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Dropping Out Effects

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Scientific studies have established that dropping out is a process rather than an instant phenomenon (Wahlgren & Mariager-Anderson, 2016). This means that a person does not simply decide to stop attending school. Instead, there are many factors that can ultimately make a student decide to not continue attending classes and drop out. For instance, substantial evidence exists that shows that among the strongest determinants of dropping out is poor academic achievement (Rumberger & Sun, 2008). A student who does not do well in his classes may not automatically drop out; instead, this person would likely strive to improve his performance. However, if personal and external circumstances would not allow him to improve his academic performance, this person may be discouraged from finishing his schooling and drop out. Other strong indicators of dropping out are behavioral problems, including, delinquency, substance abuse, and absenteeism. Of the three, substance abuse is likely the strongest since a person who abuses substances would be distracted from his classes and more focused on attending to his addictive behaviors or habits. At the other end of the spectrum, retention of students as well as graduation rates are improved through stable home environments and adequate access to social and financial resources (Rumberger & Sun, 2008). These factors encourage students to do well because their basic needs are met. They can focus on studying and enriching their knowledge. Meanwhile, there is extensive literature regarding dropping out, many of which address traditional students rather than adult learners. Nevertheless, there have also been empirical investigations into the determinants of dropping out among adult learners. Here, the distinction between traditional and non-traditional, adult learners need to be emphasized. Historically, adult learners had to do with ad-hoc training, or education constrained to pre-determined learning outcomes, including, specific skills acquisition so that they can gain employment (Harsh & Sohail, 2002). Therefore, adult education was generally limited to basic skills upgrades, usually through vocational training targeting “older” people (Harsh & Sohail, 2002). But this has changed in

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