in the next month and are beginning to investigate the process in small amounts. Although they have made some progress, students in the preparation stage have not reached a criterion for effective action.

4) Action is the stage in which students modify their behavior, experiences, and/or environment to overcome and address their future. Action involves the most overt behavioral changes and requires considerable commitment of time and energy. This could include actively speaking with college admissions, guidance counselors, teachers, and/or mentors. Students are classified in the action stage if they have actively pursued their future plans within the last 30 days.

5) Maintenance is the stage in which students work to have a successful experience after high school. This may be accepting entry into college, looking for a roommate, looking for an apartment, looking for jobs, looking into how to successfully navigate college, considering major of study, etc. This stage can begin with an acceptance letter from a college or even before and continues throughout the first year after high school.

GOALS:Pre-contemplation: Before 9th gradeContemplation: 9th to early 10th gradePreparation: mid10th gradeAction: mid 10th grade to mid 12th grade Maintenance: 12th grade and future

Prepare Act Maintain SucceedContemplate