Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The Botswana basic education program is intended to provide for equity and equality of opportunity and access to education. Every Motswana child is expected to attend school continuously up to the national mandatory tenth grade (Revised National Policy on Education, (RNPE) 1994.). Since not all children can be absorbed into senior secondary schools, examinations are used to select those who will proceed to higher education. However, some children selected to senior secondary education drop out before they complete their education cycle. Children who drop out forfeit their chances of going through a senior secondary education program, and thereby lose the opportunity to better themselves, obtain better paying jobs, or make informed contributions to the national development process. This study sought to discover reasons why some children do not complete their intended cycle of schooling. The research adopted a qualitative design in which in-depth interviews of focus groups were conducted. The main population groups interviewed were teachers, parents, senior secondary students, and school dropouts. The views obtained from the interviews were checked against documents and records of the Botswana Ministry of Education. The findings indicate that the reasons given by research subjects as causes for school dropout are consistent with those appearing on official records: pregnancy, desertion, illness, and death. However, the respondents also added four major themes of self-withdrawal or withdrawal for personal reasons, parental withdrawal, lack of transportation fees to and from classes, and lack of accommodation. The sub-themes for students who withdraw from school for personal reasons include their not seeing any value in education, thinking that the subject matter is too difficult, or being misguided by peer influence. The conclusions drawn are that the research subjects believe school dropout is an important issue that should be addressed. The suggested solution strategies include the call for effective teachers, community parenting, community-school partnership, sex education and contraception, and formulating and enforcing laws where parents and guardians will ensure that students stay in school for up to a certain age or else be liable for prosecution (enforced school age). / 2031-01-01

This research sought to investigate into factors contributing to high dropout rate amongst grade 9 learners in Mqanduli district. Though access to basic education in South Africa has increased substantially over the last few years, dropout rate in the schools continues to rise up in many rural schools especially Mqanduli district schools. The consequence of dropout as a matter of fact has a profound effect on the individual, family, community and economy. It is common knowledge that high dropout rate reduces the pool of qualified people from diverse backgrounds. In our rural schools most specially Mqanduli district, the concern of the researcher was to find out in Mqanduli schools the factors that contribute to high drop-out rate amongst Grade 9 learners and how they can be minimized if not eradicated. The study approach was qualitative, using the case study technique. The case study technique was used for the in-depth investigation of the factors contributing to high learner dropout. In this study, the target population was two school management team (SMT) per school and one head of department (HoD) and a principal in each of the selected schools in the Mqanduli district junior schools. Samples of the two schools were conveniently selected from the population of schools in the Mqanduli district research data gathering. The main research instrument was face to face semi-structured interview schedule. The face to face semi-structured individual interview was used with the participants due to its flexibility, this was done with the help of a voice recorder and field notes. The data analysis procedure for this study took two forms: first, transcribing the interviews, reviewing and identifying and coding the recurring themes within the data for each of the participants. The second part was to identify common themes and areas of variations among the participants. For ethical consideration, permission was sought from the Walter Sisulu University ethical clearance committee, the district office and principals of the selected schools and all participants. Finding1 Learner dropout rate: The research findings show that learners‟ dropout rate was due to poor socio-economic background, poor school nfrastructure, personal reasons, and teacher/learner relationship. The average percentage of learner dropout within five years is 13% in both schools. With in five year period, thus from 2006 to 2010 in school A total of 254 learners were admitted. At the end of year period, 222 learners were promoted to the next grade, The total number of dropouts in school A was 32. In school B 279 learners were admitted. At the end of the year period, 243 learners were promoted to the next grade. In school B the total number of dropouts was 36.

