Abstract
PURPOSE. The purpose of this study was to examine current JROTC program data in regard to student attendance, discipline, and academic achievement. In addition, socioeconomic data were examined. Finally, a comparison between JROTC and non-JROTC students was drawn.METHODOLOGY. This quantitative study used descriptive and causal-comparative ex post facto research to collect, analyze, and report data to examine JROTC impact on high school students on 9th-grade JROTC and non-JROTC students for the 2017-2018 academic year. The population was taken from four secondary schools in a Southern California high school district. Secondary data from Aries Student Information System (Aries SIS) were collected and analyzed for both groups to answer 11 research questions.FINDINGS. JROTC socioeconomic students had significantly higher attendance rates than non-JROTC socioeconomic students (between 2 to 3 times higher attendance averages in gender and Hispanic ethnicity researched in this study). However, only non-Hispanic JROTC students had worse attendance records than non-Hispanic, non-JROTC students. Next, discipline and academic achievement rates showed no statistical significance for all JROTC and non-JROTC students. Third, a new discovery identified that AFROTC (Air Force) sustained the lowest discipline incidents and NJROTC (Navy) reported the highest discipline issues among all three JROTC Services (Air Force, Army, and Navy). Fourth, non-JROTC student data showed a direct relationship with the lower number of discipline incidents predicting higher academic performance (GPA). Contrariwise, discipline incidents for JROTC students had no significant impact on academic achievement GPA. However, attendance (tardy, unexcused absences, and total incidents) for JROTC students had a positive relationship and direct correlation to higher academic achievement. Data identified that the better a JROTC student's attendance, the higher his or her academic achievement GPA outcome. Finally, discipline incidents had no significant relationship with JROTC students' academic achievement. Yet, for non-JROTC students, increased discipline incidents directly correlated to a significantly negative impact on academic achievement.CONCLUSIONS. Five conclusions on the three variables of this study correlated with the literature reviewed/documented by the researcher. See conclusions on pages 119-123.RECOMMENDATIONS. The author provides 10 recommendations for replication and new quantitative and qualitative studies in California and through the United States that will add to this body of research on JROTC success.