This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
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Database of Publications
Young People, Drug Use and Early School Leaving
Comiskey, C.M. and Miller, R.T.H
Comiskey, C.M. and Miller, R.T.H
Ireland 2000
Report
English
English
The aim of this report is to examine the nature and extent of drug use among young people in Dublin and its effect, if any, on the decision to leave school early. Within the report the aim of estimating the hidden numbers of young people using drugs was realised by implementing a statistical methodology known as the capture recapture technique to measure the prevalence of hidden opiate use. The method is applied with data on hospital admissions, police records and methadone treatment. The nature of the use of other drugs was examined by conducting a survey amongst 112 early school leavers aged from 14 to 23 years.
Given the known numbers of young people in treatment for drug use (research indicated) it was considered a clear and urgent need to examine the extent of hidden drug use among young people and its effect if any on the decision to leave school early. Results in this study and in particular within the survey, suggest a possible link but not an obvious one that students themselves are aware of. When students were asked directly their reasons for leaving school early none mentioned drugs but tended to mention the fact that they did not like school or the teacher. However when asked explicitly if drug use effected their decision to leave school early several students answered in the positive. This coupled with a known minimum prevalence of 1,528 young people of school going age (from 10 to 20 years of age) using heroin/opiates and in contact with one of the legal, medical or social services indicates the scale of the problem and the necessity for further research and clarification on the true relationship between drug use, young people and early school leaving.
This study represents a good first picture of drug use in the early school leaver population. It indicates the scale of the problem and the necessity for farther research and clarification on the true relationship between drug use, young people and early school leaving.
Ann Caulfield
Mayo Education Centre
Researcher
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15 November 2012
Stay@School at the Future of Education Conference
The Stay@School projet will be presented at the third edition of the “Future of Education” international conference, held in Florence, Italy, on 13 - 14 June 2013. Over 250 participants from all over the world will attend the conference. The conference participants belong to the sectors of higher education, school education, vocational education and training as well as adult education, therefore representing all of the target groups of the Stay@School project.
School Inclusion - Copyright 2008 - This project has been funded with support from the European Commission
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