The hidden dropout phenomenon among immigrant high-school students

ABSTRACT The high school dropout rate among immigrant students has become a serious problem in many places around the world. Hidden dropout or irregular school attendance may be the first stage of school dropout. This article examines the hidden dropout phenomenon among Ethiopian immigrant adolescents aged 14–18 in Israel, as a prototype of immigration from a traditional, rural society to a western one. Sixty irregular school attendees were compared with 28 regular attendees, regarding the following characteristics: family and socio-economic background, psychological distress symptoms (BSI), self-efficacy (SEF), perceived social support (MSPSS) and cognitive skills (ROCF). Results indicated that both groups came from similar low socio-economic backgrounds and showed similarly poor cognitive performance levels. However, among the hidden dropout group, the perceived social support was significantly higher and feelings of stress were significantly lower. Several explanations are provided for these unexpected results, and research and practice implications are dis-cussed. KEY WORDS: Ethiopian adolescents; hidden dropout; immigration; personal characteristics Dropping out of school has become a serious problem in many places around the world (Aloise-Young and Chavez, 2002). Adolescents who drop out of school represent a large group of the young population, who are at high risk of engaging in illegal activities and delinquent behav-iour (Beauvais et al., 1996), as well as a high probability of problems in adapting to the social environment and employment. Dropouts are also more likely to become dependent on welfare support than high schoo