Adult & adolescent dropout behavior : are there connections?
Date
1995
Authors
Smith, Beverly (Buff) McCleary
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The major purpose of the study was to examine the views of 20 Adult Basic Education (ABE) students (i.e., adults completing a grade 12 diploma) who had dropped out of an Academic Upgrading Program at a rural college in Northern Alberta. Through the use of questionnaires, participant observation, and in-depth interviews, their reflections on the reasons that led them to originally drop out of school were compared to their reasons for leaving an ABE program. This was primarily a qualitative study. The comparisons implied that there are connections between the reasons an individual gives for leaving high school and the reasons they give for leaving an ABE program. The stories from these 20 students supported the theory that dropping out of school was a process that originated during their initial schooling because of their personal situations and, that for this group, their life circumstances and attitudes toward school have not changed over time.