Motivation for Educational Attainment in Grade 9 Predicts High School Completion

The Motivation for Educational Attainment (MEA) questionnaire, developed to assess facets related to early adolescents’ motivation to complete high school, has a bifactor structure with a large general factor and three smaller orthogonal specific factors (teacher expectations, peer aspirations, value of education). This prospective validity study investigated the utility of each factor in predicting high school dropout or completion of a general education development (GED) certificate versus completion of a high school degree. Participants were 474 (55.1% male) ethnically diverse students who were originally recruited into a larger longitudinal study in Grade 1 on the basis of academic risk. Fourteen years later, 373 had obtained a high school diploma, 15 had obtained a GED, and 86 had dropped out of high school. During their first year of Grade 9, participants were administered the MEA. Using multinomial logistic regression with high school graduation as the reference outcome and controlling for Grade 9 letter grades, reading and math test scores, gender, and ethnic/racial group status, scores on the latent general factor and the latent peer aspirations factor predicted high school dropout versus high school graduation status. Neither the general factor nor any of the three specific factors predicted GED completion versus high school graduation. Ethnicity, but not gender, moderated the associations between scores on the general factor and high school graduation versus dropout.     

An Analysis of Primary School Dropout Patterns in Honduras

This study hypothesized that repeating a grade is one reason why Honduran primary students drop out of school but not the main reason. Using longitudinal data, we analyzed student enrollment patterns up until students left school. The results revealed that many students dropped out suddenly without having previously repeated a grade, although many dropouts had also repeated a grade at some point, and repeating a grade experience was not among the most frequently appearing dropout patterns in any of the completed grades. The findings indicated that low expectations of education and the need to enter the labor market were causes of immediate dropout.     

Revisiting primary school dropout in rural Cambodia

Previous studies on school dropout in Cambodia often used data from subjects after they already dropped out or statistics from education-related institutions. Using data from children in two rural provinces before they dropped out, this study examines four main factors in order to identify their influence on primary school dropout in Cambodia. Results from logistic regression analysis revealed that some predictors on individual, family, and school factors were found to be statistically significant to predict the odds of dropout in both grades 1 and 5, whereas poverty and child labor could not be detected, though they have been frequently cited as major predictors in the literature of school dropout in Cambodia as well as developing countries.     

Book review of Amazing Grace

Students who are at risk of dropping out of school can be identified retrospectively as early as third grade on the basis of attendance patterns, academic performance, and behavior. Check &; Connect is a model designed to promote student engagement, support regular attendance, and improve the likelihood of school completion. The program has been used successfully with students attending middle school and high school, with and without disabilities, and in suburban and urban settings. An overview of Check &; Connect, key components of the model, and an application of the model implemented with students who were referred for excessive attendance problems during elementary school years are described. Results from an evaluation of its effectiveness with students who received intervention for at least 2 years (n = 147) showed increased levels of student participation as evidenced by significant increases in the percentage of students whose absences or tardies dropped to or below 5% of the time. In addition, over 90% of the school staff (n = 123) perceived students were showing increased levels of engagement and 87% of school staff reported parents were more supportive of their child's education. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed in light of rigorous criteria used to examine the effectiveness of social programs. In addition, directions for future research are proposed.     

A follow-along study of postsecondary outcomes for graduates and dropouts with mild disabilities in a rural setting.

Eighty-six students with mild disabilities living in a rural area who had graduated (n = 52) or dropped out of (n = 34) high school were interviewed at two points in time (7 months apart) about their employment, residential status, and participation in postsecondary education and training programs. Information was also collected on students' high school experiences (educational, vocational, and work) and the reasons they dropped out of school. Of the students who had graduated (Caucasian = 26, black = 25, and other = 1), 31 were male and 21 were female. Of the students who had dropped out (Caucasian = 18, black = 15, and other = 1), 22 were male and 12 female. It was found that the majority of graduates and dropouts were employed full-time at both interviews, and held jobs that paid above minimum wage and provided employee benefits, as well. Nevertheless, by the time of the terminal interview, graduates had worked proportionally more time since high school than dropouts and had been employed in their current job more than twice as long. Neither group of former special education students was particularly active in pursuing postsecondary education or training programs. Finally, these former students had participated in a limited range of educational and vocational experiences during high school, both in terms of diploma tracks and vocational education programs. The implications of the findings for long-term employment and community adjustment are discussed.     

The identification of high-school dropouts identified as learning disabled: evaluating the utility of a discriminant analysis function.

