Identification of Early Warning Signals Related to Early School Leaving: Scope, Context, Methodology and Benefits

Author(s):

Irina Maslo(submitting)Manuels Fernandezs(presenting)Vladislavs Mazurs(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2015

Network:

11. Educational Improvement and Quality Assurance

Format:

Paper

Session Information

11 SES 09 A, Educational Improvement: National Level (Part 2)

Paper Session continues from 11 SES 08 A to be continued in 11 SES 10 A

Time:

2015-09-10

11:00-12:30

Room:

102.Oktatóterem [C]

Chair:

Andra Fernate

Contribution

ESL-warning system is one of the main tools for pedagogical intervention, and it is a challenge not only in Latvian context. The abbreviation ‘EWS’ (early warning system) is used as a broad term to describe systems, activities and programmes related to the identification of early warning signals and risk factors related to ESL (European Commission, 2014b). This means that EWS can take different forms and definition of the main characteristics of EWS can be only tentative. Typically they include the collection or use of data on students in order to identify risk factors and trigger targeted follow up. They are strongly linked to data collection systems in general and to early intervention mechanisms. This makes it often difficult to distinguish between specific EWS and broader interventions to reduce ESL ( European Commission, 2014, p. 3). This is a new field of research and a challenge for policy makers.

The challenges associated with EWS include having a clear understanding of their scope, context, methodology and benefit. Therefore the research question of the study on “Identification and analysis of new challenges and solutions that have influence on engagement and reintegration of early school-leavers (18-24 years) in lifelong learning” funded by ESF project "Support to research in educational field" (sub-activity 1.2.2.3.2.), project No 011/0011/1DP/1.2.2.3.2/11/IPIA/VIAA/001 - indicated in 2010 by the Ministry of Education and Science of Latvia (MoES), leaded by the University of Latvia, supervised by the State Education Development Agency of Latvia and voluntarily supported by ASEM countries - aimed at elaborating the evidence-based recommendations for indicating and monitoring of early school leaving policy in 2015-2020 in Latvia to be transferable for local, regional and national conditions. The evidence on reasons to leave schooling early, explored by Early school leavers 'voices' ex-post-facto, will be presented in this paper.

The reasons are investigated in the context of the need to implement a new holistic structural system on preventive measures based on the several psychological researches in the last years, mapped by Paul Downes with a holistic approach that ,,address why people are reluctant to engage with education and training” (Downes, 2014, p.4).

The understanding of the complexity of ESL-warning is based on the premises provided by literature review (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice/Cedefop/Eurostat, 2014, p.103). At first, longitudinal studies reveal that grade retention is linked to an increased risk of dropping out of school (Jimerson et al., 2002; Allensworth, 2005), together with student level variables such as low self-esteem, problematic behaviour, low academic achievement, as well as family level variables such as lower maternal educational attainment and lower maternal value of education (Jimerson et al., 2002). At least, research shows that separating students too early strongly appears to increase differences and inequalities in student achievement (Hanuschek and Wößmann, 2006; OECD, 2012). Early tracking can trigger a vicious cycle in teachers' and students' expectations. Teachers can have lower expectations from low-performing students and students consequently adjust their expectations and efforts (OECD, 2010). Moreover, students cease to benefit from the positive influence of being around their more advanced peers (Hanuschek and Wößmann, 2006; Rumberger and Lim, 2008). Finally, more experienced and competent teachers tend to teach in more academic education institutions (OECD, 2010). As a result, students who find themselves in a wrong track often experience a negative learning experience; they may also experience stigmatisation, a decrease in their self- esteem and motivation, and thus run a higher risk of early leaving from education and training (European Commission, 2013).