High school dropout continues to be an issue of national concern, and the inability of educators and researchers to find means of effectively reducing the dropout rate may be grounded in their approach to understanding this issue. Because there is limited prior research in addressing wellness, perceived stress, and mattering in relationship to at-risk status for dropping out of high school, this study concentrates on the gap in the educational and counseling literature documenting the extent to which these variables can contribute to the prediction of students who are at risk of dropping out of high school. Specifically, wellness, perceived stress, mattering, and at-risk status for dropping out of high school were assessed across 175 students attending a medium-sized high school located in the southeastern part of the United States. Parental informed consent documents and adult student consent documents were obtained primary to gathering data. Packets were administered to each participating student containing a minor assent document to be completed by minor students and removed by adult students, a demographic questionnaire, the Five Factor Wellness Inventory-Teenage Version, the Student At-Risk Identification Scale-Student Questionnaire, the General Mattering Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale. There were 2 hypotheses considered in this study. First, a significant relationship was posited between the 5 second-order variables of wellness, perceived stress, mattering, and at-risk status for dropping out of high school. This hypothesis was supported with all variables correlating significantly. Second, an overall regression model with 7 predictors (the 5 second-order factors of wellness: creative self, coping self, social self, essential self, and physical self; perceived stress; and mattering) was expected to significantly predict at-risk status for dropping out of high school. Regression analysis revealed that the complete model including all seven predictor variables significantly predicted at-risk status for dropping out of high school, F(7, 167) = 12.89, p < .05. This model accounts for 35.1% of the variance in at-risk status for dropping out of high school. Thus, this hypothesis also was supported. These findings indicate that counselors should utilize skills and interventions that help students stay engaged in the academic process.

The purpose of this study was to determine which variables contribute to high school dropout in a north central Mississippi school district’s only high school. The study population consisted of 301 students who enrolled as freshman in a north central Mississippi school district’s only high school during the 2002-2003 academic year and could have graduated from high school in 2006. Student data were obtained from the Mississippi Student Information System (MSIS) database, which contained all relevant information to this study. Data were collected on the following variables: gender, ethnicity, age, disciplinary infractions, whether or not a student was socially promoted, number of grades retained, number of absences, subject area testing scores, ninth grade retention, and special education enrollment. The findings of this study indicated there were relationships between the criterion variable, high school dropout, and the following predictor variables: age, ethnicity, whether or not a student was socially promoted, number of absences, number of grades retained, ninth grade. retention, and disciplinary infractions. The findings from this investigation also suggested that both socially promoted and students with high numbers of absences were more likely to drop out of high school than those who were not socially promoted, or had fewer absences.

The Alliance for Excellent Education (2011) estimates every 26 seconds in America, a student drops out of school. Numerous intervention and prevention approaches have been implemented to reduce the incidents of school dropout. One program, Communities In Schools (CIS), has shown promise in impacting the issue of school dropout by attending to both academic and non-academic factors at play in influencing a student’s risk for dropping out. The primary aim of this secondary data analysis was to develop an increased understanding of CIS services, to explore whether service provision varies systematically in relation to student outcomes and student characteristics, and to gain initial understandings of whether service provision is related to end-of-year outcomes. The volume of services provided was examined in terms of the number of service categories received and the amount of services (in hours) received. Bivariate statistical tests were used to examine the differences in the two service volumes based on student characteristics and prior year outcomes. The findings suggest that the total number of services received and the total number of hours of services received does not significantly vary by student characteristics or prior year outcomes. However, significant differences were found in the number of hours of distinct service categories and prior year outcomes. Multiple regression analyses were employed to examine in what ways services were related to student outcomes. The findings indicate that specific services are associated with better outcomes. Practice and future research implications are discussed.