This study examined the utility of a linear discriminant function to distinguish between students identified as learning disabled (LD) who had either been released from high school under codes suggestive of school dropout (n = 213) or graduation (n = 92). The discriminant function was comprised of six variables--student ethnicity, reading ability, family intactness, family socioeconomic status, school transfers, and school-initiated interruptions. The analysis determined that differences between the LD dropout sample and LD graduate sample were sufficient to allow for a discrimination between the groups. On the basis of group differences the discriminant function that was constructed correctly classified 83% of the school dropouts and 46% of the school graduates, for an overall 73% accuracy rate. Those factors contributing most to the function were the number of district-initiated interruptions, school transfers, and family intactness. Based on the findings, implications for school districts and future research are noted.     

Comparing dropout predictors for two state-level panels using Grade 6 and Grade 8 data

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of dropout predictors across time. Two state-level high school graduation panels were selected to begin with the seventh and ninth grades but end at the same time. The first panel (seventh grade) contained 29,554 students and used sixth grade predictors. The second panel (ninth grade) included 31,641 students and used eighth grade predictors. The predictors studied were age, poverty, attendance, gender, and standardized test scores. The data were analyzed using logistic regression. All variables were predictors of dropping out of high school. Age and poverty proved to be the most effective at discriminating between dropouts and graduates within each panel. Age became more effective with time. Attendance and test scores were stable indicators between panels. Gender predicted dropouts for only the ninth grade panel. Eighth graders that were female were approximately 22% less likely to drop out.     

Gender effects for student perception of the classroom psychosocial environment

A future shortage of science teachers has been predicted, and since women are presently underrepresented in the sciences, they are a good potential source for future science teachers. Unfortunately women appear to become less interested in science as they continue in school. Because the classroom psychosocial environment has been shown to be related to learning outcomes, it may contribute to women's lack of interest in sciences. This study compared the classroom environments perceived by fourth grade, seventh grade and high school boys and girls in classes taught by males and females to determine if any perceptual differences existed. The three, two factor MANOVAS (teacher gender by student gender) showed no differences for fourth grade students, one for seventh grade students and three for high school students. The seventh grade boys and girls perceived classes taught by females as having more friction than classes taught by males and high school boys and girls perceived classes taught by females as being more difficult than classes taught by males. Further, for the high school students it appears that classes are perceived more favorably when the opposite genders are combined. These perceptual differences combined with role modeling may contribute to the lack of women in science. More research is necessary to determine causal relationships.     

Book review of Encyclopedia of African-American Education

This study was designed to investigate changes in personal attributes of high-school dropout students between 8th grade and 12th grade. Students who participated in 3 waves of data collection in the "National Educational Longitudinal Study: 1988-1994" in the 8th, 10th, and 12th grades, but who dropped out before completing high school, were identified. Scales were developed on rational and empirical grounds that measured the following personal attributes: academic performance, relationships with teachers, relationships with peers, perceptions of school, participation in school activities, motivation for school work, effort expended in school work, self-esteem, and locus of control. Longitudinal comparisons in the personal attributes showed a gradually deteriorating process. Except in academic performance, the students scored at the national average in eighth grade. However, their academic performance, relationship with teachers, perception of school, motivation in school work, and participation in school activities were significantly below the national average in the 10th and 12th grades. The study showed a developmental pattern of the personal attributes of dropout students and identified that the transition to high school is a critical yet neglected time when interventions should be provided.     

The relationship of school strain to school functioning and self-worth among urban African American early adolescents

Fitting the environment of a school to the developmental needs of early adolescents is particularly important for inner-city African American students who tend to drop out of school in large numbers. The present study examined the person-environment fit in terms of the relation of school strain to self-worth and three indicators of school functioning—scholastic competence, intrinsic motivation, and grade point average—among 102 subjects enrolled in an academic intervention program. Results showed a consistent relation of peer strain to self-worth during the Fall and Spring and strong relations in the Spring of strain associated with teacher relations and school demands to scholastic competence and intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, strain increased during the year, and males experienced greater peer strain than did females. Results are discussed in light of previous research on effective middle schools and the developmental needs of urban African American early adolescents. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Typology of school dropout: The dimensions and dynamics of dropout in Ghana

This paper explores the dropout experience of children who dropped out of schools located in two rural communities¹ in the Central Region of Ghana. The main research question sought to explore the meaning and types of drop out founded on the views of children who had dropped out of school. The study tracked 18 children aged 7–17 years. Snowball sampling was employed to identify participants of the study. Data was collected from children and significant others² using in-depth interviews. Using CREATE's analytical framework of zones of exclusion, this paper identify five type of school dropouts and argues that policies to prevent dropout and encourage drop-in requires specific rather than general targeting.     

