Lifelong Learning Project - School Inclusion - Preventing Early School Leaving

Scholastic Dropout: is there a link with deviant behaviors? Causes, observations and proposals

Emanuel Mian, Massimiliano Fanni Canelles

Istituto di Ricerca Internazionale sul Disagio e la Salute in Adolescenza

2007

Report

Italian

English

The present report deeply analyzes the causes for the scholastic dropout introducing the idea of a possible correlation with deviant behaviors. Firstly the authors stress the multiform nature of the early school leaving problem that do not identifies itself only with the choice of dropping out, but also with several negative experiences that characterize the students scholastic career. For this reason the problem of early school leaving is the core of the research issues for lots of scholars and state authorities. The authors report on the current situation of the education system both in Europe and in Italy and briefly define which are the policies adopted at national and supranational level in order to detect the original causes of this phenomenon and the possible remedies to prevent and reduce it. In order to implement valid awareness strategies it is necessary that the actors involved deeply know the motivations and the behaviors responsible for the decision (sometimes the obligation) of dropping out from school. This report wants to frame the theme of early school leaving from a psychological, anthropological and educational point of view and it tries to give the readers the necessary tools and information to concretely intervene on the problem. At the end the report includes the results of an interview conducted by the “Istituto di Ricerca Internazionale sul Disagio e la Salute nell’Adolescenza” in 2007 in Friuli Venezia Giulia, which analyzed the stories of some early school leavers in terms of factorial causes.

The most remote causes that can be seen as responsible for the scholastic dropout problem are smartly explained in the present report: it focuses on the factors that are at the origin of the phenomenon and that serve as starting point for an effective action against the scholastic dropouts. The part of the report, in which the authors address the question of the projects adopted both at European and Italian level to tackle and prevent the students at risk of dropping out, gives the reader important information in order to understand that the international community is making strong efforts (on several levels) to reduce the rate of scholastic dropout. The present report gives an idea of the urgent character of this phenomenon and the importance acknowledged to it by national and international research centers. The concrete example of the interview that took place in Firuli Venezia Giulia and was carried out by the dell’Istituto di Ricerca Internazionale sul Disagio e la Salute nell’Adolescenza, clearly shows which are the features of this phenomenon and it gives the factorial elements to be applied also to other contexts. A the end, the authors suggest to look at the problem of early school leaving with a particular consideration for that causes that are at the origin of the problem and the behaviors observed. This can be a valid recommendation to go on with effective prevention policies against this problem.

http://www.nuovapedagogia.com/abbandono_scolastico.pdf

Sara Ciabattini

Pixel Association

Project Assistant