Attendance and Dropout among Indigenous Junior High Students

Abstract

This article presents evidence of some factors affecting school dropout and attendance in indigenous students in junior high schools. First, a model was designed to estimate factors that affect the dropout gap using the National Household Income and Expenditure Survey. It was found that language is one of the main aspects affecting school dropout among indigenous students. A qualitative study was then conducted in junior high schools in Yucatán and Chiapas. The findings suggest that indigenous students who enter junior high school transition into an environment where the use of their language is reduced or non-existent, and they struggle to adapt. These difficulties affect their performance and ultimately lead them to drop out of school.