A Comparative Analysis of School Dropout Causes in Rural and Urban Romania

This study investigates the differences in the factors contributing to school dropout between rural and urban educational institutions in Romania, focusing on individual, family, school, and community dimensions.A sample of 557 participants, including educational directors, teachers, and administrators, was surveyed to assess the prevalence of various dropout causes.The Mann-Whitney U test was employed to identify statistically significant differences between rural and urban schools in specific dropout factors.The findings indicate that urban schools report higher incidences of individual-level issues such as substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, teenage pregnancy, and health-related problems.At the family level, urban institutions were more likely to encounter students with incarcerated parents or those placed in alternative care.School-related factors also varied, with urban schools being characterised by larger class sizes and insufficient access to counselling and guidance services, while rural schools were more affected by early school start times.In the community dimension, urban schools faced greater challenges with negative peer influences and a lack of educational facilities near students' homes.These results suggest that the causes of dropout in urban settings are more complex, necessitating tailored interventions and resources.It is recommended that context-specific strategies be developed to address the distinct dropout factors in both rural and urban environments, thereby supporting more inclusive and effective educational policies in Romania.