Exploring the dropout phenomenon in a secondary school situated in a high-risk community

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to gain a contextual understanding of the dropout phenomenon in a specific school in a high-risk community. An applied, interpretive, qualitative research design was used. This involved an investigation of the subjective experiences of learners at risk of dropping out of school during the post-compulsory phase of their education at a specific school. Informants were purposively selected according to specific criteria. Data were collected through eight semi-structured interviews with learners at risk of dropping out of school; a semi-structured interview with a member of the community; a focus-group interview and collages. The data was transcribed and analysed using a qualitative thematic analysis, and compared to previous research gleaned from an extensive literature review. Results that emerged from this study indicated that the participants experienced several barriers to learning embedded in the interconnected systems, which could cause them to drop out of school. This included issues such as single-parent families, family conflict, lack of parental support, emotional difficulties due to home circumstances, substance abuse and socio-economic issues. Although results showed that the school of study had seemingly adopted an inclusive policy and had made some adaptations to accommodate learners, it became evident that the existing support structures within the school and the community were experienced as insufficient. Due to the nature of unsupportive and conflicting family systems reported by some learners, teachers are expected to perform additional nurturing roles that add pressure to an already overburdened educational system. The practical implications of the results are that, in order to support adolescents in a high-risk environment and to prevent them from dropping out of school, the focus should be on protective factors. This could be achieved through, for example, early identification and targeting of learners at risk of dropping out of school, the implementation of strategies aimed to increase engagement of all learners in the school, the implementation of an ongoing supportive drug-free programme in the school and the community in conjunction with supportive organisations, professional development workshops and in-service training for teachers, altered school schedules, and career guidance and work internships for interested learners that could be arranged in union with the local university. The results from this study therefore highlighted areas that could receive attention in the specific school to address the problem for learners at risk of dropping out of school. Further qualitative research is recommended to investigate this phenomenon in a broader spectrum of South African learners.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University