Poster #120 - A Longitudinal Exploration of Elementary School Dropout in Rural Indigenous Guatemala

• In Event: 2-002 - Special Poster Session 05 with Continental Breakfast Reception
  In Poster Session: PS 05 - International Section

Integrative Statement

Increasing elementary school attainment globally remains a key focus for improving child development internationally (UNESCO, 2010; 2018), and for girls in particular (UNICEF, 2015). This study used a longitudinal mixed-methods approach to understand why children were dropping out from elementary school in a rural community in Guatemala. In Camanchaj, Guatemala, 30% of the mothers in the community were selected at random with 85% recruitment (N=179). Among these mothers, 132 of their children (60 boys; 72 girls) had successfully graduated 6th grade and 64 children (33 boys; 31 girls) had dropped out of education during elementary school.
First, a quantitative survey was conducted with 179 mothers to understand the educational trajectories of their children. Research questions included at what age children began school, current age and grade, and if they had graduated elementary school. If children had dropped out, questions explored at what age and grade this occurred, if they intended to return to school, and if they intended to graduate from elementary school. Results showed complex and diverse educational trajectories with many students leaving, returning and dropping out of school and significant diversity in the age of children at each grade (See Figure 1).
In order to better understand how to reduce the occurrence of dropping out of elementary school, beyond socio-economic influences, maternal beliefs about education have been suggested as influential to child outcomes (Davis-Kean, 2005). This model was tested using a logistic regression to assess predictors of graduating or dropping out of elementary school, using maternal beliefs as predictors, above and beyond the typical covariates of poverty and health (Minujin & UNICEF, 2011), and interactions by child gender were considered (See Figure 2 for model diagram and results). Results showed that maternal education predicted graduating elementary school for both boys and girls (B=1.45(.31), p<.001). In addition, maternal beliefs about the importance of graduating school for future job success was a significant for both boys and girls, and showed a significant gender interaction (B=-1.57(.68), p=.02), with an odds ratio four times higher for boys. Maternal involvement in a child’s education was not a predictor of graduating from elementary school for this community.
Lastly, qualitative interviews with 37 of the mothers were conducted 3.5 years later to probe these quantitative findings. Experiential Thematic Analyses and Frequency Analyses were used to validate the above findings with mothers and to explore the reasons they give for their children dropping out from elementary school or successfully graduating. Results illustrated that a child’s educational trajectory is often decided with both child and parent input and is heavily influenced by financial and health concerns but also gendered beliefs. Despite our quantitative findings that maternal beliefs influence the likelihood of attainment, many mothers did not feel that they had control over their child’s educational outcome.
Findings highlight the need for educational interventions that are contextually and culturally appropriate and that consider complex and interacting factors of poverty, health, and gender inequality and maternal beliefs, particularly among low-income rural indigenous communities globally.

Authors

• Dawn E. England, Middlesex University, Dubai
  Presenting Author

• Carey E Jett, Salud y Paz
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gina J Ahn, Columbia University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Carol Lynn Martin, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author