Dropout Intention Research Articles

Drop-out in dual VET: why we should consider the drop-out direction when analysing drop-out

Despite high drop-out rates from vocational education and training (VET) throughout most countries and a long research tradition on potential drop-out reasons, little is known about the effects exerted on drop-out intentions by the quality of training. Furthermore, only rarely do scholars distinguish between different drop-out directions, and systematic insights on possibly differing causes are scarce. This study explores the factors influencing four directions of drop-out intention (‘upwards’, ‘downwards’, ‘company change’, ‘occupation change’). Linear regression modelling is used to analyse survey data on the motivation, socio-demographic aspects and competency of 562 trainees as industrial management assistants in Germany and on how they perceived the training quality. The results show that different directions of drop-out intention stem from various factors, with training quality in general having the largest effect. Additionally, the findings indicate a two-tier-scheme of influence factors, ‘core’ and ‘direction-typical’ factors.

Early and Dynamic Socio-Academic Variables Related to Dropout Intention: A Predictive Model Made during the Pandemic

Social and academic integration variables have been shown to be relevant for the understanding of university dropout. However, there is less evidence regarding the influence of these variables on dropout intention, as well as the predictive models that explain their relationships. Improvements in this topic become relevant considering that dropout intention stands as a useful measure to anticipate and intervene this phenomenon. The objective of the present study was to evaluate a predictive model for university dropout intention that considers the relationships between social and academic variables during the first university semester of 2020. The research was conducted using a cross-sectional associative-predictive design, with a convenience sampling (n = 711) due to the restrictions of the pandemic period. The results showed a good fit of the proposed hypothetical model that explained 38.7% of dropout intention. Both social support and perceived social isolation predicted the sense of belonging and, through it, engagement. Previous academic performance predicted early academic performance and, through it, engagement. The set of variables predicted the intention to quit through engagement. These results are a contribution both to the understanding of the phenomenon and to guide potential interventions in the early stages of the university experience.

Still want to be a doctor? Medical student dropout in the era of COVID-19

This research examines the intention of undergraduate medical students to withdraw from the medical profession and pursue a career in a different field upon graduation during COVID-19. We leverage the first and most comprehensive nationwide survey for medical education in China, which covered 98,668 enrolled undergraduate students from 90 out of 181 Chinese medical schools in 2020. We focus on these students’ self-reported intention to leave the healthcare industry (the “dropout intention”) before and after the outbreak of the epidemic. We also designed a randomized experiment to test whether and to what extent medical students dropout intention responded to an information nudge that highlighted the prosociality of health professionals in the fight against the virus. Results from a difference-in-differences model and a student fixed effect model suggest that after the onset of COVID-19, the proportion of Chinese undergraduate medical students with a dropout intention declined from 13.7% to 6.8%. Furthermore, the nudge information reduced the intent-to-drop-out probability by 0.8 additional percentage points for students in their early college years. There was large heterogeneity underneath the treatment effect. Specifically, we find that prior dropout intention and exposures to COVID-19-related information tended to mitigate the nudge effects. Data on students’ actual dropout outcomes support our findings.

Structural relationship of dental hygienist image, major satisfaction, and dropout intention

Structural relationship of dental hygienist image, major satisfaction, and dropout intention

Association Between Self-Regulation of Learning, Forced Labor Insertion, Technological Barriers, and Dropout Intention in Chile

Early dropout and retention of students are critical problems in both secondary and higher education. Existing models that predict the intention to drop out require the incorporation of complex variables strongly related to student success, such as self-regulated learning. Moreover, new possible predictors have emerged in the context of a pandemic. This study set out to validate scales that measure the phases of self-regulation of learning in Chilean secondary school students and determine the association between self-regulation, forced labor insertion, technological barrier, and intention to quit during COVID-19. An instrumental design was carried out, where 251 students participated, and a cross-sectional predictive design with a sample of 171. Results showed adequate psychometric properties in assessment scales for self-regulation. Furthermore, the logistic regression model carried out to predict the dropout intention was significant. The final model showed that external causal attributions, planning self-evaluation, forced labor insertion, and technological barriers were significant predictors, achieving a success rate of 84.8%. In conclusion, although many factors are considered in dropout intention models, this study incorporated self-regulation skills that can be promoted in students and systematically integrated into school programs to help reduce dropout rates in secondary education, therefore contributing to a successful transition to higher education.

Academic Engagement and Dropout Intention in Undergraduate University Students

The relationship between engagement and the intention to drop out was the focus of this research. Following an empirical–analytical approach, a sample of 1,122 university students responded to a questionnaire designed to measure the engagement and the intention to drop out of school. The results confirmed that undergraduates who considered dropping out had lower scores on the engagement scale. These data are relevant for the adoption of preventive measures against academic dropouts.

