To Quit or Stay: The Role of Social Support in Fulfilling Psychological Needs and Reducing Rural Chinese Students' Dropout Intention

BACKGROUND: School dropout remains a pressing issue in rural China. Despite an increasing number of studies exploring its antecedents, there is still limited understanding of the protective factors and mechanisms pertaining to rural students' school retention. Drawing on self-determination theory, this study investigates the interrelationships among four dimensions of social support (i.e., caregivers, peers, school and community), satisfaction of basic psychological needs and school dropout intentions among Chinese rural students. METHODS: Utilizing longitudinal data from a survey conducted in four junior high schools in Central China (N = 2187), this study employed structural equation modelling to test the mediating effect of basic psychological needs satisfaction on the relationship between the four dimensions of social support and dropout intentions. RESULTS: The mediation analysis reveals that the four dimensions of social support are positively correlated with students' satisfaction of basic psychological needs, which in turn is negatively correlated with their intentions to drop out. The mediating effect of basic psychological needs satisfaction was determined. IMPLICATIONS: This study highlights the importance of addressing rural students' psychological needs to enhance school retention. It advocates for integrating these needs into curriculum design, fostering supportive classroom environments and implementing comprehensive social support systems.