Abstract

This study aims to discuss the causative factors that lead to vocational high schools dropout by referring to the opinions of the students who did leave the school. A qualitative phenomenological research method has been designed and adopted. The study group consisted of 19 children and young adults (15-24 years old) who continue their education in Yozgat Center Vocational Education. “The history of school dropout” is accepted as the main criteria of the study group. The results revealed that the school dropout was mainly based on institutional (academic failure and discontinuity), social (friends), economic (economic insufficiency) and individual (not favoring the school) ground. Especially students, who continue vocational high schools due to the fact that they do not have any other option, rather than their actual choice to do so, will always run the risk of discontinuity in education. Based on these facts, further evaluation/research on the concept of vocational high school needs to be carried out in a larger scale.

Key words: School dropout, school chosen, vocational high school.