PROBING DROP-OUT CASES IN MARBEL 1 CENTRAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:

BASIS FOR INTERVENTION AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Glenda J. Panes
Teacher II- Marbel 1 Central Elementary School

INTRODUCTION

The United Nations (2020) has emphasized that preventing the learning crisis

from becoming a generational catastrophe must become a top priority for world leaders

and for stakeholders across the education community, says the brief, emphasizing

education’s role in driving economic progress, sustainable development and lasting

peace.

Dockery (2020) articulated that school counselors are expected to develop

programs that promote academic success for all students, including those at risk for

dropping out of school. Schools must have the knowledge of key indicators of potential

dropouts and current trends in dropout prevention research to acquire better

understanding on this complex issue. The implementation must be in place for all

recommended intervention strategies including longitudinal tracking systems to more

clearly identify students who may later drop out of school, targeted programs for use

with individual and groups of students at risk of dropping out, and offering school-wide

strategies may help school counselors better meet the needs of potential dropouts.

The mitigating measures implemented by the Department of Education to realize

the zero drop-out target have highlighted the merging roles of both the school, the

parents and other stakeholders to work together in ensuring that no child is left behind.

This is enshrined in various interventions implemented by DepEd Koronadal such that

of the Dropout Reduction Program (DORP) that generally aims to implemented

intervention to reduce the high dropout rate and improve learning outcomes, utilizing

formal, non-formal and informal approaches, in the ultimate aim to facilitate access of

every Filipino to quality basic education.

Taking this aim into account, this case study briefly presents and analyzes the

remote cases of two (2) pupils identified as drop-outs of Marbel 1 Central Elementary

School, to which the researcher is currently renders her service as Teacher II. The

demographic profile of the learners was gathered through indepth interview, along with

other relevant information that has relevance to the objective of the study to probe the

prevailing factors in order to suggest practical solutions and recommenations to aid in

the individual problems of drop-out pupils.

BACKGROUND

Drop-out cases have been apparent in the problems that public schools continue

to face in every school year. Illiteracy and poverty are commonly attributed factors that

influence the tendency of a pupil to drop-out from school. There are a number of

researches pointing out the possible factors of drop-outs. Burrus & Roberts (2012) have

identified four (4) categories of factors affecting learners in school to drop-out which

include: Demographics include a student comes from low-income family, he/she is a

member of racial or ethnic minority group, male, and older than the average student in

their grade; (2) Performance include lack of credits earned, poor attendance, and poor

grades especially in core courses; (3) Self-identified factors about include class not

interesting, lack of engagement with school, test too difficult, and poor attendance; and
lastly, (4) Self-identified factors about others include adults did not expect them to

perform in school and parents not involved in education.

Fall & Roberts (2012) suggested that social contextual includes family support,

teacher support, and peer support; self-system includes perceived identification with

school and perceived control by the extent to which it meets or ignores, as coined by

Fan & Wolters (2014) as student’s educational expectations; and school engagement

mediates the relation between self-system process and student outcomes, are variables

contribute to decisions to drop out. Moreover, Fan, Wolters, Bettencourt, & Johnson

(2016) cited that chronic absence is one major problem in schools. School climate

impacted student chronic absence rate and eventually leads to dropping out. In 2017,

Hughes, Cao, West, Smith & Cerda (2017) investigated the effect of grade retention in

elementary school found out the implication of the students who were retained in the

elementary grades would be likely to leave school than their promoted peers.

Various countries have encouraged research in this issue paving way to various

understanding of the factors affecting the drop-out cases in school as cited by Timbal

(2019). Chinyoka (2014) figured out that poverty in household, child labor or household

chores, broken families, poor supervision by parent, involvement in bad company or

peer pressure, drug abuse, and malnutrition and health-related issues, low self-

motivation (Paura & Arhinoya, 2013) and lack of interest in education, are variables of

dropping out. Alkan (2014) had found out that the predictors are non-academic factors.

Students’ dropout intention relates to intrinsic indicators such as school membership,

loneliness, and coping strategies. Al-Hroub (2014) explored the perspective of school

dropout’s dilemma, on his findings, socioeconomic status, school curriculum and

services, family involvement, and domestic laws governing the participation of

Palestinian refugees. Fernades, Soares, Nobrega & Nicolella (2015) identified the main

factors influencing secondary dropout. These are all intrinsic factors significant to

influence the decision to drop out, such as difficulties faced with courses (subjects),

desire for different school, the perception of better job opportunities, and importance

assigned to school choice.

