1. Student dropout and mobility: a chicken-and-egg-situation?
Department of sociology
Research group CuDOS
Student dropout and mobility: a chicken-and-egg-situation?
RESL Conference, January 2018
EMMA DEGROOTE, MIEKE VAN HOUTTE & JANNICK DEMANET

2. Starting point
School dropout and mobility theoretically linked
voluntary departure from educational institution
similar antecedents
Consequences for non-mobile students?
decline in academic achievement

3. behavioral engagement
Research question: influences of mobility and dropout rates on
non-mobile students’ school engagement?
Schools’
Non-mobile students’
Dropout rates
In-mobility rates
Out-mobility rates
behavioral engagement
Cognitive engagement
Emotional engagement

4. Theoretical reasoning
Students’ school engagement influenced bij peers through...
information exchange
peer pressure
modelling
Condition: visible and meaningful peers  determined by school composition

5. Current study H1
School dropout and out-mobility rates negatively influence
non-mobile students’ school engagement
H2a
Negative influences are more extensive from dropout rates
than from out-mobility rates
H2b
Negative influences are more extensive from out-mobility rates
than from dropout rates H3
School in-mobility rates negatively influence non-mobile students’ school engagement

6. Data International Study of City Youth (ISCY) gathered in selective attrition 1632 non-mobile students (in 5th year) 25 schools in Ghent

7. Model Design Variables
dropout, out- and in-mobility rates  non-mobile students’ school engagement
Design
multilevel analysis (MLwiN)
Variables
dependent: non-mobile students’ school engagement (behavioral, cognitive, emotional)
independent: student level: gender, retention, age, immigrant status, track,
parental education
school level: dropout rates, out- and in-mobility rates,
proportion high educated parents

8. behavioral engagement
Results
unconditional model:
8.6% of the variance in
behavioral engagement
between schools
(p < .001)
*** p < 0.001;
** p < 0.01;
* p < 0.05
behavioral engagement
Intercept
17,453 (0,754) ***
School level
School dropout rates
0,012 (0,015)
School out-mobility rates
0,010 (0,012)
School in-mobility rates
-0,023 (0,009) *
Proportion of high educated parents
0,003 (0,008)
Student level
Gender
-0,625 (0,136) ***
Age
-0,173 (0,095)
Immigrant background
-0,144 (0,175)
Retention
-0,554 (0,169) **
Arts track (ref. Academic)
-0,470 (0,472)
Technical track (ref. Academic)
-0,333 (0,439)
Vocational track (ref. Academic)
-0,564 (0,461)
Primary education parents (ref. Higher)
0,220 (0,282)
Secondary education parents (ref. Higher)
0,109 (0,158)
Variance components
Intercept U0
5,587 (0,207)***
Behavioral engagement U1
0,133 (0,068)*

9. Results Unconditional model: 3.1% of the variance in
cognitive engagement
between schools
(p < .05)
*** p < 0.001;
** p < 0.01;
* p < 0.05
Cognitive engagement
Intercept
27,881 (1,238)***
School level
School dropout rates
-0,006 (0,024)
School out-mobility rates
-0,032 (0,020)
School in-mobility rates
0,008 (0,014)
Proportion of high educated parents
0,014 (0,014)
Student level
Gender
-1,048 (0,241)***
Retention
0,277 (0,303)
Age
0,192 (0,172)
Immigrant background
0,633 (0,313)*
Arts track (ref. Academic)
-0,094 (0,753)
Technical track (ref. Academic)
1,171 (0,729)
Vocational track (ref. Academic)
0,386 (0,775)
Primary education parents (ref. Higher)
0,064 (0,505)
Secondary education parents (ref. Higher)
-0,236 (0,285)
Variance components
Intercept U0
17,967 (0,669)***
behavioral engagement U1
0,247 (0,161)

10. Results Unconditional model: 4.3% of the variance in
emotional engagement
between schools
(p < .001)
*** p < 0.001;
** p < 0.01;
* p < 0.05
Emotional engagement
Intercept
11,123 (0,621)***
School level
School dropout rates
-0,008 (0,012)
School out-mobility rates
-0,011 (0,010)
School in-mobility rates
0,007 (0,007)
Proportion of high educated parents
0,003 (0,007)
Student level
Gender
-0,391 (0,118)***
Retention
-0,090 (0,148)
Age
0,030 (0,083)
Immigrant background
0,298 (0,152)*
Arts track (ref. Academic)
0,491 (0,382)
Technical track (ref. Academic)
0,487 (0,365)
Vocational track (ref. Academic)
0,455 (0,386)
Primary education parents (ref. Higher)
0,458 (0,246)
Secondary education parents (ref. Higher)
0,135 (0,138)
Variance components
Intercept U0
4,279 (0,159)***
behavioral engagement U1
0,072 (0,043)

11. Conclusion Low levels of behavioral engagement in non-mobile students
High school dropout and mobility rates

12. Emma Degroote PhD student sociology Department of sociology E. Emma
Emma Degroote PhD student sociology Department of sociology E
Ghent Ghent University