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School Leaving- A Longitudinal Perspective Including Neighborhood Effects


File number :
CS-DSC-07e

Bibliographic reference :
Ensminger, M.E., Lamkin, R.P. and Jacobson, N. (1996). School Leaving - A Longitudinal Perspective Including Neighborhood Effects. Child Development, 67(5), 2400-2416.

Abstract :

Theoretical Context/Study Objectives
The authors of this American study introduced the article by outlining the main consequences linked to the phenomenon of school dropout. After setting out the individual and family risk factors, the authors provided a summary of studies that had dealt with the social and spatial influences of neighbourhood and community as regards the problem of dropping out of school before graduation. They contended that delinquent behaviour, values linked to education and work, early pregnancy and school dropout are some aspects that are influenced by the components and characteristics of the neighbourhood. In this study, the authors considered whether the poverty of the neighbourhood in which adolescents grow up has an influence on their academic status. More precisely, they tried to determine whether this influence is direct, indirect, interactive or non-existent.

Methodology
The data used in this study came from the Woodlawn Longitudinal Study. Located south of Chicago, the community studied was mainly composed of Afro-Americans of low socio-economic status. The data involving the 954 subjects was gathered during four main time periods: in 1966-67 (grade one), in 1975-76 (data gathered from children and parents), in 1982 (data from school records) and in 1992-93 (data gathered from the subjects studied as children who were 32-33 years old at the time). Data was gathered using questionnaires, interviews and official academic documents concerning the neighbourhood, family context, family moves, academic performance and school behaviour , the adolescents’ personal characteristics, and academic status (graduation or not).

Results
The results of this study have confirmed the indirect influence of the neighbourhood and community on the social contexts of children (family, school, peer group and so on). Approximately two-thirds of the sample population had left school before obtaining a high school diploma. Furthermore, the influence of the neighbourhood is greater on male students than on female students. The authors explained this fact by speculating that in a relatively dangerous area, female students are more likely to be kept at home than male students. They concluded that the neighbourhood has an influence on school leaving, especially in low socio-economic-status neighbourhoods.



Links :
This journal is also available in electronic format.

Key Words :
Predictive factors/predictors, Individual factors, Family factors, Neighbourhood characteristics, Sex differences, Gender, Ethnicity, Socio-economic status, Underprivileged environments, Interaction of risk factors, Educational inequality, Longitudinal study, Quantitative analysis, Elementary School, Primary School, Secondary/High School

Monitored Countries :
United States