International Research on Strategies to Prevent Dropout and Retain Students in Secondary Education

• In Event: Equitable Education? Policies and Strategies to Prevent Dropout, Accommodate Needs, and Retain Students in Secondary Education

Abstract

Objectives
In this paper we present findings from an analysis of existing research on strategies to prevent dropout and retain students in secondary education. More knowledge about key characteristics of studies in this field is important because research plays an important role both in the formulation of problems and solutions - both for policy, practice and further research.

Theoretical perspectives
Our starting point is that "dropout" can be characterised as a policy concept that has gradually become a key element in the governance of secondary education. For this study, we do not take a specific perspective on dropout as our starting point. Instead, we use analytical perspectives on knowledge production (Gunter & Ribbins, 2003) to shed light on the relationship between research, policy, and practice. By categorising the research literature as conceptual, descriptive, humanistic, critical, evaluative or instrumental, we concentrate on both features of the concept and phenomenon under investigation, as well as the research methods and theoretical perspectives used to study the phenomenon. The typology has been developed to analyse the production of knowledge related to complex phenomena and thus also consider the context in which the knowledge is produced.

Methods
The aim of the research review is to identify, present and analyse the main features of the field in terms of the disciplines involved, research design and findings (Prøitz, 2023). The research overview can best be described as a 'critical review' (Grant & Booth, 2009), since it aims to shed light on what is being studied, by whom, with which methods and perspectives, as well as the context of the studies.

Data sources
The articles that make up the data material (N=1087) have been identified through searches inspired by systematic methods in international databases.

Results
Findings show that dropout is understood and constituted differently depending on the research field and methods. Quantitative sociological studies provide insight into many explanatory variables at both the individual and societal levels, while psychological studies focus on individual explanations and solutions. Educational and organisational studies contribute knowledge about interventions in the education system. Taken together, this provides a deeper understanding of dropout as a phenomenon. Methodological breadth and interdisciplinary research increase our understanding of dropout, particularly with regard to accumulated risk factors. Interdisciplinarity and collaboration between different professions and fields of knowledge are crucial for gaining insight into societal challenges. Although increased interdisciplinarity has strengthened research on dropout, there is still a need to understand how disciplines can contribute to the pedagogical work in schools and how collaboration between district/ school stakeholders takes place.

Scholarly/scientific significance
Over time there have been contributions from several academic disciplines and with other methods that together contribute to increased knowledge about the complexity of dropout as a concept and phenomenon. This review and in particular by applying perspectives on knowledge production give us a picture of what kind of research dominates and what we may need more of, as well as what the context in which the studies were produced may mean for how we understand dropout.

Authors

• Josefine Jahreie, Oslo Metropolitan University

• Jeffrey Brooks Hall, University of Oslo

• Guri Skedsmo, University of Oslo