Reduced school dropout rates owing to targeted sports programs in France

Abstract

In school dropout prevention programs, researchers emphasize the importance of addressing all educational components and stakeholders (e.g., Burzichelli et al., 2011). Among these, sport is recognized as a key factor for(re)integration (Siedentop et al., 2019). This article examines the impact of various specific sport programs across France on students' engagement at school. The nationwide study focuses on students' subjective perceptions of these initiatives. Although the programs differ, they share a common feature: they are based on cooperation and mainly organized by the students themselves, with support from their teachers, particularly physical education teachers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 19 young people aged 12 to 18. These interviews focused on their personal school and life trajectory, their perceptions of school, of sport and of the specific sport project. Collected data (speech) was then analyzed using ALCESTE lexical analysis software (Reinert, 1990, 1994).