STUDENT DROPOUT IN THE LEBANESE INTERMEDIATE PUBLIC SCHOOL: STUDENT REPORTS OF REASONS LEADING SOME TO STAY IN WHILE LEADING OTHERS TO DROP OUT OF SCHOOL

Mouhammed A.H. FATTAH

This thesis explored the factors leading many Lebanese (public schools) students to drop out of school during the middle school years. Studying dropout at the middle school level is not intended to negate the dropout at the high school level. Studying the middle school dropout is motivated by the fact that this phenomenon is happening at an early stage of students education. In addition, this study is intended to study who drops out rather than the rate of dropout. Mentioning the dropout rate is intended to illustrate the magnitude of the dropout and therefore the need to study this problem. This study explored the reasons which lead students to drop out of school early in their educational lives. To accomplish this, the study compared student reports of school experience, parental involvement in children's education and student attitudes toward school of 24 students (12 dropouts and 12 continuing). In addition, it compared and contrasted mothers' (of dropouts and continuing students) reports of support and involvement in their children's education. The study also explored whether there are any differences between the reported experiences and attitudes of dropouts and non‑dropouts and whether these experiences, if different, could give us some initial insights on the reasons which lead some students to drop out while others continue going to school.

Since there is almost no research in this area in Lebanon, this study was designed as an exploratory one. Alkaroun, a town of about seven thousand people, located in the West Bekaa province in Lebanon, has been the site of this study. It explored the following research‑questions: Are there any differences in school and home experiences between dropouts and continuing students? Do dropouts report a different school experience than continuing students? Do dropouts, in contrast to continuing students, report a different attitude toward school? Do dropouts, in contrast to continuing students, report receiving less support from parents for their school work? Do dropout girls report a different school experience than dropout boys? Do dropout girls report similar or different reasons for dropping out or staying in than boys? Finally, what are the reasons that dropouts give for dropping out versus the reasons that non­-dropouts give for staying in school?

Do mothers of dropouts report being involved less in their children's educations than mothers of non‑dropouts? Do mothers of non‑dropouts report doing any thing different than mothers of dropouts to help their children in their schooling? Do mothers of dropouts, in contrast of non­-dropout mothers, report using different academic socialization practices? What are the reasons given by mothers for allowing their children to drop out or to stay in school? Do mothers of dropouts perceive their role in their children's education to be different from that of mothers of non‑dropouts? Finally, do mothers of dropout girls report different reasons for their children's decisions to drop out than mothers of dropout