Institutional characteristics of dropping out

Abstract

Dropping out of school is a complex issue, of which there might be several causes. It is influenced by factors in the educational system (available school network, school requirements, national curriculum, composition of those who are obliged to attend school, etc.) as well as by personal characteristics (motivation, personal life situations, illness and social skills). Dropping out is certainly experienced in our schools. Indeed, it poses a powerful challenge on the institutional level. Thus, in this study, I examined the institutional characteristics of schools with a high dropout rate. I applied the results of the National Competence Skill Survey (OKM). I analysed the performance of students from 2011, who are identified with a unique ID in the research, so that we can differentiate student performance. I examined dropout rates for each school by means of regression analysis to determine the most important effects of dropping out. A high dropout rate is expected in circumstances where there are numerous students with social and personal disadvantages. We can predict four groups of schools based on the predictive method of the regression model: (1) schools where dropping out is preferred as a result of the learning environment, as confirmed by specific observations; (2) schools where there is an unfortunate learning environment that causes students to drop out, as borne out by observations; (3) schools with a high dropout rate in spite of a comfortable student and social environment; and (4) schools with a low dropout rate despite unfortunate social indicators.