To learn or to leave, that is the question for Mexican middle-school students: exploring predictors of intentions to leave school early

Although every person has the right to education, not all students complete compulsory schooling. In fact, early school leaving (ESL) remains a challenge in many countries, including Mexico. This study tested sociodemographic factors, perception of inclusion, differentiated instruction practices, and general self-efficacy as predictors of students' intentions of ESL. The sample included 602 middle school students from inclusive and regular classrooms in Mexico. Our results show that, overall, students' intention to quit school early is low. Furthermore, a higher intention to leave school early is related to students' SEN status, whereas a higher emotional well-being, social inclusion and academic self-concept is correlated to a lower level of ESL intention. Additionally, a higher perception of differentiated instructional practices is positively correlated with the intention to quit school. Interestingly, no correlations were found between students' intention to leave school early and gender, general self-efficacy or classroom setting (inclusive vs. regular class).