Factores sociales y educativos asociados con la deserción del estudiantado de séptimo nivel del Liceo Francisco Amiguetti Herrera, Región Huetar Norte, durante 2012

Abstract

This article shows the results of a research from a qualitative approach. The project aimed to analyze the social and educational factors associated with the students´ dropout in seventh level at Liceo Amiguetti Francisco Herrera in 2012. Some instruments were designed and applied to a sample of four students who dropped school in 2012, four parents of these students, nine teachers and the high school principal. Social aspects, such as family, relationship between parents and the institution, family support, communication as well as labor and economic aspects were analyzed. Among the educational factors, the transition from sixth to seventh level, pedagogical mediation of teachers, the role of the guidance professional, teaching resources, evaluation, study habits, student-teacher relationship, class schedule and academic load were also assessed. Detailed interviews were used as a qualitative technique in order to know, from the participants´ point of view, their perception about school dropouts. Besides these interviews, as the primary source of information for the achievement of the objectives, it was also necessary to apply the method of “documents analysis” to learn more about the school being studied, its history, registration and dropout figures, among others. The information analysis came from three different perspectives: dropped students, their parents and teachers´ interviews. Thus, the results obtained are enriched. Subsequently, in order to put the collected information from the interviews together, all data was triangulated. The main results show that the labor and economic factors influence the students´ dropout. The transition from sixth to seventh level is a fundamental issue since respondents believe that this change is difficult for students. The study recommends the implementation of workshops on communication, life project, motivation, conflict-solving issues, self-esteem, desire to success, academic performance and values; all these topics with the support from the counselling department. Workshops are proposed to establish strategies to help find solutions to the dropout issue.