Beyond dropout: relational trust as a mechanism for mitigating structural exclusion and fostering re-engagement in northern Thailand

Purpose This study investigates how relational trust between students and teachers breaks down and is restored in the educational journeys of at-risk youth in northern Thailand. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study approach, using semi-structured interviews, was used to collect data from 18 participants across formal school, non-formal education center, and learning center settings, guided by Bryk and Schneider's relational trust theory. Data were analyzed via reflexive thematic analysis. Findings The analysis generated three interconnected patterns. First, educational exclusion was not a single event but a quiet, compounding process in which institutional, relational, and familial failures systematically placed adult priorities over children's needs. Second, re-engagement was enabled by adults who met students where they were, demonstrating unconditional acceptance and sustained relational presence within flexible institutional structures adapted to students' lives. Third, informal community networks extended this safety net beyond institutional reach, sustaining pathways back into education after formal systems had let children and youth go. Originality/value The findings provide a practical message: building a relational safety net does not necessarily require significant external resources. Small, consistent acts of respect and personal regard for others can form the foundation of re-engagement even within underresourced schools. Moreover, when informal community adults are recognized and supported as equal partners in education, they can reach young people whom no institutional mechanism can. These findings also extend relational trust theory beyond schools, into the fabric of community life.