How teachers perceive school dropout and their own practice in the classroom in technological highschools in Baja California

Abstract

This study describes the opinions of 91 teachers regarding drop-out in technological high schools in Baja California, Mexico, and identifies some aspects of their practice. A multiple choice questionnaire was applied to identify the opinion of teachers regarding school dropout and to measure some indicators of their work in the classroom. The data was analyzed through descriptive statistics. School absenteeism, failure and learning difficulties are the main factors that participants associate with dropout. In contrast, the activities that teachers do least are follow-up to students when they get low grades, being concerned about them when they miss class, and learning about their lives. This finding is significant because the teachers themselves attribute that phenomenon to absenteeism and learning difficulties, although they do not give their full attention and follow-up to these aspects.