Who intends to learn and who intends to leave? The intention to leave education early among students from inclusive and regular classes in primary and secondary schools

ABSTRACT

Early school leaving is a serious problem for individual students, especially for students with special educational needs (SEN). This study tests predictors of early school leaving, using data collected among 1,047 students from 60 inclusive and regular classes in primary and secondary schools in Austria with 4th- and 7th-grade students aged 9–11 and 12–14 years. Multilevel regression analyses show that higher school wellbeing and a more positive student–teacher relationship reduce the intention of both 4th and 7th graders to leave school early. Additionally, for 7th graders, having a migrant background and more individualised instruction are predictors of a greater intention to leave school early. School grade, gender, socioeconomic background, SEN, social integration, class climate, school setting (regular class vs. inclusive class), and the heterogeneity of the class composition had no impact on the intention to leave school early.

KEYWORDS:

• Early school leaving
• primary and secondary education
• inclusive education
• social support
• social participation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. EU-28 is the abbreviation of European Union (EU), which consists of a group of 28 countries.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susanne Schwab

Susanne Schwab is a professor at the Institute of Educational Research, University of Wuppertal, Germany, and Extraordinary Professor at the Research Focus Area Optentia, North-West University, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa. She is chair of the division Empirical Pedagogical Research of the OEFEB (Austrian Association of Research and Development in Education). Her key activities are inclusive education, professionalisation of teachers, and social participation.