Analysis of early school leaving in Spain: drop-out determinants and reasons for a return to the education system

At present, there is an urgent need to examine early school leaving, considering the deter-minant factors that lead students to drop out as well as their reasons for returning to the education system. However, little research has been conducted on the existing relations between the determinants of school drop-out and student reasons to return to the education system. Hence, the present study aims to deepen the understanding of conditioning factors for early school leaving as well as the motivations that encourage students to return to the educational system, paying special attention to the existing relationships between both aspects. To this end, a questionnaire has been designed, validated, and applied to a sample of 478 Adult Second-ary Education students and graduates. Results show that school-related factors are the main determinants for early school leaving, followed by personal and family factors. Furthermore, correlations have been observed between the different variables used, underlining notable asso-ciations between personal and school-related factors as well as the influence of personal and family determinants in the reasons to return. The gathered results are intended to contribute to the reduction of drop-out factors and to the enhancement of those aspects that encourage students to continue