Nonacademic Factors Associated with Dropping Out of High School: Adolescent Problem Behaviors

Abstract

This study uses a social capital and collective socialization lens to examine nonacademic factors in middle school that predict students' failure to complete high school, and focuses on youth who engage in adolescent problem behaviors of smoking cigarettes, sexual intercourse, delinquency, marijuana use, and alcohol use. Our area of interest was the extent to which these variables were predictive of dropping out of high school measured 6 years later and beyond the traditional variables of school performance and school engagement, which are the target of many dropout prevention programs. Analyses use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to follow a nationally representative sample of children from middle school through the end of the high-school years. Results indicate that engaging in regular smoking and sexual activity during middle-school years predict high-school dropout independent of school performance during middle school. Acts of delinquency during middle school in the context of poverty (i.e., mothers' receipt of welfare was proxy for poverty) are also predictive of high-school dropout. These findings suggest the importance of factors that reach beyond school performance and school engagement as possible targets for dropout prevention programs.

Alternative Education Programs for High School Age Students in Chile

“…Today, adolescents not enrolled in school are considered “dropouts” or “early school leavers” (Entwisle, Alexander, & Olson, 2004; Lamb & Markussen, 2011; UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2012), but these categories often include students who have been “pushed” out of school because of academic failure or “antisocial” behavior (Bradley & Renzulli, 2011). Early leavers include students with physical disabilities, intellectual impairment, psychological disturbances, drug or alcohol addictions, convictions for criminal behavior, and those who are parents (Hawkins, Jaccard, & Needle, 2013; Hosley, 2003; Sliwka, 2008). To date, more than 100 different indicators of vulnerability have been defined (Bowers & Sprott, 2012; Bowers, Sprott, & Taff, 2013; Morrison & Shoon, 2018).…”

Smoking motivators are different among cigarette and waterpipe smokers: The results of ITUPP

“…For example, a study reported that 15-year-old students who performed poorly at school smoked six times more often during a week than high-grade achievers [ 23 ]. It is also shown that engaging in regular smoking during middle school could predict absence in high school classes independent of school performance during middle school [ 24 ]. Social factors could play a significant role in smoking initiation among youth.…”

Condicionantes de la retención estudiantil en «escuelas de segunda oportunidad» en Chile

“…El fracaso escolar se puede abordar desde dos perspectivas macro, las cuales se sustentan en variables de índole extraescolar e intraescolar, respectivamente. Desde el primer paradigma, las principales causales del abandono escolar se atribuyen a la situación socioeconómica (De Witte & Rogge, 2013;Ingrum, 2007;Rumberger & Lim, 2008;Rumberger & Thomas, 2000) y al contexto familiar Preal, 2003), aunque también se mencionan aspectos como la pobreza y la vulnerabilidad (Peña & Toledo, 2017), la búsqueda de trabajo, el origen étnico, la desintegración familiar y las limitadas expectativas de la familia con respecto a la educación (Castillo, 2003;Espinoza, Castillo, González, & Loyola, 2014a;Espinoza et al 2014b;Foley, Gallipoli, & Green, 2014;Hawkins, Jaccard, & Needle, 2013;Pomerantz, Moorman, & Litwack, 2007;).…”