An Analysis of the Factors that Contribute to High School Dropout Rate in Calabar Municipality of Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study analyzed the factors that contribute to high school dropout rate in Calabar municipality of Cross River State, Nigeria. It adopted survey design and two research questions were raised while two hypotheses were formulated to direct the study. The population consisted of 7,826 dropout students from 16 public secondary schools in the municipality during the 2023/2024 academic session. A simple random sampling technique was used to select a representative sample of 392 students. The sampling process involved: obtaining a list of public secondary schools in Calabar Municipality from the Ministry of Education; collecting the total number of dropout students from each school over the last 5 years; determining the overall population of dropout students; calculating the sampling fraction by dividing the required sample size by 10% of the total population; using a table of random numbers to systematically select students from each school's graduate list based on the sampling fraction. A self-structured questionnaire, titled: Assessing the Factors that Contribute to Students' Dropout (AFCSDQ), was developed and used for the study. Data collected were descriptively analysed using mean and standard deviation and inferentially analysed with Chi-Square of Independence. Findings revealed that there is sufficient evidence to conclude that poverty does significantly contribute to students' dropout rates in public secondary schools. It also found that there is sufficient evidence to conclude that teen pregnancy does significantly contribute to students' dropout rates in public secondary schools in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State. It is therefore recommended amongst others that school administrators should implement a scholarship/bursary program to help students from low-income families cover tuition, books, supplies and transportation costs to reduce the financial burden of schooling.