Structure of School, Personality and High School Dropouts

Abstract

One of the most perennial problems faced by educators has been to design effective ways to limit the number of students who drop out of school. However, more recently, sociologists who study social mobility have expressed interest in the school dropout phenomenon. Their concern is related to the fact that the years of schooling completed are positively and significantly related to mobility probability. While there exists an abundance of literature, theoretical and empirical, on school dropouts, not much is known regarding the role of school, as an institution, in promoting or otherwise influencing dropping out behavior. There is need, therefore, to investigate the extent to which the institutional structure of school may contribute to the dropping out process. Several lines of reasoning seem important in determining possible school influence in this regard. First, is there a reciprocal relationship between certain salient features of schools and certain salient personality dimensions of school dropouts? Second, to what extent are dropouts conscious of these salient features of school? Finally, is the consciousness of these features of school likely to produce dropping out behavior? The purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which the structure of school interacts with a personality dimension of school dropouts. Specifically, we are concerned with a comparison of high school dropouts with high school graduates on a measure of perception of the school as a institution. There are several compelling reasons for examining the dropout phenomenon from this interaction perspective. Foremost is the fact that researchers have held that schools tend to promote and encourage the development of personality traits among students which reflect a feminine value orientation.1 Moreover, it has been