In this paper we present findings from an analysis of existing research on strategies to prevent dropout and retain students in secondary education. More knowledge about key characteristics of studies in this field is important because research plays an important role both in the formulation of problems and solutions - both for policy, practice and further research. Our starting point is that "dropout" can be characterised as a policy concept that has gradually become a key element in the governance of secondary education. For this study, we do not take a specific perspective on dropout as our starting point. Instead, we use analytical perspectives on knowledge production (Gunter & Ribbins, 2003) to shed light on the relationship between research, policy, and practice. By categorising the research literature as conceptual, descriptive, humanistic, critical, evaluative or instrumental, we concentrate on both features of the concept and phenomenon under investigation, as well as the research methods and theoretical perspectives used to study the phenomenon. The typologies have been developed to analyse the production of knowledge related to complex phenomena and thus also consider the context in which the knowledge is produced. The articles that make up the data material in the article have been identified through searches inspired by systematic methods in international databases. The aim of the research review is not to provide an exhaustive overview of the research field, but to identify, present and analyse the main features of the field in terms of the disciplines involved, research design and findings (Prøitz, 2023). The research overview can best be described as a 'critical review' (Grant & Booth, 2009), since it aims to shed light on what is being studied, by whom, with which methods and perspectives, as well as the context of the studies. Findings show that research on dropout has mainly concentrated on what characterises students who drop out and the reasons why they do not complete upper secondary education, but that over time there have been contributions from several academic disciplines and with other methods that together contribute to increased knowledge about the complexity of the concept and the phenomenon. Moreover, the perspectives on knowledge production give us a picture of what kind of research dominates and what we may need more of, as well as what the context in which the studies were produced may mean for how we understand the phenomenon.

Grant, M.J. & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26, 91-108 Gunter, H. & Ribbins, P. (2003). The Field of Educational Leadership: Studying Maps and Mapping Studies. British Journal of Educational Studies, 51, 254-281 Prøitz, T.S. (2023). Forskningsoversikter i utdanningsvitenskap. Fagbokforlaget.