The data from the Ministry of Education and Training, in 2010-2011, Vietnam has 14,3 percent students who have dropped out drop out of school. Dropping out of school is not only an educational problem but a significant social problem as well. The main purpose of this paper is to make a review of research on dropping out of high school on the basis of SDT framework (SDT
Deci & Ryan. 1985). the authorsfirst outline the self-determination theory (SDT) in which the conceptualization of self-determination and intrinsic motivation versus extrinsic motivation will be presented in detail. Second, the authorswill examine the factors influencing students' self-determined motivation at school, concretely autonomy-support from teachers, parents, and the school administration. Finally, the authors focus on dropping out of high school as a consequence of low levels of self-determined motivation.