Perceived Social Resources Affect Help-Seeking and Academic Outcomes in the Initial Phase of Undergraduate Studies

First-year students are challenged cognitively and socially by the need to integrate into a new environment. This article investigates the role of peer students as a social resource for academic help-seeking to overcome knowledge-related difficulties. Receiving useful help may require close and regular contacts (social embeddedness) as well as awareness about peer’s knowledge (group awareness). Hence, effects of social embeddedness and group awareness on academic success (i.e., achievement, satisfaction, and dropout intention) are expected to be mediated by academic help-seeking. First-semester students in science (n = 49) and engineering (n = 80) have been surveyed. Both study programs differ in occasions to form small groups, which may influence student’s aggregation of social resources. Both social embeddedness (engineering only) and group awareness (both groups) predict successful academic help-seeking. Moreover, the effect of group awareness on student satisfaction and dropout intention is partially mediated by successful academic help-seeking (engineering only). Both social variables can contribute to help-seeking behavior and student’s academic success. The results provide evidence to advice researchers and practitioners to improve academic help-seeking among students.

Resources, norms, and dropout intentions of migrant students in Germany: the role of social networks and social capital

ABSTRACT This study focuses exclusively on migrant students in German higher education and examines the relationship between their social networks, social capital, and dropout intention. We identify two different forms of social capital – resources and norms – that students derive from their networks, and are related to their educational outcomes. These two forms of social capital also correspond with the two well-established arguments for explaining immigrants’ educational outcomes: (1) immigration optimism and (2) social background disadvantages. Using data from the German National Education Panel Study, we use Lin (2001) concepts of ‘capital deficit’ and ‘return deficit’ to examine the differences in access and utilization of social capital between native and migrant students, further differentiated by whether one or both parents were born abroad. Using linear and logistic regressions we find that the networks of migrant students are characterized by high norms and aspirations, which have a shielding role for dropout. Further, students with both parents born abroad are at a higher risk of dropout than mixed background students. We specifically focus on factors that are unique to migrant students going beyond the well-established social background explanations for migration-related disadvantages.

The relevance of social and academic integration for students’ dropout decisions. Evidence from a factorial survey in Germany

ABSTRACT Dropout rates from higher education programmes are high and constitute a problem for both the individual and society as a whole. To effectively develop measures to combat dropout, the reasons why students drop out of higher education need to be understood. Building on Tinto’s integration model, this paper tests the extent to which students’ social and academic integration increases dropout intentions and whether the effect differs by students’ academic family background. A sample of German students in their first year of university studies was presented hypothetical scenarios with varying degrees of academic and social integration (vignettes) and evaluated the likelihood of dropping out under the described conditions. This factorial survey design improves upon previous studies that were unable to separate the ambiguous causal ordering of the relationship. Subsequent multilevel analyses corroborate Tinto’s integration model by revealing that all subdimensions of academic and social integration predict dropout intention, but also show that not all subdimensions are equally important. Cross-level interactions unveil that the effect of academic and social integration largely does not depend on students’ academic family background.

Dropout Intention, Motivation, and Socio-Demographics of Forestry Students in Romania

Reducing students’ dropout rate is a major challenge for universities. Based on a quantitative approach, this study aims to analyze and explain students’ dropout intention at the largest forestry school in Romania by collecting data in their first two months of the academic year prior to failing any courses. The study participants are undergraduate freshmen, male and female students, and the tools are psychological instruments commonly used or specifically developed for this study. Our findings partly confirm previous results, such as the higher intention of dropping out among male students compared to females, and also among students with admission GPA lower or equal to seven, on a GPA scale from 1 to 10, and among students from families with low income. Dropout intention can be explained by the academic performance expectancy, gender, family, socio-economic status, and perceived barriers to completion of studies. There were no differences regarding whether students were from urban or rural areas, proximity of university to home, and high school academic program. Our results may help to implement efficient measures for increasing student retention.

Differences in Perception Matter \u2013 How Differences in the Perception of Training Quality of Trainees and Trainers Affect Drop-Out in VET

The dual system of vocational education and training (VET) and its quality have recently been receiving scientific attention, partly due to high drop-out rates and to politically-motivated efforts to increase participation in the system (Le Mouillour, 2018). However, it remains controversial as to how quality within training companies should be measured, and from whose perspective, and how the quality of training affects drop-out. Empirical studies mostly target the quality perceptions of trainees or of trainers in isolation. The extent to which output factors such as drop-out rates are influenced by variations in perceptions of quality between both these parties has to this point not been tested. The object of the present study was to present a novel bilateral approach to assessing training quality. For this reason, the effects on drop-out intention of differences in the perception of in-company training quality (incongruences) between trainees and trainers from the same company were examined. An online survey was conducted involving 311 commercial trainees and training officers from 30 German companies. A framework model of workplace learning (Tynjälä, Vocations and Learning,6(1), 11–36, 2013) and a short questionnaire “VET-LQI” (Böhn and Deutscher, Zeitschrift für pädagogische Psychologie: ZfPP, 33, 49–70, 2020) served as the theoretical basis and test instrument respectively. Responses from trainees were matched to those of their corresponding trainers, in order to determine possible differences for every item and scale. Following a weighting method regarding the absolute rating level, 15 input- and process-quality factors of divergence, so called “difference accounting multi-perspective scores” were used as independent variables in multiple regression analyses. The results show that differences in perception of quality not only have a significant effect on drop-out intentions, but also explain drop-out intentions more generally, and with a higher predictive power than the conventional method of merely focusing on the quality perceptions of trainees (adjusted R2 = .439 > .333).

