Academically at-risk adolescents in a Texas detention facility: Factors related to the non-completion of high school

According to statistics by the Texas Education Agency (2003) for the 2002-2003 academic year, nearly 17,000 students in the state of Texas dropped out within that academic year. Statistics such as these signify the immediate need for further research on this dire problem. This research surveyed 21 at-risk adolescents in a Texas county post-adjudicated facility via a demographic survey and the Expectancy Component: Self-Efficacy for Learning and Performance scale of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. In a quantitative, non-experimental design, this study used Discriminant Function Analysis to predict group membership of enrollment status (currently enrolled students vs. dropout students) from four predictor variables (parental level of education, family income level, academic self-efficacy, and occurrence of physically aggressive acts). The results of the analyses indicated that none of the predictor variables was able to adequately predict group membership or differentiate between dropouts and enrolled students. Recommendations for further research on this topic are given.