Method

The evidences on reasons to leave the school early were explored using the methodology of “perspective discrepancy assessment”. The theoretical bases for exploring the reasons to leave the school early are built on the “organizational concept of “perspective” developed by Mezirow (1981). Mezirow adopted Becker’s (1968) interactionist tradition in sociology, as exemplified in the work of Glaser and Strauss (1967) and Becker, Geer and Hughes (1968), which consists of three components: 1) a definition of the situation one is in, why one is in it and what one can do to get out of it; 2) the activities that, given the situation, are proper and reasonable to engage in; 3) “criteria” of judgment (standards of value against which people are judged) ( p.144-145), developed in the notion of the “perspective discrepancy assessment”. This perspective was adopted in the evaluation of: 1) the findings in early school-leavers’ interviews (42 biographical stories) at evening (shift) schools; 2) the early school-leavers’ statements (350 survey responses) and evening (shift) school teachers’ perception of “ good learning” (165 survey responses); 3) the perceptions of the good support practice (75 speakers x 10 questions= 750 expressions) that appeared in the focus group discussions; 4) the institutional (evening/shift school) case analyses (24 of 25 available cases in Latvian local and regional contexts). The evaluation was done from the perspective of discrepancy evaluation of successful learning. First, eventual reasons to leave the school early were explored in narrative biographical learning stories by analyzing interview expressions ex post facto. Next, the explored reasons we tested through the evaluation of evidence, find out analyzing the challenges in 1) difficult subject learning, 2) e-learning, 3) emotional relationships with teachers and peers, 4) workplace learning etc. Challenges were seen as proved reasons to leave the school in post-fact perspective. Then the challenges were confirmed by evaluation of evidences found out in focus group discussions. After the evaluation of case studies on school practice, findings were generalized.

Expected Outcomes

1. The main reasons of ESL are 'unsuccessful learning' and necessity to start working combined with schooling. Other reasons are combined with these ones in each case. 2. Unsuccessful learning is the main reason to leave school early. This reason was found out by analyses of biographical narratives and its characteristics were explored in-depth through the analysis of expressions in focus group discussions. The combination of the following reasons, which were found out by analyses of biographical narratives and are statistically significant, lead to unsuccessful learning and therefore to leaving the school early: lack of personal qualities and competences of regular school teachers; overloading of content and too high importance of theory; students’ low literacy and numeracy; need of getting job experience. Unsuccessful learning as a reason to leave the school early is characterized by the individual combination of following characteristics of 'lack of success' in learning: 1) getting bad marks in tests [most dominant]; 2) not getting a better salary: people understand that they have to learn something new [only one case]; 3) the missed opportunity of success in self-development by practical action in daily life situations; 4) learning from books, excluding learning in extracurricular activities; 5) schooling without any workplace practice and without school informal meetings at the learning places; 6) dominance of the compulsory learning versus voluntary learning, which is based on the individual’s purpose to find something out; 7) missed opportunity to learn from mistakes, which is a good pathway for successful learning versus mistakes at the tests for marking; 8) low social impact on learning. The findings of the in-depth analyses of Latvian national, local and school contexts of identification of early signals of school leaving will be presented at the conference.

References

European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice/Cedefop. (2014). Tackling Early Leaving from Education and Training in Europe: Strategies, Policies and Measures. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. European Commission. (2014). Thematic Working Group on Early School Leaving. Early warning systems in Europe: practice, methods and lessons. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. European Commission. (2013). Reducing early school leaving: Key messages and policy support. Final Report of the Thematic Working Group on Early School Leaving, November 2013. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/strategic-framework/doc/esl-group-report_en.pdf Dale, R. (2009). Early School Leaving: Lessons from Research for Policy Makers. Report written on behalf of NESSE (Network of experts in social science of education and training). Retrieved from http://www.nesse.fr/nesse/activities/reports/activities/reports/early-school-leaving-report Downes, P. (2014). Access to Education in Europe: A Framework and Agenda for System Change. Dordrecht: Springer Verlag. Hanushek, E. A., Wößmann, L. (2006). Does Educational Tracking Affect Performance and Inequality? Differences-in-Differences Evidence across Countries. Economic Journal, 116(510), 63-76. Jimerson, S. R., Anderson G. E., &Whipple, A. D. (2002). Winning the battle and losing the war: Examining the relation between grade retention and dropping out of school. Psychology in the Schools, 39, 441-457. Mezirow, J. D. (1981). A critical theory of adult learning and education. Adult Education Quarterly, 32(1), 3-24. OECD. (2012). Equity and Quality in Education: Supporting Disadvantaged Students and Schools. Paris: OECD. Rumberger, R., & Lim, S. A. (2008). Why students drop out of school: A review of 25 years of research. California Dropout Research Project Report No15. Santa Barbara: University of California. Retrieved from http://cdrp.ucsb.edu/dropouts/pubs_reports.htm_15

Author Information

Irina Maslo (submitting)

University of Latvia

Institute of pedagogical&educational Research of Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology

Riga

Manuels Fernandezs (presenting)

University of Latvia

Education

Riga

Vladislavs Mazurs (presenting)

University of Latvia

Faculty of Education, Psyhology and Art

Riga

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