Youth at Risk in Higher Levels of Upper Secondary Education: A Supportive Intervention to Prevent School Failure and Drop Out

Abstract

This study addresses the question of how learners whose parents have a migration background can be supported in upper secondary education to prevent their dropping out of education. To that end, we conducted interventions in an upper secondary education setting in order to improve school grades, subject-specific self-conceptions of ability in mathematics and German, motivation to study, and perceived self-efficacy and we evaluated the effects on learner achievements. We applied a two-phase process: a more virtual approach during restrictions imposed during COVID-19 and a more face-to-face approach in which learners were tutored by teachers. The intervention showed an improvement in grades in German and in the self-conception of ability in mathematics. However, this was only established during the face-to-face intervention phase. During the COVID-19 phase, and thus when there was no possibility of standardized intervention, no specific effects were observed.