Submitted by Jos? Henrique Henrique (jose.neves@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2018-07-17T17:38:30Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) richard_wanderley_evangelista.pdf: 2288827 bytes, checksum: 2331351350946d7cb98958aa7604e4a0 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2018-07-18T13:28:10Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) richard_wanderley_evangelista.pdf: 2288827 bytes, checksum: 2331351350946d7cb98958aa7604e4a0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-18T13:28:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) richard_wanderley_evangelista.pdf: 2288827 bytes, checksum: 2331351350946d7cb98958aa7604e4a0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017 / Nos ?ltimos anos, houve um crescente ingresso de alunos de diversos estratos sociais em Institui??es de Ensino Superior (IES). Essa situa??o ? impulsionada pelas pol?ticas p?blicas governamentais, bem como pela necessidade de maior qualifica??o profissional, influenciada pelo contexto da globaliza??o. O investimento em pol?ticas educacionais, que permitam uma forma??o qualificada em tempo h?bil dos discentes, ? essencial para que a entrada cont?nua de alunos no Ensino Superior n?o culmine com um aumento da evas?o escolar. A partir de estudos de base quantitativa atrav?s de tabelas e gr?ficos feitos na Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM) pelo Programa PET Comunidades e de um estudo de cunho bibliogr?fico e qualitativo (BORDIEU, 2007; BRUNO, 1996; FREIRE, 1987; LOBO, 2012; RIBEIRO, 2005, dentre outros), desenvolvemos a presente pesquisa para melhor refletirmos sobre o fen?meno da evas?o na universidade. Ao longo do curso, h? uma significativa percentagem de alunos matriculados no Bacharelado em Humanidades (BHu) que evadem do curso, principalmente nos 03 (tr?s) primeiros per?odos. Apontamos como possibilidade que a evas?o torna-se um duplo processo de exclus?o quando se faz pela falta de investimentos em pol?ticas p?blicas educacionais e pela falta de letramento acad?mico, que se une ? exclus?o do ensino b?sico que oferece um letramento cultural e educacional deficit?rios. Al?m disso, apresentamos, por uma an?lise quantitativa que, no ?ltimo ano analisado, o ?ndice de evas?o aumentou no bacharelado, ap?s a diminui??o de verbas p?blicas pelo programa de cortes de bolsas de pesquisa, de ensino e de extens?o do Governo atual. Os resultados apontam para a necessidade de aumento de pol?ticas de perman?ncia por parte da institui??o para seus estudantes, a fim de diminuir o n?mero crescente de evas?o escolar. / Disserta??o (Mestrado Profissional) ? Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Educa??o, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2017. / In the last few years, there has been an increasing number of students from different social classes entering at the university because of the government political policies which has been offering academic studies to the non-privileged people. It also happens because of the need of greater professional qualification influenced by the globalization context. The investment in educational policies which would let good qualification in the right period of time has been essential for having continuous entrance at the university without increasing school dropout. The present research was done at Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM). Data was collected from PET Communities Project to draw tables and graphs and to help carrying out a qualitative investigation (BORDIEU, 2007; BRUNO, 1996; FREIRE, 1987; LOBO, 2012; RIBEIRO, 2005, and others). The research aim was to understand the school dropout at the university. During the graduation course, an expressive rate of students admitted at Bacharelado em Humanidades (BHu) drops it out, mainly in the first three semesters. It probably indicates that the school dropout becomes a double process of exclusion because of the lack of government investment in public educational policies and because of the poor student academic literacy. This factor is connected to the exclusion from the previous levels of education that offers poor educational and cultural literacy to students. Furthermore, the qualitative study showed that in the last year the school dropout level increased after the actual government cost reduction to education. The study result showed the need for having public policies for affirmative actions which would let students stay at the university without evading it.

Magister Educationis - MEd / The study investigated school dropout predisposition and resilience at Grade 10 level in one rural and one urban secondary school in the Kizito Cluster of the Caprivi Education Region in Namibia. Part of the study was by means of a literature review of studies on school dropout in different parts of the world. The review also related to theoretical explanations of school dropout predisposition and resilience, together with preceding studies about the two phenomena. The qualitative research approach was used to obtain information about participants' experiences, beliefs, and perceptions about the school dropout and resilience phenomena. The study was framed by the interpretive research paradigm. The case study method, along with semi-structured, one-on-one and focus group interviews and document analysis were used to gather data. In addition, the study was also framed by grounded theory for the purposes of identifying alignments between the study’s findings and existing theories whilst also enabling the identification of theoretical gaps regarding some the study’s findings which subsequent studies should address. In addition, grounded theory also helped to present a theoretical discussion of the two studied phenomena. Factors found to be associated with school dropout predisposition in the rural school included over-age and alcohol and drug abuse (in boys), long walking distances to school and teenage pregnancy (in girls), poor academic performance, curriculum, poverty, peer pressure and lack of parental involvement and support in the education of children( in both sexes). Factors that were found to be associated with school dropout resilience at the school included availability of role models, good academic performance, parental involvement and support in education and the teaching of the Life Skills subject. Factors found to be associated with school dropout predisposition in the urban school included curriculum, poor academic performance, over-age, poverty and peer pressure (in both sexes), alcohol and drug abuse, bullying and lack of hostel accommodation (in boys), teenage pregnancy and early marriages or involvement in sexual activities (in girls). Factors that were found to be associated with school dropout resilience at the school included good academic performance, learning from siblings and friends’ dropout experiences, self-determination and self-motivation, and valuing education and motivation from parents and relatives, counselling, praising learners and inviting renowned individuals to speak to children. Factors which were found to be linked to existing dropout predisposition theories were curriculum, poor academic performance and poverty, whilst teenage pregnancy was found not to be linked to existing theories. A factor which was found to be linked to existing dropout resilience theories was good academic performance whilst no factor was found not to be linked to existing theories. Recommendations in this study include calls for exploration by further studies in generating new theories to better explain findings in this study. The recommendations to schools and the Regional Education Directorate to help in enhancing dropout resilience include counselling and academic performance enhancing strategies.

