| There are more than 50 million adults in the United States and Canada and one million adults in Virginia without a high school diploma (GED Testing Service, 2001b). The General Educational Development (GED) credential affords these adults an opportunity to formally complete their high school education and can be used as a stepping-stone for further education, training, employment, and/or the military.; This study sought to determine the extent to which a number of factors about the GED candidates were related to pass/fail rates and total composite scores on the General Educational Development (GED) Test. The purpose of the study was twofold: first, to determine if differences in the types of preparation classes students attended were related to differences in GED Test performance and, second, to determine the extent to which the variables of participation in GED preparation classes, age, gender, race, highest grade completed, last year attended “regular school,” reason for not completing high school, hours of class attendance, and purpose for testing, contributed to the variability in GED Test performance.; The results of the study indicated that the type of class attended was related to both passing rate and total composite score. The study also found that the variables of race, gender, purpose for testing, and reason for not completing high school contributed significantly to the variability in GED Test performance.; Recommendations for action and further research are presented. The study's findings might be used to improve GED preparation programs. |
