Page 173 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Contemporary European Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 173
the interplay of factors contributing to esl at the system level
Figure 10. Bronfenbrenner’s model of human development. The black rectangle constitutes
the focus of the article.
Studies on ESL factors and processes have evolved over time. The
first wave of studies mostly examined factors within the individual and
their family (e.g. Ensminger & Slusarcick, 1992), with this being followed
by a group of studies that also examined school-level factors (e.g. Lee &
Burkham, 2003). The most recent wave of studies recognises that we still
only have an incomplete picture of ESL (e.g. De Witte, Nicaise, Lavrijsen,
Van Landeghem, Lamote, & Damme, 2013). Another level has thus been
added to the research – the system level (e.g. in the extensive review of ESL
factors by Rumberger & Lim 2008 this level was overlooked). The idea is to
understand which national-level policies in different sectors contribute to
or prevent ESL, and to highlight the need for coordinated policies. Namely,
as insights into ESL increased, it became clear that ESL is a complex issue
linked not only to the individual, family and school, but also to nation-
al policies. It is not only linked to policies in the education sector, but also
those in the social, health and labour sectors, making the issue of ESL ex-
ceed the scope of school-level and education-sector policies and thus neces-
sitating cross-sectorial cooperation.
The most recent research on ESL factors at the system level examines
how different characteristics of various sectors counter or exacerbate the
issue of ESL. This article aims to identify and describe certain features of
173
Figure 10. Bronfenbrenner’s model of human development. The black rectangle constitutes
the focus of the article.
Studies on ESL factors and processes have evolved over time. The
first wave of studies mostly examined factors within the individual and
their family (e.g. Ensminger & Slusarcick, 1992), with this being followed
by a group of studies that also examined school-level factors (e.g. Lee &
Burkham, 2003). The most recent wave of studies recognises that we still
only have an incomplete picture of ESL (e.g. De Witte, Nicaise, Lavrijsen,
Van Landeghem, Lamote, & Damme, 2013). Another level has thus been
added to the research – the system level (e.g. in the extensive review of ESL
factors by Rumberger & Lim 2008 this level was overlooked). The idea is to
understand which national-level policies in different sectors contribute to
or prevent ESL, and to highlight the need for coordinated policies. Namely,
as insights into ESL increased, it became clear that ESL is a complex issue
linked not only to the individual, family and school, but also to nation-
al policies. It is not only linked to policies in the education sector, but also
those in the social, health and labour sectors, making the issue of ESL ex-
ceed the scope of school-level and education-sector policies and thus neces-
sitating cross-sectorial cooperation.
The most recent research on ESL factors at the system level examines
how different characteristics of various sectors counter or exacerbate the
issue of ESL. This article aims to identify and describe certain features of
173
