Open AccessReflections about school dropout in Finland and Puerto Rico
Author(s) -
Nancy Viana,
Agustín Rullán
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
education policy analysis archives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1068-2341
DOI - 10.14507/epaa.v18n4.2010
Subject(s) - dropout (neural networks) , school dropout , social inequality , inequality , scale (ratio) , work (physics) , causal model , sociology , mathematics education , psychology , pedagogy , geography , computer science , socioeconomics , medicine , mathematics , mechanical engineering , mathematical analysis , cartography , pathology , machine learning , engineering
This work presents reflections about some key factors that help to understand the reasons why in Finland school dropouts are practically nonexistent, while in Puerto Rico they are a significant problem. Several reasons that explain this situation were found. Finland has good student support services, teachers have more academic freedom, social inequalities exist in a smaller scale, schooling including university, and health services are free, and teacher training is more rigorous. Based on the findings of this study, we developed a model to understand school dropout as a complex social system. To develop this model we used a causal diagram, a tool from the theory of dynamic systems.