Re-engaging Out of School Students

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Date

2020-02-27

Authors

Eide, Matthew

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Volume Title

Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

Each year, thousands of students leave school without completing their high school education. Considerable research has been conducted on students’ dropout and disengagement behavior, but much less is understood about why students decide to return to school. Additionally, few instruments have been developed to measure the re-engagement behavior of out-of-school youth. To address these gaps, this two-phase study used qualitative and quantitative methods to develop, field test, and validate a survey instrument designed to identify factors associated with students’ decision to return to school after having dropped out or disengaged. Guided by input from expert and participant focus groups and a push/pull factor theoretical framework described in the limited literature on re-engaging out-of-school students, a re-engagement behavior instrument was developed and pilot tested in the first phase of the study. In the second phase, the instrument was field tested with a sample of students enrolled in a dropout recovery program in order to examine (a) the factors students indicate contributed to their decision to return, (b) how those factors varied across demographic groups, and (c) the relationship between dropout and re-engagement behaviors. Results from the study will inform the creation of similar instruments and the development of programs designed to re-engage students who have dropped out of school.

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Keywords

Dropout, Dropout recovery, Re-engagement

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