Les jeunes ont leurs propres identités. Sujets de nombreuses études, on avait auparavant tendance à leur prêter des intentions sans les questionner. L’un des objectifs de l’école, lieu privilégié de leur socialisation, consiste à protéger les jeunes dont elle a la charge. Pour cela, elle met en place de la prévention et notamment celle concernant les ivresses, véritable problème de santé publique. La partie principale de notre corpus se compose du relevé des admissions pour ivresse aiguë des jeunes de 15 à 22 ans dans un service d’Urgences d’un Hôpital d’une ville étudiante française, de questionnaires distribués auprès de ces patients et de leurs parents (111 questionnaires à destination des jeunes, 26 pour les parents), ainsi que d’observations participantes et des entretiens (16 entretiens). Cette étude prend en compte les 2008 admissions effectuées durant quatre périodes d’une année de 2009 à 2014. Ce travail vise à comprendre les jeunes, leurs ivresses, leurs attentes et les enjeux de la relation parent/enfant/école. Ces ivresses inquiètent mais ne sont finalement peut-être que fantasmées et peuvent être maitrisées grâce à l’action conjointe des parents et de l’école, avec tous les intervenants dont elle peut disposer. / The young people have their own identities. Subjects of numerous studies, beforehand they were often said to have intentions without being questioned. One of the goals of school, a privileged place for their socialization, is to protect the youths it is responsible for. So, it sets up prevention and more particularly the one concerning drunkenness, a real problem of public health. The main part of our corpus is made of the list of admissions for the heavy drunkenness of the 15 to 22 year-old youth in an Emergency department of a Hospital in a French town, questionnaires distributed to those patients and their parents (111 for the patients, 26 for the parents) as well as participant observations and (16 interviews). This study takes into account the 2008 admissions made during four periods of a year from 2009 to 2014. This work aims at understanding the young people, their drunkenness, their expectations and the challenges of a relationship parent/child/school. Such intoxications are worrying but they may eventually be only fantasized and they could be mastered thanks to the joint action of parents and school, together with its partner external agencies.

The need for higher skill levels in South Africa’s labour market warranted an investigation into why some learners from poor communities make the decision to leave high school at the end of Grade 9, whilst other learners continue to Grade 12 or tertiary education. This exploratory, longitudinal study investigated the Educational Decision Making (EDM) of 16 Grade 9, Coloured, male learners from poor neighbourhoods in Cape Town. This study identified the socio-economic factors that influenced participants’ EDM to consider leaving the school system at the end of Grade 9, or continue their education. The study applied Miles and Huberman’s (1994) approach to identify links between the socio-economic factors that influenced EDM, and to understand the learners’ educational context. These interactions were investigated using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Framework, comprising 5 traversing and Huberman’s (1994) approach to identify links between the socio-economic factors that influenced EDM, and to understand the learners’ educational context. These interactions were investigated using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Framework, comprising 5 traversing layers, namely, the micro-system, meso-system, exo-system, macro-system, and chronosystem (Watts, Cockcroft & Duncan, 2009). This qualitative study drew on semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with learners in their Grade 9 year in 2015, and makes use of followup telephonic interviews (2016) and enrolment records (2017) to verify the findings. All learners made the decision to continue to Grade 12 or tertiary education. Examples of negative influences on EDM included socio-economic challenges presented by South Africa’s transition to democracy (Chrono-system), which impacted on other systems, including inadequate school facilities (exo-system), a family history of school dropout (mesosystem), and financial instability (micro-system). Examples of positive influences on EDM included financial stability in the household (mesosystem), and the resilience and agency of learners (microsystem).

No description available.