Research

WhyTry Inc. is committed to on-going research into the efficacy of the WhyTry Program, and to applying that research to the development and enhancement of the Program. WhyTry encourages all professionals using the Program to track their outcomes and share their results here and in professional publications.

Alpine School District Longitudinal Study December, 2003

The data summarized is based on 114 students who completed WhyTry Program at Pleasant Grove High School starting with the first WhyTry class in August, 2000. The control group consists of 88 students selected with the same academic and attendance profile as the WhyTry students at the start of each class. Both groups have been tracked since the WhyTry class was completed, for up to 12 terms.

	Students who completed the WhyTry Program showed a significant improvement in GPA, completing their high school careers with GPA’s 0.62 points higher than the control group.
	Students who completed the WhyTry Program had fewer absences than the control group, both cumulatively, and on average.
	Students who completed the WhyTry Program exhibited a significant reduction in failed courses as compared to the control group.
	The WhyTry students and the control group were drawn from the same pool of at-risk students. At the end of their high school careers, the WhyTry participants were 3 times more likely to graduate than the control group.
Summary The WhyTry Program appears to have a positive effect on academic performance, attendance and graduation. This is consistent with other research projects studying the effects of the WhyTry Program. The effects of the WhyTry Program also appear to increase over time. More longitudinal data will be forthcoming as these students continue their high school careers.
Los Angeles County Office of Education October, 2003 This study was conducted by Glade D. Eggett, a doctoral candidate at Nova Southeastern University, working for the Division of Alternative Education of the Los Angeles Office of Education. Glade studied the effects of the WhyTry on the behavior of students in an alternative high school. The study consisted of a class of primarily African American and Latin American students, with a control group with the same demographics in the same school. Students were taught the WhyTry Program for two hours in each academic day for one term. Behavior was tracked weekly and compared to the control group. After one semester, Glade concluded: “Using a program called WhyTry…Students who participated in the program were more likely to have less attendance problems, lower negative attitude toward teachers and school, and a higher locus of control indicating they…were more personally responsible for their behavior. Teachers rated a significant improvement in motivational attributes.”
Granite School District September, 2003 A study was conducted by Spectrum Consulting for the Granite School District in Utah. Dr. Eric J. Gee, Director of Research and Evaluation, reported the results to the school district. Rather than studying behaviors, this study focused on students understanding and insight into their behaviors. Dr. Gee concluded that students participating in the WhyTry Program reported significantly improved understanding of key social and emotional principles, including self-motivation, consequences, peer pressure, and obeying laws and rules. “Analysis of the responses found statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups for all questions. This would suggest that students in the control group did indeed feel they had gained more knowledge regarding some of the information presented in the WhyTry Program. Given the control group comparisons, we can attribute this change in knowledge to the WhyTry Program,” wrote Dr. Gee.