Factors and Guidelines for Tackling Educational Dropout among Children and Youth in Songkhla

Abstract

The research aimed to accomplish three objectives: 1) to investigate educational disengagement among children and youth in Songkhla Province; 2) to analyze the causes of school dropout; and 3) to recommend potential solutions. A mixed-methods approach was employed with a convergent parallel design. During the quantitative phase, 174 children, youth, and guardians who are out of school participated. In the qualitative phase, 74 stakeholders participated through 25 in-depth interviews and 49 focus groups, totaling 248 respondents.

The findings revealed several key insights: 1) In the quantitative analysis, self-management skills emerged as the most significant protective factor against educational disengagement ($r = -0.362$), while poor quality of life was identified as the primary risk factor. The logistic regression model accurately predicted dropout risks with an impressive 96.6% accuracy. 2) The qualitative analysis identified seven reasons for dropping out: family instability and poverty; economic hardship; social and peer influences; personal factors like mental health issues and intellectual disabilities; teaching-related concerns, including unresponsive curricula; migration; and multicultural factors, especially a preference for Islamic boarding schools (Pondok). The absence of a national database results in "floating records," which makes tracking and intervention difficult.

Recommendations: At the operational level, the study advocates for enhanced inter-agency collaboration to support underprivileged families, along with systematic restructuring of schools to improve communication between teachers and parents and to implement individualized screening measures. At the policy level, establishing a provincial central database ("One ID") and designing flexible, integrated curricula are essential for providing organized and sustainable support to out-of-school populations in Songkhla Province.