Page 242 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Contemporary European Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 242
ear ly school leaving: contempor ary european perspectives
1989). One of the challenges authors report on in studies of out-of-school
behaviours is whether the behaviour, in this case delinquency, is causally
related to ESL or whether the two behaviours are the result of a common
set of underlying factors.
Research on internalising behaviour and its connection to ESL is much
less extensive. Some studies linked depression to ESL through students’
self-perception of academic competence. Certain researchers (Abramson,
Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989; Hankin, Abramson, & Siler, 2001) report that de-
pressed students have a lower and more negative self-perception. They have
low self-perceived competence and, as a result, their negative perceptions
of competence lead to their reduced engagement in learning activities and
underachievement (Bandura, 1993; Fortier, Vallerand, & Guay, 1995; Pajares
& Graham, 1999; Shim, Ryan, & Anderson, 2008; Zimmerman, 2000). In
the long run, children and adolescents with lower self-perceived compe-
tence and achievement are more likely to drop out of school (Alexander,
Entwisle, & Kabbani, 2001; Caprara et al., 2008; Guay, Larose, & Boivin,
2004; Vallerand, Fortier, & Guay, 1997). Quiroga, Janosz, Bisset, & Morin
(2013) established an association between depression and ESL. Adolescents
with bigger symptoms of depression were 23% more likely to become
ESLers. The relationship between depression and ESL was, however, me-
diated by self-perceptions of academic competence. Yet the causality in
the relationship between ESL and mental health issues remains unclear.
In Kaplan, Damphousse and Kaplan’s (1994) North American study, 4,141
young people were tested in 7th grade and once again as young adults. They
determined a significant damaging effect of dropping out of high school on
the functioning of mental health, including anxiety, depression and coping
(Downes, 2011). Something similar can be said for the study by Esch and
colleagues (2014) who found that mood disorders were significantly relat-
ed to ESL, even after adjusting for socio-demographic factors. They report
another strong and often co-occurring predictor of mood disorders is sui-
cidal ideation. However, generally speaking, their systemic review showed
that internalising disorders were reported as developing as a consequence
of ESL.
The mechanisms underlying the links between ESL and problem be-
haviours have been explained by several authors. Jimerson et al. (2000) state
that early experiences may affect self-esteem and the sense of agency that
may directly influence school performance and decisions to stay in school,
and may also lay the foundations for behavioural control and relationships
242
1989). One of the challenges authors report on in studies of out-of-school
behaviours is whether the behaviour, in this case delinquency, is causally
related to ESL or whether the two behaviours are the result of a common
set of underlying factors.
Research on internalising behaviour and its connection to ESL is much
less extensive. Some studies linked depression to ESL through students’
self-perception of academic competence. Certain researchers (Abramson,
Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989; Hankin, Abramson, & Siler, 2001) report that de-
pressed students have a lower and more negative self-perception. They have
low self-perceived competence and, as a result, their negative perceptions
of competence lead to their reduced engagement in learning activities and
underachievement (Bandura, 1993; Fortier, Vallerand, & Guay, 1995; Pajares
& Graham, 1999; Shim, Ryan, & Anderson, 2008; Zimmerman, 2000). In
the long run, children and adolescents with lower self-perceived compe-
tence and achievement are more likely to drop out of school (Alexander,
Entwisle, & Kabbani, 2001; Caprara et al., 2008; Guay, Larose, & Boivin,
2004; Vallerand, Fortier, & Guay, 1997). Quiroga, Janosz, Bisset, & Morin
(2013) established an association between depression and ESL. Adolescents
with bigger symptoms of depression were 23% more likely to become
ESLers. The relationship between depression and ESL was, however, me-
diated by self-perceptions of academic competence. Yet the causality in
the relationship between ESL and mental health issues remains unclear.
In Kaplan, Damphousse and Kaplan’s (1994) North American study, 4,141
young people were tested in 7th grade and once again as young adults. They
determined a significant damaging effect of dropping out of high school on
the functioning of mental health, including anxiety, depression and coping
(Downes, 2011). Something similar can be said for the study by Esch and
colleagues (2014) who found that mood disorders were significantly relat-
ed to ESL, even after adjusting for socio-demographic factors. They report
another strong and often co-occurring predictor of mood disorders is sui-
cidal ideation. However, generally speaking, their systemic review showed
that internalising disorders were reported as developing as a consequence
of ESL.
The mechanisms underlying the links between ESL and problem be-
haviours have been explained by several authors. Jimerson et al. (2000) state
that early experiences may affect self-esteem and the sense of agency that
may directly influence school performance and decisions to stay in school,
and may also lay the foundations for behavioural control and relationships
242