Effect of Students' After-School Activities on Teachers' Academic Expectancies

Teacher expectancies can have an impact on students' academic achievement. These expectancies can be based on diverse student characteristics, only one of which is past academic performance. The present study investigated three student individual differences that teachers may use when forming academic expectancies: the sex of the student, the family socioeconomic status (SES) of the student, and the student's after-school activities. Results indicated teachers held higher grade, graduation, and college attendance expectancies for females than for males and for middle-SES than low-SES students. Also, students who participated in extracurricular activities were expected to achieve more academically than either students who were employed after school or who did nothing after school. The latter two groups did not elicit different teacher expectancies. Interactions revealed that (a) lowest expectations were held for low-SES males who did nothing after school and (b) the difference in graduation expectancies between the SES groups was only half as great for students who took part in extracurricular activities than it was for students who had no involvements after school or who had jobs. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Verbal counting skill predicts later math performance and difficulties in middle school

This study examined the role of verbal counting skill as an early predictor of math performance and difficulties (at or below −1.5 standard deviation in basic math skills) in middle school. The role of fourth-grade level arithmetical skills (i.e., calculation fluency, multi-digit arithmetic i.e. procedural calculation, and word problem solving) as mediators was also investigated. The participants included 207 children in central Finland who were studied from kindergarten to the seventh grade. Path modeling showed that verbal counting in kindergarten is a strong predictor for basic math performance in seventh grade, explaining even 52% of the variance in these skills after controlling for the mothers’ education levels. This association between early verbal counting skill and basic math performance was partly mediated through fourth-grade procedural calculation and word problem solving skills. Furthermore, verbal counting had an unique predictive relation to middle school math performance above and beyond the basic arithmetical and problem solving skills in fourth grade. Poor kindergarten verbal counting skill was a significant indicator for later difficulties in mathematics.     

When Dropping Out is Not a Permanent High School Outcome: Student Characteristics,Motivations, and Reenrollment Challenges

The customary perception is that students who drop out vanish from school enrollment rosters for good. This is an incomplete picture of the complex dropout story; dropping out is not necessarily a permanent high school outcome. Following the enrollment and course history of a district cohort of first-time 9th graders, this article documents the cohort's dropout, reenrollment, and graduation outcomes. One-third of dropouts reenrolled in district high schools, and older students and students behind in course credits were less likely to reenroll than other dropouts. Interviews with district administrators, high school principals, and reenrollees examined student motivations for reenrolling and challenges districts face when dropouts reenroll. Dropouts return primarily because of limited employment opportunities and efforts of school leaders to facilitate their return. Yet reenrollment created district challenges related to funding, accountability, and getting students who had dropped out on track to graduate.     

Dropping out: Why are students leaving junior high in China's poor rural areas?

Despite requirements of and support for universal education up to grade 9, there are concerning reports that poor rural areas in China suffer from high and maybe even rising dropout rates. Although aggregated statistics from the Ministry of Education show almost universal compliance with the 9-year compulsory education law, there have been few independent, survey-based studies regarding dropout rates in China. Between 2009 and 2010 we surveyed over 7800 grade 7, 8, and 9 students from 46 randomly selected junior high schools in four counties in two provinces in North and Northwest China to measure the dropout rate. We also used the survey data to examine factors correlated with dropping out, such as the opportunity cost of going to school, household poverty, and poor academic performance. According to the study's findings, drop out rates between grade 7 and grade 8 reached 5.7% and dropout rates between grade 8 and grade 9 reached 9.0%. In sum, among the total number of students attending junior high school during the first month of the first term of grade 7, 14.2% had left school by the first month of grade 9. Dropout rates were even higher for students that were older, from poorer families (and families in which the parents were not healthy), or were performing more poorly academically. We conclude that although the government's policy of reducing tuition and fees for junior high students may be necessary, it is not sufficient to solve the dropout problem.     

Effect of Mother's Employment Status on Adolescents' Self Perceptions and Academic Performance

Existing research has not as yet demonstrated that mother's employment per se has consistent effects on adolescent perceptions and academic performance. Recent investigations have focused on the effect of mother's employment and occupational status on adolescents self assessments and school outcomes in intact families. In addition, the effect of father's occupational status on adolescent perceptions and achievements was assessed. A sample of 1675 year students (896 males and 779 females) served as subjects for this investigation.

