Chapter 4: School Dropout Process From A Sociocultural Lens: A Life-Course Engagement-Resilience Model for Immigrant-Background Students

Each year, a significant proportion of students drop out of school before earning a high school diploma. The phenomenon is hard to quantify, as it varies significantly from one context and country to another. However, school dropout remains a major concern in all societies. Compared to their graduate peers, dropouts are more likely to present physical and mental health difficulties, fall foul of the law, and find lower-paid and less stable jobs (Thouin et al., 2023). As a result, many have to rely on social service assistance to meet their needs, which translates into enormous social costs associated with school dropout (Dupéré et al., 2015).