Examining the Contribution of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Disease on Dropout

Abstract

This research aims to reveal the effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease on primary school dropouts by identifying teachers’ and administrators’ opinions. The new Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is a virus that was first identified on January 13, 2020, as a result of research conducted on a group of patients who developed respiratory disease symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath in Wuhan, China. On the other hand, school dropout, as defined in the literature, can be identified as taking a break from school, leaving the institution, and/or leaving the education system. The research was designed in the type of a phenomenology study, one of the qualitative research methods. The study group consists of eight administrators and teachers working in different primary schools in the Anatolian region of Turkey in the Spring academic term of 2021-2022. Data was acquired by a semi-structured interview technique. In the study, the effect of the Covid-19 process on student dropouts and the measures that can be taken were both investigated. It has been concluded that the Covid-19 period does not have a direct effect on student dropout and that effective information support to students can be a solution to the problems that lead students to drop out of school.