Determinants of school dropout in the rural areas from Honduras : implications for government policies

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The school dropout issue is present at all educational stages and in all countries, however the issue is more complex and significant in Less Developed Countries (LDCs) or Developing Countries where the economic conditions are not entirely favorable. In Honduras more than half of the population is located in the rural areas; setting on which most of the people are living under extreme poverty. The conditions of basic education in the rural areas are unstable; more than 70 per cent of schools are managed by one or two professors. In Honduras the educational systems share the following features: insufficient coverage of primary education, increased access to basic education, and little capacity to retain both the primary and secondary levels.
Consequently, the school dropout phenomena is linked to low levels of learning the basic content taught by professors, limited access to schools, school material, qualified teachers, as well as issues like poverty and school distance; which slows the development of the skilled children´s at their early age. Its negative effects are gathered throughout the school year, affecting disproportionately the opportunities of improving their welfare and wellbeing, especially among the poorest sectors slowing the economic development of the society and the country as a whole. School dropout have a direct impact on the society which suffer consequences when students drop out from school, the costs to society in terms of lost tax revenue and the expense of government assistance programs for employment, housing, medical care, and imprisonment represent a significant percentage of the countries budget.

The document focal point is the analysis of the main causes of school dropout that take place in the rural areas of Honduras; the analysis aims to identify the factors that forced students to take the decision of dropping out from school. Identifying these causes will allow the implementation of strategies that will reduce school dropout, making children’s continue and finish school; give them higher levels of education, better employment generation which symbolize higher future earnings to keep their families out of poverty and improving their living standards.
The most relevant findings based on the analysis done and the data collected were that identifying and understanding the causes of school dropout and the factors that influence children to dropout from school in the rural areas from Honduras is a complex but not an unfeasible assignment; mainly because many other areas of the education system in Honduras, school dropout is subjective to and affected by a variety of personal and organizational factors. However with the theoretical review made to identify the main factors that influence on school dropout gave some valuable approach to identify the starting point of the school dropout phenomenon in the rural areas from Honduras and at the same time it gave a possible explanation which determine what will be the best solution to reduce and control school dropout.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Acknowledgements i
• Abstract iii
• List of Abbreviations viii
• List of Figures ix
• Chapter I: Introduction 1
• 1.1 Research Background 1
• 1.2 Research Question 3
• 1.3 Significance of the Research 3
• 1.4 Methodology 4
• 1.5 Structure of the Research 5
• Chapter II: Theoretical Framework 7
• 2.1 School Dropout Theories 7
• 2.2 Psychological Theory 7
• 2.3 Social Theory 9
• 2.4 Economic Theory 10
• 2.5 Conclusions 11
• Chapter III: Literature Review 15
• 3.1 School Dropout Cases in America Countries 15
• 3.1.1 School Dropout in United States 16
• 3.1.2 School Dropout in Mexico 18
• 3.1.3 School Dropout in Brazil 21
• Chapter IV: Honduras General Context 24
• 4.1 Honduras Overview and Background 24
• 4.2 Honduras Education Sector 27
• 4.3 Illiteracy in Honduras 29
• 4.4 School Dropout in Honduras 29
• Chapter V: Causes of School Dropout in the Rural Areas from Honduras 31
• 5.1 Definition of School Dropout 31
• 5.2 Why do Children Dropout from School 32
• 5.2.1 Individual Viewpoint 34
• 5.2.2 Institutional Viewpoint 37
• 5.3 Factors Pushing Children Out of School 42
• 5.4 Causes of School Dropout 45
• Chapter VI: Empirical Analysis of the Impact of School Dropout in the Rural Areas from Honduras 49
• 6.1 What Impact does School Dropout has on Children 49
• 6.2 Correlation Between the Education Quality and School Dropout 51
• 6.3 Challenges of School Dropout 53
• 6.4 Effects of School Dropout 54
• Chapter VII: Honduras Government Actions to Prevent School Dropout 56
• 7.1 How to Prevent School Dropout 56
• 7.2 Key Components to Prevent School Dropout 59
• 7.3 Promoting Children Engagement at School 61
• 7.4 Government Programs and Policies to Reduce School Dropout 63
• Chapter VIII: Conclusions and Recommendations 69
• 8.1 Conclusions 69
• 8.2 Recommendations 72
• References 75