This study was an investigation into factors that influence the dropout rate of migrant students in central Indiana in May-June 2003. Migrant students are children of migratory workers who travel across school and district boundaries to obtain seasonal or temporary employment in agriculture. These students have been considered historically as educationally disadvantaged, with a migratory lifestyle that impedes educational achievement.The researcher developed two questionnaires: one for the students and the other for the parents. The researcher translated both questionnaires into Spanish. The purpose was to investigate how parental influence, mobility and lack of permanency, poverty, and the migrant/school relationship affected the dropout rate. The data were collected from 39 migrant students, ages 11-20, enrolled in central Indiana middle and high schools and 58 adult migrants who had children in school. Even though this study was quantitative, many conclusions were drawn from the informal conversations, in Spanish, that the researcher had with migrants sitting in front of their cabins in the camps. The researcher attended also parent meetings and cultural activities in the Migrant Centers. Many ideas, feelings and perceptions were shared during this time.The data collected were grouped in eight categories: Subject demographics, family educational influences, educational and career goals, migrant mobility, attitudes toward school, financial considerations, acceptance as migrants, role models, and dropping out of school. Seventy-six tables compared the results between the two groups, migrant parents and students. Conclusions and recommendations were made based on those results. Common trends were identified including several that disagreed with conventional common perceptions. Migrant parents and students have the same desires for a better lifestyle just like any other group in our society. Recommendations were made to promote instructional continuity, the importance of education, and the acceptance of migrants into mainstream society. Mobility, poverty, and language barriers were less to blame for migrant educational dropout than were parental and familial influence, lack of participation in extra-curricular activities, disassociation from school and society, severe discrepancies between career goals and educational preparedness, and a marked decline in the student perceived value of education as compared to the adult sample. / Department of Educational Leadership
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/176283 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Fuschetto, Rocco |
| Contributors | Malone, Bobby G. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | xii, 204 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us-in |
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