NCJ Number
150048
Journal
Youth Studies Australia Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: (Winter 1994) Pages: 13-16
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
A sample of 484 students in 10 New South Wales (Australia) state coeducational secondary schools were followed through grades 10 and 11 to the beginning of grade 12 to examine the reasons they gave for staying in or dropping out of school.
Abstract
Variables examined in the study included individual attributes, family background, school commitment, goal commitment, academic integration, social integration, needs accommodation, expectation versus reality, and intention. The results of the study indicate that curriculum was not, as previously believed, the primary factor in students' decisions to leave school, but was one of a number of interrelated factors that influenced their perception of the value of continued study. These interrelated factors included student commitment to goals and to school, and student social life at school. Schools need to offer sports, extracurricular activities, peer support programs, and open sharing of information in order to provide the appropriate environment in which students needs can be met. 1 table, 1 figure, and 11 references