A Longitudinal Analysis of Early School Leaving in a Tourism-Oriented Rural Island: The Case of Crete

Early school leaving (ESL) is a critical educational and social issue, reflecting the number of students who exit the education system prematurely and often face long-term socioeconomic challenges. This longitudinal analysis investigates ESL rates in Greece, spanning from the 2008/2009 to the 2021/2022 school years. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent and determinants of ESL in Greece, with a focus on identifying regional and gender-based disparities. The study begins with an overview of ESL rates across various regions of Greece and then narrows the focus to Crete, the country's largest island, known for its tourism-oriented economy, rural landscapes, and agricultural development. By comparing ESL rates both between different regions and within the regional units of Crete, as well as analyzing gender-based differences, the research aims to elucidate ongoing trends within the socioeconomic context of the area. In summary, while our interpretative assumptions include differences between regional units linked to cultural peculiarities, the currently available data are insufficient to provide a thorough and well-founded response and do not allow us to discern differences between regional units. Received: 26 September 2024 | Revised: 8 January 2025 | Accepted: 3 March 2025 Conflicts of Interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to this work. Data Availability Statement The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Hellenic Statistical Authority at https://www.statistics.gr/. Author Contribution Statement Nikolaos Bitsakos: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing. Stamatina Kaklamani: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Investigation, Resources, Writing - original draft.