SCHOOL DROP OUTS: FACT OR FALLACY
Nestor Elle A. Amoncio
ABSTRACT
This study is meant to identify reasons for dropping out from school. The study consisted of grade 6
students who stopped schooling in Agan Elementary School, a public school in the mountain Barangay
of Zamboanga. The study utilize the descriptive research method by visiting the homes of the Students
who dropped out, distributed survey instrument, and conducted an in – depth interview. After the
completion of interviews, responses were transcribed and coded in order to identify the emergent
themes within the data.
INTRODUCTION
School drop out is the culmination of much longer process of leaving school that began long before the
date that a student actually discontinues attendance. Historic scholarship on school drop out span from
as early as a 1927 monograph that labelled it “school leaving” and associated those at risk with possible
mental inferiority (Fuller, 1927,p.1).
The problem of students leaving school prior to graduation is one that has long been with us an done
that shows no sign of abating in the near future. In this issue the individual and
collective disadvantages that when a significant portion of students fail to complete their high school
education are impossible to ignore, particularly in a society committed to equality of opportunity and
the full participation of all citizens in political, social and economic affairs. Because of the drop out
phenomenon as damaging to a democratic society it be an enduring social problem, we beloved that the
time has come to subject it to sustained investigation aimed to alleviating it’s worst manifestation. And
assess programs and policies that will encourage students at risk to complete their high school
education.
The drop out problem has persisted through these changes even amid higher raters of school
completion, moreover, it is still fund in alarming raters in many culturally and linguistically
diverse groups. To best understand school drop out as a national problem, studies with nationally
representative students population should be compared together and their findings considered as
a whole. Thus, studies which were included in the current research were operationally defined as
specifically addressing student, teacher, or administrator reported drop out causes and being funded by
federal government( either through the department of education, or the bureau of labor statistics [
BLS]).
LITERATURE REVIEW
The problem of school dropout cannot be understood in isolation from contextual factors. Early school
withdrawal reflects a complex interplay among student, family, school, and community variables, as well
as risk and protective factors. School and family policies and practices are critical (Christenson et al.,
2000). For example, schools with the greatest holding power tend to have relatively small enrollment,
fair discipline policies, caring teachers, high expectations, and opportunities for meaningful participation.
Policies that support suspension and grade retention for students who are deemed not ready to advance
have been linked to higher dropout rates. Family factors associated with reduced dropout rates include
parental support, monitoring and supervision, high regard for education, and positive expectations
regarding school performance.
METHODOLOGY
The descriptive method of research was used in conducting this study since it aim to identify the reasons
why students drop out. The study was a qualitative research which employed interviews to delve deeper
into the problem of school drop out. The grade 6 students of Agan Elementary school, a public school in
the mountain barangay of Zamboanga were selected for the purpose of study. The selection of drop outs
was done because of the desire of the researchers to investigate the school drop outs of students.
The researcher believed that the background characteristics of students determine the kind of
schools and educational process to which they have access. The respondents or the grade 6students in
Agan Elementary school were selected the within case sampling.
This section deals with the findings of data gathered from the research participants the grade 6 students
in Agan Elementary school. The finding includes major areas of concern like facts or fallacy of drop out
students. One of the main objectives this research was to assess the fact or fallacy of drop out among
Elementary school students. Hence, information regarding the reason of drop out was
collected from students in Agan Elementary school, participant were asked to narrate reasons that make
students to leave school at early age.
RESULTS
The study successfully identified the reasons on to why the grade 6 students Agan Elementary School
have dropped out. Some of them said that it was because of poverty and less of financial assistance.
Some are due to early work opportunities and the need of independent living. Minor reasons like
having too many assignments and disagreement with teachers also influenced their dropping out.
DISCUSSION
The study also revealed that some of them want to have higher education but due to evitable
circumstances, they are forced to stop going to school. Following careful data collection through an
interview, detailed experiences and personal lives of dropout students were presented under these
subtopics. The primary goal of this topic is to depict the real-life experiences of dropouts and their
activities while they were not in school. Because poverty is one of the factors that causes students to
drop out of school, the majority of dropouts were involved in helping their families and looking for a
better life in different places. Students described how difficult life is outside of school. Among those
interviewed, a 16-year-old grade 7 student stated this, “It is a big loss of chance when you get out of
school because of finance. I am the only child in the home so that there are so many responsibilities
expected from me. I fill ashamed to ask my family to buy me stationery materials because the life
they are leading is really bad. Finally, I decided to stop my education and join my family to work
on a farm. Besides farming, I have done a lot of activities such as trading and daily paid work.
”Students who drop out of high school before graduating frequently cite a lack of social and academic
support as one of the reasons, according to both ethnographic and survey-based studies. Despite their
self-described efforts to get help from school personnel, they feel disconnected from teachers. Dropouts
frequently complain that their teachers don't care about them, are unconcerned about their academic
performance, and are unwilling to help them with problems (Fine, 1986; MacLeod, 1987). According to
exit interviews, roughly half of all dropouts left school because they were failing or didn't like it, while
one-third left because they didn't get along with their teachers or other students (Catterall,
1998).Poverty is the most powerful demographic factor that increases the likelihood of students
dropping out of school.
CONCLUSION
The following conclusions were reached based on the study’s findings. The major causes of student
dropout are financial constraints, as well as instructional language and cultural barriers,
which exacerbate the dropout rate among high school students. The majority of students who drop out
of school engage in various income-generating activities in order to support their families and them
selves. The society’s negative attitude toward education, as well as the society’s awareness of the
importance of education, which is linked to the literacy level of the community, all contributed to
student drop out .There is an obvious need for research into the effects of dropping out of high school. It
has long been assumed that the costs of the dropout problem to society are quite high. Dropout data are
by far the best available for this purpose. Dropout studies are typically time-consuming and costly.
Knowing only the background characteristics of dropouts will not lead to an understanding of how
current school processes contribute to decisions to leave school before graduation.
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