Dropping out of school – What profiles of dropout students

Article last edited on July 6, 2018 by Admin

What attitudes should be avoided (in class and at home) to avoid making a student a dropout? Are boys more affected by dropping out of school?

Dropping out: greater tenacity among girls?

From the perspective of gender and the overrepresentation of male dropouts, Catherine Blaya (1) thinks he detects greater tenacity in girls. They have a more pragmatic relationship with school and seem less affected by the relationship with the teacher. “They are also more in line with the school standard, which is undoubtedly the result of socialization and a mode of education where they are immediately taught to be attentive and to respect the rules. The girls know how to ask for advice, help each other. They talk more readily about school work. For boys, asking for help, talking about lessons, is considered a sign of weakness, a lack of manhood.

In the bundle of factors that lead to dropping out of school, the observation made by Catherine Blaya is clear.

The school’s responsibility is undeniable, even if it is necessary to qualify the statement a little: “The family environment, the group of peers, individual characteristics can also facilitate dropout. The school climate, the climate of the class also play a major role.

The orientations undergone and the orientations towards specialized classes influence the dropout

Students who feel bad at school, insecure, even victimized, who find it difficult to concentrate on their work will tend to be absent so as not to have to face their attacker(s). Our work, like that of Laurier Fortin (14) in Quebec, shows that students at risk of dropping out have a negative opinion of the classroom climate: little support from teachers, strong climate of competition between students, low respect for rules, etc »

Orientations suffered and orientation towards specialized classes also influence dropout, as shown by a Canadian researcher, Michel Janosz (15). They tend to group struggling students together. Emulation is much less there than in groups and classes where there is a heterogeneity of levels. These students, aware of their failure and of being confined to these classes because nothing else to offer them, because their professional future prospects are limited, have very low self-esteem, which contributes to dropout.

Very often, a student with academic difficulties is a young person who lacks self-confidence.

“School is very important, but it must be avoided at all costs that it becomes a source of conflict. It is necessary to accompany, of course, but in a perspective of empowerment. In the case of siblings, when the young person in difficulty is constantly put in competition and compared to others who are more successful, this only contributes to increasing the feeling of incompetence and diminishing self-esteem. Very often, a student with academic difficulties is a young person who lacks self-confidence.

It is essential to try to value him and also to highlight what is going well in his behavior, in his attitude and in his life in general and not to focus on the school and what is dysfunctional” explains Catherine Blaya. These young people most often have difficulty concentrating or organizing school work. This is where the family can help by promoting activities (of short duration at first) that solicit and stimulate attention, encourage the adolescent to plan and organize his work by emphasizing the methodology, without doing the work for him or give him the right answer when you get impatient because he is too slow.

Do not forget to highlight the progress made, even the most modest, and do so in front of the whole family.

Avoid in all cases public denigration

Avoid public denigration in all cases. Show that as a parent you have confidence in your child’s abilities. Abandon without remorse relationships based on competition, power issues, humiliations. Propose common activities other than those related to schooling. The parent-child relationship should not be limited to school when school results are a source of conflict, when there is a risk of an escalation that will lead to non-communication and ultimately to dropping out. If the child has behavioral problems, if he is aggressive in class, it is important to try to develop his capacity for empathy, to consider alternative ways of expressing his tensions, his anger, his frustrations.

Young people who have hidden “antisocial” behaviors are little noticed at school but are not motivated for all that. Generally, their teachers have a rather good opinion of them. They lack empathy and are self-centered. The peer group has a strong influence on them. Their turbulent behaviors are of the order of lies, absenteeism, theft, vandalism, consumption and sale of drugs. The family environment is characterized by a lack of supervision of the young person’s activities and schooling, confused parental roles (friend parents), an absence of rules and emotional support. The school results, at first, are just below the average but they deteriorate rapidly.

Warning signals

With regard to the processes of dropping out and the warning signs, the sociologist insists on their diversity. “A student withdrawn, who finds it difficult to make friends and cooperates little in class must attract attention. Like this young man who didn’t pose any particular problem and who suddenly becomes aggressive, throws a tantrum, frequently goes to the infirmary. Sudden drops in results are something to be taken seriously. A young person who is poorly motivated, does not participate, never volunteers or always finds negative criticism for what is offered to him in class may also soon be a candidate for dropping out. The recurring delays, the repeated absences, increasingly long, the general collapse of the school results, the dissipation and the disturbance of the class are of course indices to be considered but those are easily identifiable. »

From the point of view of gender and the over-representation of boys who drop out, Catherine Blaya believes she detects greater tenacity in girls. They have a more pragmatic relationship with school and seem less affected by the relationship with the teacher. “They are also more in line with the school standard, which is undoubtedly the result of socialization and a mode of education where they are immediately taught to be attentive and to respect the rules. The girls know how to ask for advice, help each other. They talk more readily about school work. For boys, asking for help, talking about lessons, is considered a sign of weakness, a lack of manhood.

Students at risk of dropping out have a negative opinion of the classroom climate

In the bundle of factors that lead to dropping out of school, the observation made by Catherine Blaya is clear.

The responsibility of the school is undeniable, even if it is necessary to qualify the statement a little: “The family environment, the group of peers, individual characteristics can also facilitate dropping out of school. The school climate, the climate of the class also play a major role. Students who feel bad at school, insecure, even victimized, who find it difficult to concentrate on their work will tend to be absent so as not to have to face their attacker(s). Our work, like that of Laurier Fortin (14) in Quebec, shows that students at risk of dropping out have a negative opinion of the classroom climate: little support from teachers, strong climate of competition between students, low respect for rules, etc. »

Orientations suffered and orientation towards specialized classes also influence dropout, as shown by a Canadian researcher, Michel Janosz (15). They tend to group struggling students together. Emulation is much less there than in groups and classes where there is a heterogeneity of levels. These students, aware of their failure and of being confined to these classes because nothing else to offer them, because their professional future prospects are limited, have very low self-esteem, which contributes to dropout.

“School is very important, but it must be avoided at all costs that it becomes a source of conflict. It is necessary to accompany, of course, but in a perspective of empowerment. In the case of siblings, when the young person in difficulty is constantly put in competition and compared to others who are more successful, this only contributes to increasing the feeling of incompetence and diminishing self-esteem. Very often, a student with academic difficulties is a young person who lacks self-confidence. It is essential to try to value him and also to highlight what is going well in his behavior, in his attitude and in his life in general and not to focus on the school and what is dysfunctional” explains Catherine Blaya. These young people most often have difficulty concentrating or organizing school work. This is where the family can help by promoting activities (of short duration at first) that solicit and stimulate attention, encourage the adolescent to plan and organize his work by emphasizing the methodology, without doing the work for him or give him the right answer when you get impatient because he is too slow.

Highlight the progress made by the student who has dropped out

Do not forget to highlight the progress made, even the most modest, and do so in front of the whole family.

Avoid public denigration in all cases. Show that as a parent you have confidence in your child’s abilities. Abandon without remorse relationships based on competition, power issues, humiliations. Propose common activities other than those related to schooling. The parent-child relationship should not be limited to school when school results are a source of conflict, when there is a risk of an escalation that will lead to non-communication and ultimately to dropping out. If the child has behavioral problems, if he is aggressive in class, it is important to try to develop his capacity for empathy, to consider alternative ways of expressing his tensions, his anger, his frustrations.

(1) Catherine Blaya, School Dropouts. School in trouble. DeBoeck, 2010

(14) See Chapter 4(15) Ibid

Case : Julie Chupin

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