Page 142 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Contemporary European Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 142
ear ly school leaving: contempor ary european perspectives
Personality traits are defined within the Five Factor Model (FFM;
McCrae & Costa, 1997) as extraversion, agreeableness, emotional stability/
neuroticism, conscientiousness, and openness to experience3. Personality
traits are usually not examined relative to ESL, but to academic achieve-
ment (for exceptions, see Rosenthal, 1998; Traag, 2012). Conscientiousness
was found to be protective factor against ESL, while openness to experi-
ence, on the contrary to the author’s expectations, increased the risk of ESL
(other personality traits were not significant predictors after controls were
added to the models; Traag, 2012). In relation to academic achievement,
conscientiousness (in some studies in combination with openness) was
the most consistent predictor (e.g. Poropat, 2009; Lamb, Chuang, Wessels,
Broberg, & Hwang, 2002; Zupančič & Kavčič, 2007) while research results
about openness to experience, emotional stability, and agreeableness are
inconclusive (for a review, see Traag, 2012; Vidmar, 2010). Extraversion was
a positive predictor for both young children and young adolescents (e.g.
Anthony, 1983; Eysenck & Cookson, 1969; Mervielde, Buyst & De Fruyt,
1995), but a negative one in older age groups (e.g. Eysenck, 1994; Mervielde
et al., 1995; Puklek Levpušček & Zupančič, 2009; Smrtnik Vitulić, 2008;
Wolf & Ackerman, 2004).
Student engagement is one of the most important precursors to ESL
in conceptual models of ESL (Finn, 1989; Rogers, 2016; Rumberger & Lim,
2008). Disengagement from education lies along a continuum that at the
most extreme end refers to ESL (Rogers, 2016; Rumberger, 2011). It compris-
es multiple dimensions: an emotional (e.g. affective reactions) and behav-
ioural dimension (e.g. absenteeism, participation in learning and academ-
ic tasks) and in some models also a cognitive one (e.g. willingness to exert
effort; for details, see Archambault, Janosz, Fallu, & Pagani, 2009; Rogers,
2016). Indeed, in high school stronger levels of engagement reduced the
ESL risk in the majority of studies (77%, non-significant in the remaining
studies), while the impact of engagement was less obvious in middle school
(Rumberger & Lim, 2008). Audas and Willms’ (2001) and Lyche’s (2010) lit-
erature review (2001), McCarthy Voss’ study (2015) and the study by Henry,
3 Extraversion is conceptualized in terms of sociability, activity, positive mood, asser-
tiveness; agreeableness in terms of prosocialness, kindness, courtesy, empathy, com-
pliance, cooperation; neuroticism in terms of general negative emotionality, high
sensitivity, high arousal, the presence of fears, tension, anxiety; conscientiousness in
terms of controlling impulses, maintaining attention, accuracy, orderliness, deter-
mination, competitiveness; and openness in terms of curiosity, creativity, interest in
new things, cleverness, ingenuity, and speed of learning (Ehrler, Evans, & McGhee,
1999; Zupančič & Kavčič, 2007).
142
Personality traits are defined within the Five Factor Model (FFM;
McCrae & Costa, 1997) as extraversion, agreeableness, emotional stability/
neuroticism, conscientiousness, and openness to experience3. Personality
traits are usually not examined relative to ESL, but to academic achieve-
ment (for exceptions, see Rosenthal, 1998; Traag, 2012). Conscientiousness
was found to be protective factor against ESL, while openness to experi-
ence, on the contrary to the author’s expectations, increased the risk of ESL
(other personality traits were not significant predictors after controls were
added to the models; Traag, 2012). In relation to academic achievement,
conscientiousness (in some studies in combination with openness) was
the most consistent predictor (e.g. Poropat, 2009; Lamb, Chuang, Wessels,
Broberg, & Hwang, 2002; Zupančič & Kavčič, 2007) while research results
about openness to experience, emotional stability, and agreeableness are
inconclusive (for a review, see Traag, 2012; Vidmar, 2010). Extraversion was
a positive predictor for both young children and young adolescents (e.g.
Anthony, 1983; Eysenck & Cookson, 1969; Mervielde, Buyst & De Fruyt,
1995), but a negative one in older age groups (e.g. Eysenck, 1994; Mervielde
et al., 1995; Puklek Levpušček & Zupančič, 2009; Smrtnik Vitulić, 2008;
Wolf & Ackerman, 2004).
Student engagement is one of the most important precursors to ESL
in conceptual models of ESL (Finn, 1989; Rogers, 2016; Rumberger & Lim,
2008). Disengagement from education lies along a continuum that at the
most extreme end refers to ESL (Rogers, 2016; Rumberger, 2011). It compris-
es multiple dimensions: an emotional (e.g. affective reactions) and behav-
ioural dimension (e.g. absenteeism, participation in learning and academ-
ic tasks) and in some models also a cognitive one (e.g. willingness to exert
effort; for details, see Archambault, Janosz, Fallu, & Pagani, 2009; Rogers,
2016). Indeed, in high school stronger levels of engagement reduced the
ESL risk in the majority of studies (77%, non-significant in the remaining
studies), while the impact of engagement was less obvious in middle school
(Rumberger & Lim, 2008). Audas and Willms’ (2001) and Lyche’s (2010) lit-
erature review (2001), McCarthy Voss’ study (2015) and the study by Henry,
3 Extraversion is conceptualized in terms of sociability, activity, positive mood, asser-
tiveness; agreeableness in terms of prosocialness, kindness, courtesy, empathy, com-
pliance, cooperation; neuroticism in terms of general negative emotionality, high
sensitivity, high arousal, the presence of fears, tension, anxiety; conscientiousness in
terms of controlling impulses, maintaining attention, accuracy, orderliness, deter-
mination, competitiveness; and openness in terms of curiosity, creativity, interest in
new things, cleverness, ingenuity, and speed of learning (Ehrler, Evans, & McGhee,
1999; Zupančič & Kavčič, 2007).
142
