Abstract
This study addresses the problem of the abandonment (dropout) of university students from the point of view of their level of integration. This approach is used with the aim of locating the factor(s) that provide(s) the greatest amount of information regarding the decision to continue or to abandon one’s studies. The theoretical characterization of this phenomenon has become one of the underlying factors that are used to explain the theory behind students dropping out of their courses. Based on this theory, we can determine the incidence of student drop out, and determine the (high) incidence, where immediate results serve as a means of measuring academic integration and the decision to continue or to quit one’s studies. Statistical information is grouped in such a way that it is possible to follow the guidelines and expectations outlined in the theory and also helps us to understand typical characteristics of this phenomenon. To generate empirical evidence, we worked with data from 6,715 students, who belonged to the April-August 2012 group at the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, which represents 82% of the student population of Ecuador enrolled in the distance learning system. Evidence for this study was obtained from the following sources: first, there was a description of the data and an application of the characterization process. In this phase, it was determined that 40.6% of students dropped out for academic reasons; 8.9% dropped out for non-academic reasons; 32.6% stayed for academic reasons; and 17.5% remained for non-academic reasons. Second, we estimated probabilistic models that confirmed the negative relationship between the immediate results (calculated as an average of academic integration) and factors concerning the decision to quit one’s studies.
Highlights
This study addresses the problem of the abandonment of university studies from the point of view of the level of student integration
▪▪ La mayor proporción de mujeres (80%) del sector urbano está entre 20 a 35 años, mientras que en el sector rural (82%) está entre 17 a 30 años
Cuatro grandes áreas académicas son ofertadas, cada una de ellas tienen sus propias titulaciones5, el área administrativa es la que mayor oferta tiene, diez titulaciones, pero el área sociohumanística es la que mayor demanda tiene en sus siete titulaciones
Summary
Un sistema de estudios universitarios a distancia tiene como núcleo al estudiante, al que la universidad le proporciona los recursos institucionales necesarios para facilitar la acción educativa (Rubio Gómez, 2013). Los estudios realizados por Álvarez Manrique (1997); Bethencour, Cabrera Pérez, Hernández Cabrera, Álvarez Pérez, & González Afonso (2008); Donoso & Schiefelbein (2007), presentan un amplio y elaborado marco de análisis de los autores y modelos teóricos del abandono universitario. En el trabajo “Variables psicológicas y educativas en el abandono universitario” de Bethencour, Cabrera Pérez, Hernández Cabrera, Álvarez Pérez, & González Afonso (2008) se presentan cuatro modelos teóricos (adaptación, estructural, economicista, psicoeducativo) que los autores enmarcan en dos variables: la primera atribuible al alumno y la segunda al contexto académico y social. Los argumentos a favor son varios, se resumen en el hecho de que el estudiante al no tener los resultados esperados se desmotiva porque no cumple con sus expectativas de buen rendimiento académico, en esta circunstancia opta por realizar actividades que le generen un mayor grado de satisfacción personal (Donoso & Schiefelbein, 2007; Bennett, 2003), las pondera excesivamente y les atribuye su salida de la universidad. En estudios realizados a una muestra de estudiantes que abandonan, la falta de tiempo para dedicarle al estudio es el principal argumento, pero indirectamente se ha podido determinar que tiene muchos problemas académicos ya que se encuentra con un sistema de estudios que exige dedicación, actividad, investigación, creatividad, y ordenamiento de la conducta
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