Early School Dropout: Configurations and Determinants

Abstract

This longitudinal study examined behavioral, cognitive, and demographic factors associated with early school dropout. Follow-up assessments were completed on a sample of girls (n = 248) and boys (n = 227) who had first been seen when they were in the seventh grade. School status was determined for all living subjects; 99% of them were interviewed individually in the fifth annual test wave. Overall, 14% of the group had dropped out of school prior to completing grade 11. The clusters of males and females most vulnerable to early school dropout were characterized in grade 7 by high levels of aggressiveness and low levels of academic performance (82% early dropout in males; 47% early dropout in females). In seventh grade, subjects who subsequently dropped out tended to affiliate with persons who were also at risk for dropout. Socioeconomic status, race, and early parenthood were also associated with school dropout. The primary outcomes were supported by convergent variable-oriented and person-oriented analyses. Some developmental dynamics of the phenomena are discussed.

The development of social aggression and physical aggression: A narrative analysis of interpersonal conflicts

“…Only when combined with other risk factors (e.g., poor academic performance) does physical aggression become an antecedent for problematic developmental outcomes. In other words, it is not physical aggression itself that predicts future maladjustment, but the at-risk configuration in which physical aggression is embedded [e.g., Cairns et al, 1989a]. Social aggression, however, was not consistently related to risk factors in other areas of development.…”

“…Each year independent and convergent information was gathered from the participants and the schools to determine current enrollment status [see also Cairns et al, 1989a]. School dropout was established based on whether the participant had dropped out of school prior to the end of the Grade 11.…”

“…One important developmental outcome during adolescence is the failure to complete high school. Previous research has shown that childhood physical aggression significantly increases the risk for school dropout [e.g., Cairns et al, 1989a;Ensminger and Slusarcick, 1992]. It is critical to determine whether social aggression yields a similar long-term prediction.…”

The School Adjustment of Rural Adolescents with and Without Disabilities: Variable and Person-Centered Approaches

“…An early investigation using a person-centered approach to examine school dropout found that youth who were characterized by multiple risk profiles (i.e., high aggression, low academic competence, affiliations with at-risk peers) had highly elevated levels of early school leaving (Cairns et al 1989). Roeser and Peck (2003) found similar results in a study of pathways and patterns of education achievement across adolescence.…”

Does Preschool Enrichment of Precursors to Arithmetic Influence Intuitive Knowledge of Number in Low Income Children?

“…This gap frequently results from an unstable intuitive knowledge-base of central concepts that should have been developed in early childhood. Academic failure during the early elementary school years can be detrimental to life course outcomes of children, with earlier school failure having the most serious and chronic consequences for children's psycho-social adjustment (Cairns, Cairns, & Neckerman, 1989;Pagani et al, 2001).…”