Cognitive and affective factors that relate to suburban females dropping out of high school

This study focused on suburban, predominantly White, middle-class females who dropped out of high school for reasons other than pregnancy. The aim of this investigation was to ascertain traits and circumstances that impacted their lack of academic persistence through high school graduation.

The sample consisted of matched pairs of twenty high school dropouts and twenty high school graduates, drawn from San Diego County. Females were matched on the basis of nine of the variables that researchers believe impact school persistence. The cognitive and affective factors investigated relate to: (1) academic competence; (2) self-perception of personal power; (3) study orientation; and (4) pivotal personal issues that impacted dropping out.

Participants were administered (1) a reading comprehension test; (2) a writing assessment; (3) the Wide Range Achievement Test, mathematics section; (4) a researcher-constructed self-perception inventory; (5) The Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes, and (6) a Critical Incident Interview.

Students t-tests indicated that dropouts scored significantly lower than stay-ins for (1) reading ability, main idea; (2) writing ability; (3) mathematics ability; (4) support system and relationships; (5) teacher approval; and (6) work methods.

A discriminant function equation revealed that the combination of variables that best predicted dropping out were: (1) mathematics score; (2) writing score; (3) support system score; (4) reading score; and (5) work methods score. A multiple regression analysis indicated that the same five factors that predicted membership in the dropout group also predicted low cumulative high school grade point averages. A qualitative analysis of the interviews indicated that the variables that affected the decision to drop out, in order of importance, were: (1) support system and relationships, specifically peer support, parental support and teacher support; and (2) the internal motivation to complete high school no matter what the circumstances.

The suburban, predominantly White, middle-class female dropouts in this study had lower academic competence, poorer attitudes toward teachers, felt less supported by peers, parents and teachers, and had lower internal motivation to succeed in school than stay-ins. As hypothesized, dropouts had poorer work methods, specifically in the form of poorer ability in taking notes, interpreting diagrams, tables and illustrations, activating background knowledge, organizing and synthesizing information, and taking tests.