The International Observatory on Academic Achievement - Documentary search

File number :
CS-DSC-06e

Bibliographic reference :
Bushnick, T. (2003). Learning, Earning and Leaving: The Relationship between Working while in High School and Dropping Out. Statistiques Canada.

Abstract :

Theoretical Context/Research Topic
After painting a brief picture of the school dropout situation in Canada, the author discussed various predictors (individual, family and school) of school dropout. However, the author put more emphasis on the results of studies focusing on the relationship between working while attending school and dropping out of school. The objective of this report was to examine the relationship between these two variables by attempting to answer the following questions: 1) Who are the young people who work? 2) How many hours a week do they work? and 3) How are these hours of work related to dropping out of school when other factors are controlled?

Methodology
The data used for this study came from the Youth in Transition Survey (YITS), a longitudinal study that followed young people from the ten Canadian provinces born between 1979 and 1981. Between 1997 and 1999, over 23,000 young people between 18 and 20 years old participated in a telephone survey of approximately 40 minutes. The questions asked revolved around their secondary and post-secondary school experiences, work and training experiences, personal and professional skills, and educational and occupational aspirations.

Results
Based on quantitative analyses, the author showed that students who work the most hours (30 hours or more per week) followed by those who do not work are more likely to drop out. Male students generally work more hours per week than female students.

Bushnick also identified other factors affecting school dropout. The main ones are gender, first language, family size (siblings), ethnicity, parenthood, socioeconomic status, the educational level of parents, the type of employment of parents, the importance attributed to graduating, academic achievement, grade repetition, and attending public school versus a private institution.

Students who work tend to be less engaged in their studies and less socially engaged in school. They have a lower rate of participation in school and extracurricular activities. These young people also make more frequent use of drugs and alcohol. The author concluded by saying that it is essential to consider dropping out of school as a process and the author pointed out the fact that young dropouts do not form homogenous groups.

Key Words :
Work, Risk factors, Personal characteristics, Family characteristics, Gender, Sex differences, School environment, Developmental approach, Longitudinal study, Quantitative analysis, Secondary/High school

Monitored Countries :
Canada