Article Early Identification of Potential High School Dropouts: An Investigation of the Relationship Among At-Risk Status, Wellness, Perceived

Abstract: In this study, the researchers concentrate on the gap in the educational and counseling litera-ture documenting the extent to which certain psychosocial variables may contribute to the prediction of students who are at risk of dropping out of high school. Specifically, wellness, perceived stress, mattering, and at-risk status for dropping out of high school were assessed across 175 students attending a medium-sized high school located in the southeastern part of the United States. Participants completed a demo-graphic questionnaire, the Five Factor Wellness Inventory-Teenage Version, the Student At-Risk Identifica-tion Scale-Student Questionnaire, the General Mattering Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Using a regression analysis, the researchers found that the complete model, including all seven predictor variables, significantly predicted at-risk status for dropping out of high school, F(7, 167) = 12.89, p <.05. This model accounted for 35.1 % of the variance in at-risk status for dropping out of high school. Based on these findings, counselors should utilize skills and interventions that help students stay intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally engaged in the learning process