The International Observatory on Academic Achievement - Documentary search

File number :
CS-DSC-10e

Bibliographic reference :
Fortin, L., Royer, É., Potvin, P., Marcotte, D., & Yergeau, É. (2004). La prédiction du risque de décrochage scolaire au secondaire : facteurs personnels, familiaux et scolaires. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 36(3), 219-231.

Abstract :

Theoretical Context / Study Objective
The authors of this Quebec (Canada) study reported that 28 % of youngsters did not obtain a high school diploma in 2000-2001 according to the ministère de l’Éducation du Québec (MEQ). They emphasized the importance of prevention programs in countering this phenomenon while explaining the main personal, economic and social consequences associated with dropping out of school. Then the authors outlined certain procedures based on predictive dropout factors for students at risk of leaving school and designed to select them for a prevention program. However, they raised the difficulties in appropriately identifying all of the students at risk. The objective of the authors of this study was to identify the personal, family and academic risk factors related to dropping out of school in the early high school years.

Methodology
For this study, 806 youngsters aged from 12 to 13 and from four high schools in three regions of Quebec were chosen. The students were divided into two groups according to the risk of dropping out of school (28.7% at risk and 71.3% not at risk).

The tools used in this cross-sectional research project were questionnaires, tests, school records and official MEQ transcripts. The tests and questionnaires were administered during two time frames (October and March) to teachers and students in their first year of high school.

Results
As concerns personal factors, the authors reported that the students at risk had more social, cognitive and emotional problems, along with school-related problems.

As concerns family, the families of students at risk provided less guidance and supervision, were less cohesive and exhibited more aggressiveness and anger.

As concerns school, students at risk were less involved in school activities and had less affiliation with classmates, and their relationships with both their teachers and the educational institution were more negative.

In conclusion, the authors presented the seven risk factors judged to be the most significant in predicting the risk of dropping out of school (by order of importance): exhibiting feelings of depression, lack of organization and family cohesiveness, teachers’ negative attitudes towards students, students’ lack of engagement in school, and poor performance in French (69% for students at risk as compared to 75% for students not at risk) and in mathematics (70% as compared to 79%).

Links :
This journal is also available in electronic format.

Key Words :
Predictive factors/Predictors, Personal characteristics, Family characteristics, Academic characteristics, Cross-sectional study, Quantitative analysis, Secondary/High school

Monitored Countries :
Quebec (Canada)