Dropout in Secondary Education and Social Capital: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Identification of the factors leading to school dropout, and measures to prevent it, are among the most pressing problems of education systems. The purpose of this study is to examine the causes of school dropout in the context of social capital. To this end, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with students who dropped out of a formal high school and then enrolled in an open high school. In the study, how the social network formed by the student in three areas (family, school, and community), the trust among people in these networks, and the norms and values adopted in these networks play a role in the dropout process were examined. The findings are presented under three themes: family, school, and community social capital. Problems in family participation in school, the school's effort to partner with families, teacher-student interactions, and the negative effects of the groups inside and outside the school are identified as emerging factors related social capital in the student's dropout process. As a result, carrying out longitudinal studies to determine groups at high risk for dropping out, improving school counseling and guidance departments in order to promote school-family partnership, and strengthening the bonds between teachers and students by reestablishing trust to eliminate the negative results of peer social capital in at-risk schools were suggested.