Ricard & Pelletier (2016) revealed that there is a role of parent and teacher to

support basic psychological needs of the student. Other significant factors are reciprocal

friendships and academic motivation considerably evident contributing to the prediction

of dropping out.

ALTERNATIVES

In a study by Timbal (2019) on the Analysis of Student-at-Risk of Dropping out

(SARDO) Using Decision Tree: An Intelligent Predictive Model for Reduction, she

recommended that Policy maker could amend if there is already an existing policy

governing on funding Department of Education solely for the dropout and Department of

Social Welfare and Development to encourage out-of-school youth to go back to school

and continue their studies; (2) Department of Education Officials could make this as a

guide in making a strategic plan towards intensifying Drop Out Reduction Program

(DORP); (3) School Administrators will be encouraged to create an action plan for

reducing the dropout rate and give much attention to strengthening “Oplan Baling”

program; (4) Teachers will be notified of the predictors causing SARDO to drop and
exercise early remedial session; and (5) Students will be given emphasis to manifest

their right for education.

DORP is also a prominent intervention widely implemented by DepEd schools,

particularly in Koronadal City Schools Division, wherein its specific objectives include

increasing participation rate, increasing retention rate, raising achievement level of the

Students-at- Risk of Dropping Out (SARDO), retrieving learners who are out of school,

and increasing capability of schools to manage DORP. It is anchored on the guiding

principles that DORP should contribute to the SIP achievement, help SARDO master

the basic learning competencies, implement properly planned home visits, and educate

the SARDO to be independent, critical and creative problem solvers. It should also seek

to retrieve those who have dropped out. DORP has for its clients, learners in

disadvantaged circumstances. It should build up the self-confidence and self-reliance of

the SARDO. Decisions on interventions should also be information-based. It is assumed

that fast learners are potential SARDO. Lastly, DORP should be reactive, preventive,

and proactive .

FINDINGS

The researcher has taken the remote cases of two (2) pupils identified as drop-

outs of MCES1 as subjects of this study. An in-dept interview with utmost confidentiality

was administered involving the pupils, and their parents, who have expressed consent

to involve their child in the data collection.

Both pupils are male, incoming Grade 6 students, and aging 11 and 12 years old

respectively. They have disclosed the reasons for their personal decision and parental
advise to drop from school. They were expressive of the need to help their parents and

siblings by working in whatever livelihood means they know rather than going to school.

The pupils are fully aware that their parents have no enough income sources to support

their complete daily basic needs. It becomes their initiative to stop attending to school

and just help their parents in their livelihood.

When asked if they value or if they are aware of the benefits in going to school,

they have no definite answers. They do not seem to appreciate the long term

advantages of going to school. They are burdened by the daily struggles of providing for

their own food and fare in going to school. They expressed willingness to sacrifice for

their younger siblings, as both are eldest child in their families.

Their lack of motivation to go to school stems from their orientation in the family

that acquiring education is not a practical solution to their current problems. When their

parents are asked about the value of education, the latter are aware of its long term

advantage but they cannot simply neglect the immediate reality that their needs today

are more important than what their children could get or enjoy if they pursue education.

With all these information in mind, it is therefore reasonable to implement

interventions that would help improve the self-identified factors and importance of going

to school as demonstrated by the learners. To be able to do this, there must be an

inclusive intervention wherein parents are also considered main players along with the

teachers in school. This affirms the findings of Chinyoka (2014) and Paura & Arhinoya

(2013) that poverty in household, child labor or household chores, broken families, poor

supervision by parent, involvement in bad company or peer pressure, drug abuse, and
malnutrition and health-related issues, low self-motivation and lack of interest in

education, are variables of dropping out.

PROPOSED SOLUTION & RECOMMENDATION

The proposed interventions must educate not just the teachers but also the

parents of their complimentary roles to develop positive attitudes of learners towards

school. It is also practical to consider that livelihood or the capacity of parents to provide

for the needs of their children is an essential component. Schools can establish

collaboration with stakeholders such that of the community leaders and government

institutions for social services to ensure that livelihood programs or social amelioration

is implemented and sustained.

The researcher recommends that policy makers and school stakeholders must

work together to develop effective interventions that holistically address all factors

affecting the drop-out rates of pupils in school. Further case studies can be done to

probe other influential factors to affirm or negate findings of earlier researches.

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