Typological Classification of Adolescents Who Drop out of School in Rural China: Evidence from Hainan Province

A significant number of students in rural China drop out of junior high school. However, current analysis of the similarities and differences among these students are inadequate. Thus, we sought to explore the typology of students who dropped out of junior high school in the rural Hainan Province of China. We used latent class analysis to identify five types of students who chose to drop out. The categories included unexpected, unsupportive, maladjusted, financial difficulties, and peer-negative. Employing this typological classification as a guide, we explore the implications of our findings for future efforts in the field of research and in the prevention of junior high school withdrawal.