The Analysis of the Factors That Weaken Engineering Students’ Engagement and Lead Them to Transfer to Other Universities

Abstract

Turkey has been living a massive growth in higher education since 2006. This rapid acceleration in the growth of higher education can be considered as a positive situation for the participation and access to higher education. However, it also brings a substantially growing concern in the higher education system related to college satisfaction or engagement. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors challenging student engagement in higher education in the Turkish context, specifically focusing on the engagement of engineering students with a qualitative approach. Participants in the study are all engineering students who had been transferred from some other universities and enrolled in a state university. Participants were determined by criterion and snowball sampling methods. The data were gathered by semi-structured interviews. A descriptive design was adopted in the study and the thematic analysis was employed during the analysis of the participants’ opinions. According to the aim of the study, opinions of the participants are categorized into three main themes as individual level, institutional level and environmental factors affecting the college engagement and persistence among engineering students. At the end of the study, there are a discussion how the engagement and persistence of engineering students in Turkey differ from the context in the western countries and some bits of advice for the policymakers, universities, and researchers.