High School Dropouts - Assignment Example

Introduction Education is considered to be the key to a better future and an essential human right and as such children are encouraged to enroll in schools and parents are given the responsibility to ensure they complete their education. Despite, the government efforts to offer free education to children high school dropout rates are still experienced. This leads to the question, why the high numbers of school dropouts? Various factors are associated with dropping out of school such as individual factors, situational, school-related, family-related, and economic factors (Rumberger, 1987 p. 109). School dropout has also been associated with consequences such as high crime rates, increased use of social services such as unemployment assistance and medical assistance, psychological problems, unemployment, limitation in career progression among others. As such, the problem of school dropout needs to be addressed to find out the real causes of dropping out, consequences and effective interventions to alleviate the problem. The aim of this paper is to conduct a qualitative research on school dropouts. The paper will be divided into five sections. Section 1 will be the statement of the problem. The second section will cover research questions, followed by definition of concepts and theories to be used in the study. Fourth section will cover methodology and finally, research site, sample and sampling. Problem Statement School dropout is a serious educational and social problem that requires to be dealt with effectively. A recent study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that UK has more 15 to 19 year-olds not in employment, education or training while the office of national statistics shows that nearly one million of 16 to 24 year olds are neets (Loveys, 2013). Another study showed that 23% of those aged 15 to 19 were not enrolled in educational institutions (Tyyska, 2009 p. 71). Though researchers have identified an array of factors that cause school dropout, no agreement has been reached as to the actual factors. Most identify individual factors such as demographics, attitudes and behavior, social factors such as peer influence and economic factors such as the socio-economic status as the leading causes of dropout (Rumberger, 1987; Rumberger, 2011). The increase in school fees by the coalition government was also attributed to the high numbers of dropouts. The school admission system has also not been spared as t segregates students according to ability, socio-economic and ethnic background. However, these factors can also be a result of other factors that have not yet been identified and which need careful consideration such as family background. Dropping out of school also has its consequences both individual and social. To the individual it leads to reduced chances of employment thus loss of income and psychological disorders. To the society, it leads to increased costs such as dependency on families, social benefits, and medical costs among others (Rumberger, 2011). Though such consequences have been identified by different researchers, it is not yet clear the effects on different groups of individuals. Furthermore, the definition of school dropout used by different researchers such as the office of national statistics and educational system lead to conflicting results. There is therefore need to use a uniform definition so as to come up with effective interventions. Research also indicates that the ethnic and racial minorities and women have high dropout rates compared to the whites and men but no explanation for this phenomenon has been given by researchers. The purpose of this study is to examine the nature, causes and consequences of school dropout in order to understand this complex social and educational problem and its solution. Research Questions This study tries to answer a number of questions in understanding this complex problem. Why do children drop out of school? How does dropping out of school affect the individual and society as a whole? Why are the racial and ethnic minorities as well as women the most affected? How do school dropouts feel about dropping out of school? Concepts and Theories It is essential to define concepts used in research as they determine the outcome of the study. One of the concepts that need defining is school dropout. In this study a school dropout will be defined as “someone who starts education and leaves before end of planned or regular period of school (Lamb et al. 2011 p. 184). The dropout can be natural, apparent, actual or potential. Natural is due to natural forces such as death, apparent dropout is when one transfers from one city or country to another or different school types, actual dropout is whereby one does not finish school while potential dropout is when one is in school but all indications are that he/she will dropout (p. 184). This study will make use of personality theories in assuming that individuals are different and as such their attributes determine the likelihood of dropping out (Lamb et al. 2011). For example, individuals who have low academic attainment or achievement are likely to drop out of school. Another theory is that individuals are also influenced by contextual or social factors thus the place they live in, socio-economic status of the family, peers, school policies and practices determines the school dropout rate or family background determines whether they dropout or not from school (Rumberger, 2011). Research Methodology A research can either be qualitative or quantative in nature depending on the purpose of the study. According to Merriam (2009) qualitative research is