Factors Responsible for Dropout as Perceived by Secondary School Students in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

The increasing rate of school dropout among secondary school students in Kwara State has become a critical concern, impacting educational outcomes and future opportunities for students. This study investigated factors responsible for dropout as perceived by secondary school students in Kwara State. The population of this study comprised all secondary school students in Kwara state while a sample size of 200 respondents was used in the study. A questionnaire entitled “Factors Responsible for Drop-Out Questionnaire (FRDQ) was used to collect data for the study. Mean and rank order analysis was used to answer the research question while the null hypotheses formulated were tested using t-test and ANOVA at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that low parental income; lack of interest in schooling; and high cost of education are the main perceived factors responsible for school dropout. The study further revealed that there was no significant difference in the factors responsible for dropout as perceived by secondary school students in Kwara state based on gender and school type but a significant difference was found based on age and religion.