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Students At Risk for School Dropout: Are There Gender Differences Among Personal, Family, and School Factors?


File number :
CS-ISC-20e

Bibliographic reference :
Lessard, A., Fortin, L., Joly, J., Royer, É., & Blaya, C. (2004). Students At Risk for School Droupout: Are There Gender Differences Among Personal, Family, and School Factors? Journal of At-Risk Issues, 10(2), 19-27.

Abstract :

Theoretical Framework
School dropout is a complex social issue that is sometimes studied from a gender perspective. Other research studies have used factors for predicting school dropout such as personal, family or school factors, without taking the gender variable into consideration. The purpose of this research study was to compare male students and female students according to personal, family and school factors in order to verify the relationship between school dropout and gender.

Methodology
The sample was made up of 3,350 students in their second year in 18 high schools in Quebec, Canada, of which there were 1,696 male students and 1,663 female students. Six questionnaires were used to collect data. Academic scores were also taken into account.

Main Results
Among the students surveyed, 40.1% were considered to be "at risk" for school dropout, of which 55.2% were male students and 44.7% were female students. Results have shown that there is in fact a significant relationship between gender and school dropout risk; at the high school level, male students were at greater risk of dropping out than female students.

Although all of the identified factors (personal, family and school factors) increased the risk for school dropout significantly in both male students and female students, the factors that interacted more with the gender variable were depression, a personal factor more prevalent in female students than in male students, and student attitude towards teaching staff, a school factor more prevalent in male students than in female students.

Conclusion
This research study provides new information on the link between school dropout and gender.



Key Words :
School Dropout, Gender, Depression, Attitudes towards Teachers, Personal Factors, Family Factors, School Factors, School-Family-Community Partnership, Secondary/High School

Monitored Countries :
Quebec (Canada)