Introduction
The present study offers a qualitative and sociological analysis of high school male student dropout in Baneh County. Contrary to initial perspectives that reduced dropout to an individual failure, moral deviance, or purely academic shortfall, it is a complex, multidimensional phenomenon emerging at the intersection of economic, cultural, and social structures. In border regions like Baneh, this phenomenon assumes a distinct articulation as the centralized logic of formal education encounters the specific ecology of a "border economy". The rise of border bazaars and the rapid circulation of commercial capital in Baneh have established a new framework for social status, creating a deep conflict between the "cash values of the market" and the "deferred, abstract promises of the school". Accordingly, the main objective of this study is to understand the semantic construction of school dropout and describe the structural conditions giving rise to it in the border context of Baneh. The conceptual framework integrates theories of spatial production and capital accumulation (David Harvey), structural reproduction and cultural capital (Pierre Bourdieu), linguistic codes (Basil Bernstein), strain theory (Robert K. Merton), symbolic interactionism, and the concept of "powerful knowledge" (Michael Young) to explain the confrontation between two conflicting structural logics: the hegemony of the market versus the formal education system.
Methodology
This research adopted a qualitative approach with phenomenological and structuralist orientations, utilizing inductive thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework. Data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews. To prevent recall bias and capture the full complexity of the field, criterion-based purposive sampling was conducted across three distinct layers until theoretical saturation was reached: First Layer (Core Sample): 15 male dropouts currently working in the market (aged 15–25, who dropped out within the past five years); Second Layer (Class Contexts): 15 parents of male dropouts working in the market (aged 38–60); Third Layer (Educational Structure): 10 teachers, counselors, and principals from Baneh high schools (with at least 5 years of experience). During data analysis, 235 descriptive open codes were initially extracted, which were systematically categorized through continuous comparison into 29 sub-themes, ultimately synthesizing a dense network of 10 main themes. Data validity and trustworthiness were ensured through triangulation, member checking, and critical reflexivity.
Findings
Qualitative data analysis led to the identification of 10 main themes, structured across two levels: structural and perceptual/life-world: At the first level, structural and institutional contexts—through the "hegemony of the bazaar-city and the supremacy of border businesses," alongside the commodification of urban space—have shifted the criterion of success from educational attainment to immediate cash income. Simultaneously, the "inefficiency and rigidity of the educational system, "stemming from the misalignment of abstract curricula with ecological needs, has led to the occupational alienation of students. Furthermore, the "commodification of degrees and the obstruction of meritocracy"—marked by the depreciation of university degrees in the labor market and a lack of meritocracy in public sector employment—combined with the "erosion of teachers' status and the shift in reference groups," has undermined the social standing of educators, replacing them with merchants and traders as new role models, thereby reproducing the "peddler-border-carrier (Koulbar) subject". At the second level, the semantic life-world of students is shaped under "premature dreams and a thirst for financial independence" aimed at achieving early male maturity. Coupled with a "perception of academic temporal dislocation and the contrast between immediate and deferred rationality," students perceive the slow pace of schooling as lagging behind the immediate returns of the market. This dynamic is further deepened by the "preference for speculative values over knowledge values" and the dominance of instrumental rationality, leading to the departure from school being redefined as a "positive action and autonomous agency"—a rational and deliberate decision. Nonetheless, this process is accompanied by the "psychological reconstruction and experience of class rejection and humiliation" arising from constant material comparisons and the onset of school phobia, ultimately culminating in the "reduction of the degree to a purchasable commodity meant only to clear administrative hurdles" and the complete erosion of the intrinsic value of learning.
Discussion and Conclusion
The findings demonstrate that male high school dropout in Baneh cannot be reduced to absolute poverty, low intellect, or individual deficiencies. Rather, leaving the formal education system is the outcome of a fundamental conflict between the logic of the border ecosystem and the centralized national education system. In Baneh, the dominance of the border economy, rapid capital velocity, and the visible material success of the nouveau riche have severely eroded the symbolic prestige of educational institutions and teaching staff. Observing unemployment and material poverty among educated individuals, alongside a perceived lack of transparency in public sector recruitment, students experience a form of "academic temporal dislocation"—viewing time spent in school as a waste that causes them to lag behind the fast-paced market. Under these conditions, dropping out becomes an "agentic and rational process". Actors reinterpret leaving school as a shortcut to financial independence, peer status, freedom from class humiliation, and entry into adulthood and manhood. Ultimately, academic degrees degrade from intrinsically valuable intellectual achievements into mere purchasable administrative commodities. Addressing this crisis requires a fundamental revision of centralized curricula, educational decentralization, the implementation of vocational training tailored to the border ecosystem, and the restoration of both the economic and symbolic status of schools.