Hidden and actual dropout from the education system among adolescents of Ethiopian origin in Israel

ABSTRACT

This paper examines aspects and predictors of actual and hidden dropout among immigrant students in general, and among Israeli students of Ethiopian origin, in particular. A hidden dropout is a student who is often absent from school or physically in class but is passive and does not actively take part in the learning process. The subject of this study derives from research evidence showing that the dropout rates of Israeli adolescents of Ethiopian origin are higher than those of their peers who are not of Ethiopian origin. We investigated differences between normative learners, hidden dropout youth and adolescents who are disengaged from the educational system. The predictors included perceived discrimination, social support and collective identities; 374 adolescents of Ethiopian origin completed self-report questionnaires. The major findings show that the hidden dropouts group was characterised by a pattern of high parental encouragement but a lack of support from teachers. Implications of the results, both for theory and for practice, are discussed, followed by suggestions for future research.     

An empirical test of a model of academic expectations among youth in residential care

In the last decade accumulating evidence across many countries points to the poor educational outcomes of youth formerly placed in care and their under-representation in higher education. Academic expectations in late adolescence are considered a key marker for educational attainments in young adulthood. Although these expectations were studied extensively, they have seldom been examined among youth in substitute care. The goal of the present research was to develop and test a model to predict academic expectations of Israeli adolescents placed in residential facilities. The study sample consisted of 1360 adolescents from 34 youth villages who responded to self-report questionnaires tapping their academic expectations, current academic achievements and various aspects of their family, school and facility's environment, expected to be associated with their academic expectations.Structural equation modeling indicated that parents' level of education was indirectly related to youths' expectations, an association mediated by youth's current academic achievements and parents' aspirations for their children's educational success. Higher levels of teacher and staff support were also found to contribute to higher academic expectations; however, whereas teacher support effects were mediated by youth achievements, staff support was found to have direct, as well as moderating effects, on achievement-expectations relationship.The findings suggest the importance of an integrative approach in the efforts to promote educational expectations among adolescents in residential facilities. Such an approach, encompassing the multiple adult functions responsible for youth development within such settings, could be an important step in enhancing the chances for future academic success of this vulnerable group.     

Readiness for independent living of adolescents in youth villages in Israel

Most Israeli children who spend their youth away from their birth parents live in youth villages. The majority of these children come from either the geographical or social periphery of Israel. Since the 1990s the youth villages have specialized in absorbing immigrants mainly from the former Soviet Union (FSU) and Ethiopia. The paper reports on a survey conducted among the professional staff in the youth villages. This study explores their perceptions of the readiness for independent living of adolescents on the verge of leaving youth villages and examines how readiness is associated with individual and familial characteristics. A structured questionnaire was mailed to youth villages asking professionals to anonymously complete the survey. The total sample include reports on 1256 adolescents who spent in the current setting on average 3.3 (SD = 1.8) years. For many of them this was the first out-of-home placement. Generally, workers have a favorable assessment of the youths' readiness for independent living. Still, they report that many of the youths do not have any of the necessary skills for independent living. Additionally, there are sub-groups that are more disadvantaged and at greater risk because they lack skills for a successful transition from care. The findings indicate that youth of Ethiopian origin are more disadvantaged with regard to skills related to school, the job market, finances, interpersonal relationships and normative behaviors, whereas youths from FSU present fewer skills pertaining to military service. The findings emphasize the important role Israeli youth villages have in supporting underprivileged adolescents in acquiring basic skills for adult life and suggest guidelines as to which sub-groups and in which area programs should be developed.     

The Educational Expectations of South African Youth

Abstract

Educational expectations, in particular the relationship between race/ethnicity and educational expectations, have been understudied in less developed countries. We use data from the Cape Area Panel Study (CAPS) to examine the educational expectations of black (African), coloured (mixed race), and white (European ancestry) youth in Cape Town, South Africa. The educational expectations of all three racial groups are high, although coloured youth are less likely than black and white youth to expect to complete postsecondary or postgraduate schooling. Supporting research on educational expectations in the United States and other more developed countries, our findings indicate that socioeconomic status and academic performance matter for educational expectations in South Africa, although their importance varies by racial group. In contrast to U.S. studies that have found effects of family composition for whites only, we found virtually no effects of family composition on the educational expectations of whites or nonwhites. Our findings suggest possible similarities and differences across social contexts in the processes shaping the educational expectations of youth from disadvantaged groups.     

