Soutenir la persévérance des adolescents à risque de décrochage scolaire au moyen des activités parascolaires : examen des pratiques organisationnelles dans 12 écoles secondaires par une étude mixte

The goal of this study was to examine the institutional practices supporting or thwarting the development of high school-based extracurricular activities (EAs) capable of supporting perseverance among at-risk students. To do so, a mixed method sequential explanatory design was adopted. In a first step, twelve disadvantaged public high schools were separated in three categories based on quantitative data collected from vulnerable students at-risk of high school dropout (N = 366). Three schools were categorized as “effective”, as in these schools the association between participation and perseverance was positive and significant. Conversely, two schools were categorized as “ineffective” as in these cases participation and perseverance were not significantly associated. Finally, seven schools where participation and perseverance were linked but weakly and marginally significantly, were classified as “partially effective” cases. In a second step, qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with recreation coordinators operating in each  schools, during which they were asked about EA-related practices implemented in their school. Then, a thematic analysis was conducted, aiming at comparing and contrasting the practices implemented in effective vs less effectives schools. Six core themes emerged from this analysis: four concerned the organizational framework structuring the coordinators’ work (1-management model, 2-available resources, 3-working conditions 4-school and students characteristics) and two concerned their actual practices within this framework (5-programming and promotional practices, 6-accessibility of EAs).  Overall, the results revealed that « effective » schools showed strengths with respect of each of the six themes: in these schools, the first goal of the activities was to support perseverance among all students, including the most vulnerable ones, and appropriate conditions were present to reach this goal. Schools in the “average” group shared some of the strengths found in  “effective” schools, but their impact was mitigated by weaknesses in other respects, such as the lack of human or material resources. In “ineffective” schools, gaps were found at almost all levels. This apparently reflected the fact that EAs in these schools did not solely or even primarily aimed at supporting students’ perseverance. Instead, other goals were pursued, such as competing with private schools by offering activities with the potential to attract students from relatively privileged backgrounds. Overall, these results suggest that a set of favorable conditions are needed for schools to be able to offer EAs capable of supporting perseverance among vulnerable students. Sufficient material and human resources are needed to provide strong activities staffed by qualified and stable leaders, but these resources also need to be consistently channeled towards one goal, that is, to support school engagement and perseverance for all students. When parallel goals are present, even if worthy, they are often pursued at the expense of vulnerable students and reduce their opportunities for participation.

Keyphrases: Extracurricular activities, School perseverance, Inclusion of vulnerable adolescents, Institutional practices, Mixed method