Social hostility and the “dropout” syndrome: leadership assisting youths’ re‐entry into school?

Abstract

The study investigated experiences of dropouts in schools in rural secondary schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Ten learners who previously dropped out of school described their experiences in school subsequent to re‐enrolling. The implications of these experiences for educational leadership were explored. Using a qualitative approach, which included focus group interviews with 10 participants, the study found that social hostility and an impetus to pursue their academic work, defined the experiences of these dropouts. Social hostility reflected itself in prejudices and bullying. The dropouts lived with, inter alia, inner conflicts, self‐doubt and “scars” associated with their reasons for dropping out of school. Various lessons emerged for educational leadership. The study argues that the presence of dropouts in school poses a challenge to educational leadership and theorises that the integration of these learners into the school population could be made less problematic not only through a recognition of the potential risk that they quite often pose, but also through the provision of support strategies aimed at helping a resettlement of dropouts into the schools and classes. Suggestions have been made regarding possible support strategy.