‘It is hard at school,but I do my best to cope.’: the educational experience of multilingual immigrant youth in high school

ABSTRACT

This study explored how 60 trilingual immigrant youth interpret and make sense of their educational experiences in Israeli schools. Conceptualizing the language knowledge of multilingual individuals as one unitary system, the study is based on the assumption that a fuller understanding of students’ educational experiences can be obtained by examining their written expression about school experiences in the three languages at their disposal: Russian (L1), Hebrew (L2) and English (L3), which were elicited via letter writing tasks. A total of 180 letters (60 letters in each language) were analysed through qualitative content analyses revealing five interrelated themes depicting immigrant youths’ scholastic studies as a complex multifaceted experience intertwined with issues of language, culture, identity, and social struggles. The findings provide insights into how the language repertoire of immigrant youth is powerfully linked to their sense of self, educational circumstances, and acculturation.     

‘If you want to have a future and a life,do an apprenticeship’: the expectations and realities of tradesmen’s transition to adulthood

ABSTRACT

Apprenticeship programs are promoted to facilitate youth’s transition from school-to-work, especially for those who might not otherwise attend postsecondary education. These programs may help youth achieve other markers of adulthood earlier. In this paper, we draw on qualitative interviews with Canadian young men in the skilled trades to explore whether they believe their educational choices have given them an advantage in their transition to adulthood. We also draw from the 2011 GSS, a nationally representative survey, and Cox modeling to examine three early adult transitions – home-leaving, first union, and first marriage – to determine if apprenticeship programs facilitate earlier transitions compared to other educational streams. Our respondents expressed that they transitioned to adulthood more quickly than their peers, due to early employment and avoiding student debt, however, many also had trouble finding stable employment and often took on debt related to their training. Using nationally representative data, we find tradesmen tend to leave home earlier than their peers, they form first unions at younger ages but marry slightly later than their more highly educated counterparts. Our results contribute to our understanding of how apprenticeship programs in Canada facilitate transitions to adulthood among a recent cohort of young men.     

Decision-making skills of emerging adults aging out of foster care

This study examines the decision-making skills of emerging adults that have aged out of foster care and transitioned to independent life. Emerging adults face a wide variety of life-direction determining decisions and those aging out of foster care experience even more significant transitional issues. Youth aging out of foster care may lack the requisite decision-making competencies for coping with these challenges. This study compares the decision-making skills of foster care alumni to a group of similar individuals who were not involved in the child welfare system. Using a validated quantitative survey instrument, 29 foster care alumni and 29 demographically similar non-fostered participants described their general decision-making skills and elaborated on their personal experiences of reaching the age of majority. Statistical analyses of group differences indicate foster alumni score lower on overall decision-making skills and the decision-making process. In anecdotal comments, foster alumni tended to focus on their experience of leaving the foster system, while the non-fostered population elaborated on what it was like to become a legal adult. This study suggests that youth aging out of the foster care system may need support with the aspects of decision-making relating to the generation of alternatives and inferential reasoning about decision consequences as one way to augment and improve the transitional services designed to prepare foster youth for independent life.     

Identifying and Distinguishing Value Profiles in American and Israeli Adolescents

Although research has examined how values are correlated with behavior, little has examined how the system of values predicts behavior. In a cross‐cultural sample of American (109 European American; 216 African American) and Israeli (318 Arab Israeli; 216 Jewish Israeli) adolescents, the present study used latent profile analysis to identify groups which reflected the theoretical structure of values across both cultures. Four profiles were found: self‐focused, anxiety‐free, other‐focused, and undifferentiated. Results indicated that Self‐Focused adolescents were the most aggressive and viewed as leaders by their peers compared to the other groups. Self‐Focused and anxiety‐free youth reported more delinquency than their peers. Few differences between cultural groups emerged, suggesting that this approach is a promising avenue for understanding heterogeneity in behavior.     

