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Human Capital Thesis

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Human capital refers to growing the economy through education (Spring, 2014), and this is the basis for the founding of Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College (OCTC) located in Orangeburg, South Carolina. OCTC’s (2015) mission statement fosters economic development for the region, and the economy is the driving force for the curricula offered at the College. Also, the College’s prescribed measures of success are enrollment, number of graduates, job placement, and the retention rate (SC Technical College System, 2015). As an instructor of introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, retention is the primary indicator of my success. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2016), the retention rate for OCTC is only 34%. Thus, the retention rate is an area where improvement is needed. In an effort to improve the retention rate of first-year STEM students at OCTC, I reflect on the College’s hidden curriculum, defined by Schramm-Pate (2016) as “what is taught in school that is not overtly claimed to be taught” (p. 3), and its impact on retention. …show more content…

This vocational training is characterized as Essentialism (Schramm-Pate, 2015) which perpetuates paternalistic education (Sidorkin, 2008) at OCTC. Sidorkin (2008) defines paternalistic manipulation (Freire, 1970) as the will of the instructor overriding the will of the student, and this also describes the STEM classroom experience at OCTC. When the STEM instructors implement classroom protocols and plan assignments, there are no discussions about or considerations given for the first-year students’ interests by the instructors. Thereby, continuing the perception of students as docile subordinates whose thoughts and ideas are not valued in the classroom or in society at large (Quantz & Magolda,

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