The major results were that mother's employment outside the home was associated with low preference for science subjects among males while for females, mother's employment status was associated with high preference for mathematics subjects and a favourable attitude to doing well in school. In addition, the occupational status of mothers who did work was related to the amount of control male adolescents felt they had over events affecting their lives: boys with mothers employed in low‐status occupations tended to have more external control orientations than those with mothers employed in high‐status occupations. Also, males with mothers in low‐status occupations had lower preferences for mathematics subjects than males whose mothers were employed in high‐status occupations. However, no variables were entered into the predictive model of mother's occupational status for the female sample. Father's occupational status was also found to be associated with a number of adolescent's perceptions. Implications of these results for research into the effects of mother's employment status and mother's and father's occupational status for adolescent perceptions and performance were discussed.     

A Technique for the Construction of a Teacher-Training Curriculum

ABSTRACT

Historically, students who fail to graduate from secondary school are considered as a single category of school dropouts. However, emerging literature indicates that there may be multiple subgroups of high school dropouts, termed a dropout typology. The authors’ purpose was to assess the extent to which a typology of dropouts was present in a large national dataset and to estimate the influence of the known covariates of dropping out on each of the subgroups. A growth mixture model was estimated using the Education Longitudinal Study 2002 (National Center for Education Statistics, n.d.) dataset and noncumulative grade point average during the first 3 semesters of high school. The model identified 2 main subgroups associated with dropping out, which accounted for 24.6% of the sample but contained 91.8% of the dropouts.     

EQUITY IN MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE OUTCOMES: CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH AND LOW ACHIEVEMENT ON PISA 2006 IN IRELAND

Equity in education is a key concern internationally; however, it is rare that this issue is examined separately for low- and high-achieving students and concurrently across different subject domains. This study examines student and school background characteristics associated with low and high achievement in mathematics and science on the Programme for International Student Assessment. Based on the results of a multilevel multinomial model of achievement for each domain, findings indicate that a greater number of the variables examined are associated with low rather than high achievement. At student level, home language, intention to leave school early, socioeconomic status, grade level, cultural capital, and books in the home are significantly associated with achievement in mathematics and science. At school level, only school average socioeconomic status is statistically significant in the models. Significant gender differences are found in the distribution of high and low achievers, which vary across the domains. In mathematics, females are more likely to be low achievers while males are more likely to be high achievers. In science, gender interacts with early school-leaving intent whereas males intending to leave school early are more likely to be in the low-achieving group than females intending to leave early. Conclusions emphasise the need for targeting resources aimed at promoting equity in outcomes at student level as well as at school level. Future work may extend the current analyses by incorporating domain-specific variables or examining cross-country differences.     

HIGH ABILITY STUDENTS WHO DROP OUT FROM BRITISH UNIVERSITIES

During the last thirty years the annual dropout rate from universities in Britain has been fairly constant at around 14 percent In 1990 the financial cost of this carnage was estimated at £ 60,000,000. This study was concerned with 204 highly able students — as measured by school examination successes – who dropped out of universities by the end of the first year of study. Very few did so because the work was too difficult. Despite 45 percent saying they had left “because University did not suit them,” starting again in a new university was a common feature. The students were very unaware of the stress factors associated with leaving home to start life in a new community, and usually did not seem to have counselling support to overcome this early hurdle. Evidence from other studies suggests that the nonresponders were probably less successful in mending their lives than the responders.     

Being Black, Male, and Gifted in Miami: Prevalence and Predictors of Placement in Elementary School Gifted Education Programs

Although it is well established that Black male students are underrepresented in gifted educational programs in the United States, due to a scarcity of longitudinal prospective research, little is known about the protective factors at the child, family, and school level that increase the probability of Black male students being identified as gifted during early elementary school. Using data from the Miami School Readiness Project, we followed 6,926 low-income Black males from preschool through 5th grade to describe trajectories for the 453 Black males (6.5 %) who were identified as gifted, and examined child, family, and preschool variables associated with gifted classification. Boys were most commonly identified as gifted in first and second grade, and 15 % of the identified boys did not appear to be receiving gifted courses. Hierarchical multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that being classified as gifted in early elementary school was more likely for Black males who (a) attended public school pre-K programs at age four, (b) had higher cognitive, language, fine motor, behavioral, and emergent literacy school readiness skills before entering kindergarten, (c) spoke a language other than English at home, (d) were older upon entering kindergarten, (e) received higher grades in school, and (f) scored higher on standardized tests of math and reading. Predictors of gifted identification in the kindergarten year were different and weaker compared to identification in later years. Implications for early identification and intervention for talented Black males are discussed.