Computer Integrated Drug Prevention–Combining Multi-Media and Social Group Work Practice to Teach Inner City Israeli 6th Graders How to Say No to Drugs

SUMMARY

The author describes an educational multi-media program to teach Israeli youth to avoid drugs using an older brother model who provides information and advice to youthful Israeli players regarding the adverse consequences of using drugs.     

Childhood risk factors for disability pension among adult former Swedish child welfare clients: Same or different as for majority population peers?

This study contributes to the literature on preventing social exclusion, here indicated by collecting disability pension in adulthood, by asking whether the pattern and strength of childhood related risk factors is the same for high-risk child welfare clients, as for their peers in the majority population. Longitudinal register data on > 500,000 Swedes, including around 18,000 former child welfare clients, were analyzed by means of linear probability models and calculations of population attributable fractions. Systematic comparisons of effect sizes suggest that the differences in pattern were marginal, but there were significant differences in strength. Overall, poor educational achievement and low educational attainment were the two most prominent risk factors across all groups, also when prevalence was taken into account. In the majority population, the hypothetical reduction of collecting disability pension was on the scale of 20% if either of the two risk factors could be eliminated. Among child welfare alumni, however, the hypothetical reduction was even larger, nearly 30% on average. Prevention strategies targeting poor school performance and low educational attainment may thus substantially reduce the prevalence of disability pension among adults with a history of child welfare involvement.     

Understanding Why Religious Involvement's Relationship With Education Varies by Social Class

Religiosity's impact on adolescent educational outcomes has been widely documented in the sociology of religion literature. Building upon King's conceptual framework of ideological, social, and transcendent resources that are made available to youth through religious participation, we use qualitative and quantitative data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) to explore how the associations between religious involvement and educational outcomes may vary among lower and higher socioeconomic status youth. Our findings indicate significant positive effects of transcendent and ideological resources on educational outcomes, especially among youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, but limited influence of social resources through youth's religious participation.     

A systematic review of interventions to improve post-secondary educational outcomes among foster care alumni

In their transition to adulthood, youth who have aged out of foster care struggle in a variety of areas. One area of concern is achieving success in post-secondary education. In response, universities and community colleges around the country offer support programs for these youth, in order to assist them in gaining a college education. The purpose of this study was to utilize a systematic review process to uncover the current status of what is known about campus support programs for foster care alumni in two areas—student views of their program experiences and outcomes of interventions to improve post-secondary educational success. We adapted the Participants, Interventions, Comparison groups, Outcomes, and Study designs (PICOS) model in conducting the systematic review. A search of six electronic databases and other gray literature sources yielded seven articles. Results revealed valuable insight from students regarding the ways in which program implementation was beneficial, and highlighted important strategies future programs should consider. Further, findings of outcome studies are favorable. However, additional outcome evaluations are needed in order to validate and confirm their impact.     

Life's predictable unpredictables and the career plans of youth

A review of the status attainment research failed to discover a model that takes into account possible effects of unforeseen, consequential life events on the career plans of youth. The present longitudinal study found that 30.4% of 536 respondents indicated that something major had happened to change their occupational or educational plans in an important way. Race and sex differences were discovered with respect to whether a major happening was perceived to have occurred and with respect to the nature of the event. White women were found to be peculiarly vulnerable to the impact of unforeseen events. About half of all respondents who indicated that a consequential event had occurred cited marriage or having a child as the event. Relatively few in the low‐income sample cited financial problems as unpredictable events. Respondents who reported any consequential event were found to be less satisfied with their jobs and less happy with their marriages. It would be desirable to include measures of unforeseen consequential events in future status attainment research.     

The voices of youth formerly in foster care: Perspectives on educational attainment gaps

As a population, youth who experience foster care graduate from high school at rates well below their non-foster care peers (National Working Group for Foster Care & Education, 2014). A Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) study was conducted to better understand the perspective of former foster youth on the graduation gap and their experience in school. Analysis of focus group data revealed one overarching domain, emotional consequences, as well as seven additional domains that related to youths' experiences surrounding their educational attainment: resilience, basic needs, internalized messages about education, educational stability, consequences of school mobility, fastest or easiest positive exit from K-12, and recommendations from youth. This research highlights the challenges faced by 16 former foster youth, their perspectives regarding the need to raise expectations, and their suggestions for closing the educational attainment gap.     

