The International Observatory on Academic Achievement - Documentary search

File number :
CS-DSC-22e

Bibliographic reference :
Van Dorn, R., Bowen, G. L., & Blau, J. R. (2006). The Impact of Community Diversity and Consolidated Inequality on Dropping Out of High School. Family Relations, 55, 105-118.

Abstract :

Context and Study Objective
There is widespread agreement that academic achievement depends upon social and school context. In the United States, school dropout rates fell from about 15% in 1971 to 11% in 1999. However, the situation was not the same with regard to students’ ethnic origin: 31% of Hispanic male students and 26% of Hispanic female students dropped out, whereas dropout rates were 13% and 7% for African-American and white students, respectively (the dropout rate was the same for both genders).

Neighbourhood diversity may lead students to widen their social circles, but it may also lead to deleterious effects such as consolidation of differences between groups (ethnic, socioeconomic, etc.) and lack of interaction between these groups. The authors call this concept consolidated inequality. Individual demographic characteristics (age, race, prior academic achievement), family characteristics (family make-up, English proficiency of students and their families, family dropout background), and school enrolment and size are again among the many factors that influence school dropout.

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of neighbourhood diversity and consolidated inequalities, along with individual, family and school factors on school dropout.

Methodology
The authors used data drawn from the 1988 and 1990 National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) surveys for their quantitative analysis. Their final sample included 4079 eighth-grade students attending 418 high schools in the United States. From this sample, 71% of respondents were white, 13.7% were Hispanic, 9% were African-American and 6.3% were Asian. The two genders were represented in equal proportion (48.2% male students and 51.8% female students).

Main Results
With only the demographic variables being controlled (age, gender and ethnicity), results revealed that there were fewer female dropouts than male dropouts. In addition, it was observed that there were fewer Asian dropouts than white dropouts and that Hispanic dropouts outnumbered white dropouts.

Once family variables were included, there were fewer female dropouts than male dropouts. However, there were no significant differences in dropout rates among white, African-American and Hispanic students. Asian students were the least likely to drop out.

By adding prior academic achievement to the preceding variables, results did not reveal any significant difference in dropout rates based on gender. In addition, Asians were those who dropped out less frequently, followed by whites and African Americans (same dropout rates) and Hispanics.

Contrary to the authors’ initial hypothesis, the greater the ethnic diversity of the environment, the greater the risks of dropping out.

When all other factors are controlled, the effect of ethnicity is particularly interesting. When considered on equal footing with white students and by including variables related to the neighbourhood, along with individual and family variables, there were fewer African-American dropouts than among white students. In the same given situation, there were equal proportions of white and Hispanic dropouts.

Key Words :
Community, Context, Neighbourhood, Diversity, Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Family Background, School Environment, Educational Inequalities, National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS), Secondary/High School, Newsletter1

Monitored Countries :
United States