involved in getting the meaning of a phenomenon, exploring a situation that is less understood or describing phenomenon. On the other hand, quantative research aims at finding out causal relationships and utilizes figures. Since this research is aimed at deeper understanding of the school dropout problem in order to find out the root causes, consequences and solutions, it will be qualitative in nature. It will involve seeking to understand those affected by the problem, about how they feel and why they left school in the first place and how this affects the society and the individual. No correlation between is required hence quantative research is unwarranted. There are various methods used to collect data for qualitative research such as observation, excerpts from documents and interviews (Rumberger, 2011). Observation involves watching the action and recording corresponding data but this is not possible for dropouts as the action is not observable. Collection of information from documents is also vital as it shows trends or documented evidence but sometimes it is not easy to access such documents. Furthermore, to understand this problem, one needs to be in contact with the affected individuals. As such, this research will utilize the interview method. The use of interview will enable collection of data from the actual participants who can help to get to the root cause of the problem. However, there are various kinds of interviews: structured, semi structured and unstructured. Structured interview involves use of predetermined standard questions (Merriam, 2009). These assume that the population is homogenous and that their understanding of the questions is same. It also does not give participants the chance to express themselves fully since the questions have choices. Unstructured questions on the other hand are not predetermined and are used to understand a phenomenon which is not known (p. 96). Although it allows participants to express themselves fully, it is better used to formulate questions for further research and it also requires great flexibility which interviewer may not have. This research will be based on semi structured interview whereby the first few questions will be structured and apply to all participants. Data on age, income, level of education will be answered using standard questions. The rest of the interview will involve asking unstructured questions to get further information from participants, in other words, open ended questions. This is essential to allow flexibility and to get more information bearing in mind that people are different (Rumberger, 2011). The questions allow probing and better understanding as both interviewer and interviewee can clarify issues which they do not understand. The limitation of this data collection method is that the participants may not be willing to give personal information to a stranger especially that they are dropouts. Being a dropout results in lack of self-esteem which may bar people from accepting or disclosing their situation. Another problem is that participants may give incorrect information thus incorrect results but the better part is that the interviewer can convince the participants to participate. Research Site, Sample and Sampling The research will cover students who have not graduated from high school or not currently enrolled in schools but have attained the age of 16 which is the statutory age for school leavers. Those who leave school at age 16 before taking A-level exams are also included. Due to time and resource constraints, research will be conducted in a section of Britain especially where there are people of different racial, ethnic, age, gender, and socio-economic background. This is to get a clear picture of the demographics and how they influence children to dropout and to understand why women and people of color are the most affected. The sample will consist of five hundred individuals selected randomly. A group of students who left school before the end of the regular school period will be chosen and interviewed and in the process asked to refer other participants who meet the criteria, that is, school dropouts. This will enable interviewee to get the right sample and new information from the new participants. According to Merriam (2009) theoretical sampling can also be used whereby a group of participants who meet the criteria are chosen, data collected and analyzed and thereafter used to determine what data to collect and where to collect. A theory emerges from this sampling process but for this study, purposeful sampling will be utilized as the theory is already constructed. References Lamb, S., Markussen, E., Teese, R., Sandberg, N and Polesel, J. (2011) School Dropout and Completion: International Comparative Studies in Theory and Policy. New York: Springer. Loveys, K (2011) Britain’s Neets Shame: New Study Reveals UK has on of the Worst Dropout Rates in Developing World. Mail Online. Retrieved Jan 31, 2013 from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2036973/UK-school-dropout-rate-worst-developing-world Merriam, S.B (2009) Qualitative Research; A Guide to Design and Implementation. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons Rumberger, R.W (1987). High School Dropouts: A Review of Issues and Evidence. Review of Educational Research, 57(2), pp. 102-121 Rumberger, R.W (2011). High School Dropouts in the US. In S. Lamb., E. Markussen., R. Teese., N. Sandberg and J. Polesel. School Dropout and Completion: International Comparative Studies in Theory and Policy. New York: Springer. Tyyska, V (2009) Youth and Society: The Long and Winding Road. Toronto, Ontario: Canadian Scholar’s Press. Read More