Analyzing student perceptions to develop a more thorough understanding of motivation for dropout reentry

Dropout statistics and the effects of dropping out of high school have become great concerns. Existing research has focused on dropout identification and prevention, yet few researchers have examined dropout reentry/recovery or attempted to understand the dropouts' motivation for "dropping back in." This study's purpose is to learn why some dropouts "drop back in" and is hoped to encourage future studies to use its results to develop a list of the characteristics of schools necessary to attract reentry students.; Nineteen reentry students (volunteers from four different adult school programs) were asked (in both survey and interview) why they returned to school. The uniqueness of this procedure is its ability to obtain information from the respondents in their own words enabling the researcher to develop a more thorough understanding of the respondents' motivation. Participants reported 55 distinct responses to the first question, 48 distinct responses to the second question, and 35 distinct responses to the third question. The responses to the second and third questions were combined during analysis to examine the trends indicated by the changes in the responses from the first question to the second and third questions and to provide the opportunity to compare the responses regarding the present with those regarding the past.; Recommendations included: increasing vocational training programs, especially those that offer certification or licensure offered in or connected with high school attendance; decreasing school and class size; developing teacher advisor programs; changing laws and policies to create an open door and encourage reentry, better advertising of more of the short-term training programs in community colleges and alternative schools; and offering flexible scheduling including night classes, weekend classes, and online classes.