Page 144 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Training Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 144
ESL, the resilience concept can contribute significantly to under-
standing and preventing ESL by providing an answer to why some
students stay in school even though high risks for ESL are present
in their lives. The difference between individuals who are found to
be more resilient than others in the face of adverse circumstances is
the number of protective factors: resources (positive contextual fac-
tors) and individual assets (positive individual characteristics) found
in one’s environment (Masten, 2016). The protective factors can be
grouped in four categories: child characteristics, family characteris-
tics, community characteristics, and cultural or societal characteris-
tics. Based on a review of possible protective factors, certain practi-
cal implications of enhancing resilience are listed on the contextual
level (e.g. family, school and community; such as parental educa-
tion trainings, positive school climate improvement, bettering stu-
dent-teacher relations) and individual level (e.g. focusing on mind-
set intervention, boosting social and emotional skills, self-regulation
techniques). In the conclusion, the importance of enhancing any of
the protective factors is stressed – even a single protective factor can
make a great difference to the life of a young person and prevent ESL.
Key words: ESL, resilience, protective factor, context, individual
Introduction
Resilience entails positive adaptation, e.g. doing well despite high risks or
adversities, and the aim of this article was thus to investigate what differen-
tiates students who thrive notwithstanding those risks from those do not
in order to identify the way this knowledge can be used to prevent ESL.
The research on resiliency was prompted by the fact that some individu-
als at a high risk due to adversity or disadvantage appear to be function-
ing or developing normally or even flourishing (Masten, 2014; Masten,
Cutulli, Herbers, & Reed, 2009). Signs of risky circumstances include ad-
verse socio-economic conditions (Felner & DeVries, 2013; Masten, Cutuli,
Herbers, Hinz, Obranović, & Wenzel, 2014), minority ethnicity (Abubakar
& Dimitrova, 2016; Kuperminc, Wilkins, Roche, & Alvarez-Jimenez, 2009;
Motti-Stefanidi, 2015) and parental ill-health (Jaffe, 2013). Resilience re-
search has focused on competencies despite exposure to at-risk environ-
ments (Masten, 1994). Since the mentioned adversities (e.g. low SES, mental
illness…) are also related to ESL (Turner, Thurston, Gaye, & Gentry, 2008),
the concept of resilience can contribute significantly to understanding and
144
standing and preventing ESL by providing an answer to why some
students stay in school even though high risks for ESL are present
in their lives. The difference between individuals who are found to
be more resilient than others in the face of adverse circumstances is
the number of protective factors: resources (positive contextual fac-
tors) and individual assets (positive individual characteristics) found
in one’s environment (Masten, 2016). The protective factors can be
grouped in four categories: child characteristics, family characteris-
tics, community characteristics, and cultural or societal characteris-
tics. Based on a review of possible protective factors, certain practi-
cal implications of enhancing resilience are listed on the contextual
level (e.g. family, school and community; such as parental educa-
tion trainings, positive school climate improvement, bettering stu-
dent-teacher relations) and individual level (e.g. focusing on mind-
set intervention, boosting social and emotional skills, self-regulation
techniques). In the conclusion, the importance of enhancing any of
the protective factors is stressed – even a single protective factor can
make a great difference to the life of a young person and prevent ESL.
Key words: ESL, resilience, protective factor, context, individual
Introduction
Resilience entails positive adaptation, e.g. doing well despite high risks or
adversities, and the aim of this article was thus to investigate what differen-
tiates students who thrive notwithstanding those risks from those do not
in order to identify the way this knowledge can be used to prevent ESL.
The research on resiliency was prompted by the fact that some individu-
als at a high risk due to adversity or disadvantage appear to be function-
ing or developing normally or even flourishing (Masten, 2014; Masten,
Cutulli, Herbers, & Reed, 2009). Signs of risky circumstances include ad-
verse socio-economic conditions (Felner & DeVries, 2013; Masten, Cutuli,
Herbers, Hinz, Obranović, & Wenzel, 2014), minority ethnicity (Abubakar
& Dimitrova, 2016; Kuperminc, Wilkins, Roche, & Alvarez-Jimenez, 2009;
Motti-Stefanidi, 2015) and parental ill-health (Jaffe, 2013). Resilience re-
search has focused on competencies despite exposure to at-risk environ-
ments (Masten, 1994). Since the mentioned adversities (e.g. low SES, mental
illness…) are also related to ESL (Turner, Thurston, Gaye, & Gentry, 2008),
the concept of resilience can contribute significantly to understanding and
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