Growing up fast: Implications for foster youth when independence and early adulthood collide

Foster care alumni face overwhelming challenges as they transition from care to independence. Torn between their desire to be independent, yet acknowledging they need support, they struggle to find their footing. Adopting a survivor self-reliance mind-set, they set out to earn a bachelor's degree on their own. As they struggle, they compare themselves to non-foster peers who, by enlarge, have a support system enabling them a prolonged entrance to adulthood, which provides a safety net. Without a safety net, and with a focus on independence, decisions youth from foster care make, result in few alumni earning a bachelor's degree.     

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Service Use for Older Foster Youth and Foster Care Alumni

Studies have shown that foster care alumni have disproportionally high rates of poor mental health outcomes compared to the general population. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in mental health service use for Latino, African American, and White youth while in foster care and upon exit from the foster care system. Secondary data were used to identify youth 1 year prior to exiting the foster care system (N?=?934) and 1 year after exit from the foster care system (N?=?433). Racial/ethnic disparities in mental health service use upon exit from the foster care system were found, with Latino youth using the least amount of services after foster care exit. Racial/ethnic service disparities in type of services used were also found. Findings suggest that a lack of support (e.g., mandatory or voluntary) may be significant in overcoming challenges in the continuation or disruption of services.     

The Civic Orientation and Political Assimilation of Latino Immigrant Youth

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, the rapid and unprecedented expansion of the Latino immigrant population has dramatically reshaped the face of American society. Unfortunately, current scholarship on this topic largely overlooks a key cohort: adolescent and young adult Latino immigrants. Our lack of understanding regarding the political inclinations of this population is highly problematic if we wish to know where Latino politics is headed in the coming decades. Data from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health are used to systematically explore and test the core assumptions of several competing assimilation theories applied to Latino immigrant youths. Bivariate analyses suggest that young Hispanic immigrants lag behind their non-Latino and Black and White peers in electoral participation and political partisanship, and minimal differences are noted in commitment to key civic orientations. However, regression analyses that include controls for SES and other contextual variables in most cases reveal no differences between young Latino immigrants and their peers in their commitment to political engagement and crucial civic values. On the whole, our findings largely confirm the expectations of mainline assimilation theory and suggest young Latino immigrants are trending toward integration into the national civic community.     

Fostering success: Understanding the experience of foster youth undergraduates

Although foster youth aspire to complete college, studies suggest that less than 10% are successful in obtaining a bachelor's degree (McMillen, Auslander, Elze, White, & Thompson, 2003; Rios & Rocco, 2014; Wolanin, 2005). The low graduation rates suggest that these students face unique obstacles in attaining their educational goals. To date, there is little information about the particular challenges they face. To address this gap, this paper presents survey findings of undergraduates enrolled at a public university and engaged in a campus support program for foster care alumni. Results show that these students are hesitant to disclose their foster youth identity, need help securing stable housing and suffer from food insecurity. Campus support programs and services help students feel a sense of belonging and safety on campus. Findings can aid policy makers and student affairs staff in refining current support systems for foster youth to increase enrollment and rate of graduation.     

Is anybody there? Informal supports accessed and sought by youth from foster care

Young people's ‘ageing out’ of foster care has been described as stark and abrupt, in sharp contrast with the gradual process of transitioning to adulthood experienced by parented youth in the general population. Research has demonstrated that being supported during this transition is associated with a variety of health, social, and educational outcomes. The purpose of this article is to report former foster youths' perspectives on their informal supports, what difference these supports made for them, and what they believed would be useful in their transition to adulthood. Data came from semi-structured interviews with 43 former foster youth aged 19–26. Findings revealed that while approximately half the informants reported having support from family, most did not have family whom they regularly relied upon for emotional, practical and/or financial support. Further, while nearly all youths indicated that having support made a difference to them, many also noted that for daily living, they were on their own. The study's findings are an important reminder of the gulf existing between youth from care and parented youth in terms of their access to support during their journey to adulthood.