Sociodemographic risk, school engagement, and community characteristics: A mediated approach to understanding high school dropout

Abstract

IntroductionSociodemographic factors (i.e., income, gender, age, and race) and behavioral indicators of school disengagement (i.e., absenteeism, behavior problems, and poor academic performance) are associated with increased risk of dropping out of high school. However, our understanding of how these factors interact to influence youths’ decision to drop out is not yet fully understood. This is especially true in rural student populations, a group underrepresented in research. This study examined: the mediating role of school disengagement on the relationship between sociodemographic risk and high school dropout and whether effects differed for rural and non-rural students. MethodA sample of 10,000 students who reached at least sixth grade in the 2008–2009 school year was randomly selected from a larger public education dataset. In this sample, 537 rural students and 9,463 non-rural students were represented, 46.0% identified as African American, and 50.9% were female. ResultsSociodemographic risk significantly predicted high school dropout for both rural and non-rural students. All indicators of school disengagement significantly mediated the association between sociodemographic risk and dropout for non-rural students. Academic performance was the only significant mediator for rural students. ConclusionsFindings suggest that different constellations of risk factors might precipitate dropout for rural and non-rural students. Results help disentangle the complex relationship among sociodemographic risk, school disengagement, and dropout to inform treatment and prevention efforts.