Lifelong Learning Project - School Inclusion - Preventing Early School Leaving

Status of the risk of drop-out in the Brussels region

Benoît Galand et Virginie Hospel (UCL – University of Leuven) in collaboration
with various authors (FBPSU - Belgian Forum for Urban Safety and Prevention)

Study funded by the Ministry of the Brussels Capital Region

Brussels - December 2011

Research

French

English

This study objects to a deterministic reading of drop-out: the family situation as well as
the frequency of socio-cultural activities really are risk factors, but mainly through
the influence they would have on other dimensions.

For the authors, the drop-out is a process which appears gradually and whose warning
signs appear by school disengagement and absenteeism.

Four risk factors are clearly distinguished in the analysis:
- the value attributed to academic learning (relevance, importance and interest which
the student give to school)
- low involvement in class (lack of investment)
- the intentions of the friends of the student to leave school
- consumption of alcohol, cigarettes or marijuana reported by the student.

The study shows that the students most at risk of drop-out are those which cumulate
these four risk factors and those with an advanced school demotivation.


Moreover, the survey results support the idea that the risk of drop-out is related to the
school system functioning.

The authors tried to understand the dynamics of school drop-out by a survey conducted
during the school year 2010-11, with 3,716 students of third secondary of Francophone
Brussels schools.

The questionnaire is intended to be broad: the perception of family and school
environment, pedagogical practice in classroom and discipline management, motivation
for school, school career, health, peer relationships, etc.

The researchers wanted to better understand the way students perceive and experience
their school environment, to identify indicators that could guide the drop-out prevention.

As a result of the study, working meetings were held with local actors to promote a
participatory pedagogy for students who start to drop-out, develop enhancement tools
of the school from kindergarten, ...

http://www.urbansecurity.be/Enquete-sur-le-decrochage-scolaire
http://www.urbansecurity.be/IMG/pdf/Questionnaire_final_2011.pdf
http://www.urbansecurity.be/IMG/pdf/Etat_des_lieux du_risque_de_decrochage_scolaire_en_Region_bruxelloise_final.pdf

Martine PRIGNON

AEDE-EL

Consellor