Covid-19 fallout: Interplay between stressors and support on academic functioning of Malaysian university students

Covid-19 has impacted the lives of everyone around the world, including university students. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on all economies, resulting in a huge loss of employment. As a result, university students are anxious about their job prospects upon graduation. The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of two stressors – employment anxiety and financial anxiety and two supports - university support and lecturer support on dropout intention and academic performance on university students with well-being and purpose in life being the mediators. This quantitative was carried out in Malaysia using 436 final-year undergraduate students. The full mediation model indicated that the university and lecturer support mitigates the two stressors' effects through well-being and purpose in life. Students who reported better support systems reported lower academic concerns and were less likely to drop out than those who reported less support from their university and lectures. The significance of this study and its implications are discussed, along with the findings.

The Effect of Academic Stress of College Students on Dropout Intention : Mediating effects of Academic Procrastination Behavior

The Effect of Academic Stress of College Students on Dropout Intention : Mediating effects of Academic Procrastination Behavior

The fit between dignity self‐construal and independent university norms: Effects on university belonging, well‐being, and academic success

AbstractUniversities struggle with students’ low well‐being and high dropout rates. High (compared to low) fit between students’ self‐construal and perceived university norms might help to prevent these problems. A strong dignity self‐construal (i.e., the understanding that one's worth is independent of others) is adaptive if university norms stress independence. The more a university norm is perceived as stressing independence, the better the fit for students with a strong (vs. weak) dignity self‐construal. Thus, if students with a strong dignity self‐construal perceive a university norm as stressing independence, they should develop a greater sense of belonging to the university and, in turn, experience higher well‐being, more motivation, and lower dropout intention. A longitudinal study with two measurement points conducted with students from 18 universities (N = 719) provided support for these predictions. This underlines the relevance of the fit between student and (perceived) school characteristics for the higher education sector.

The Italian validation of the University Student Engagement Inventory

ABSTRACT Student Engagement (SE) refers to the extent to which a student participates in academic and non-academic activities, invests in and commits to learning, belonging and identification with the educational institution. Despite the relevance of SE for students’ success, a few valid and reliable instruments have been developed. This study presents the Italian validation of the University Student Engagement Inventory (USEI), which adopts both a 3 first-order conceptualization of the SE and a second-order construct (engagement). The paper reports the psychometric analyses (test–retest reliability, construct, convergent, discriminant validities, internal consistency) on a validation sample of 628 Italian university students from 2 areas of study (psychology and biology). Criterion validity was assessed in relation to students’ drop-out intention, academic achievements, Grade Point Average (GPA) and motivation. Invariance analysis was performed for gender and area of studies. Results showed that the USEI presented a good test–retest reliability and factorial construct validity (both for the three-factor and one-factor models), it positively predicted students’ academic motivation, GPA and academic achievements, and negatively intention to drop out. The results indicate that the USEI can produce valid data on SE in the Italian context and may have implications for assessing SE and implementing intervention programs.

Evaluating critical success factors in the permanence in Higher Education using multi-criteria decision-making

ABSTRACT University dropout is a phenomenon of growing interest due to the high financial costs that it involves for both families and states. Various variables have been studied in order to understand why this problem occurs. Satisfaction with the degree choice, study self-regulation and social adaptation within the university are some of the variables that are most important when studying the dropout intention. However, studying these variables is not an easy task and Fuzzy Inference Systems have helped by reducing the subjectivity of language. Therefore, the objective of this research is to adapt Fuzzy Inference Systems to improve knowledge about the intention to remain at university. We performed descriptive analyses, a classification tree and Multiple-criteria Decision-Making based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Inference Systems (FIS) on a sample of 1912 students from different universities in Spain. We saw a relationship between the three variables studied and the intention to remain. In conclusion, there is no single variable for understanding the phenomenon of university dropout, but several variables that interact within a holistic model.

School Dropout Intention and Self-esteem in Immigrant and Native Students Living in Poverty: The Protective Role of Peer Acceptance at School

The psychological well-being at school of immigrant students living in poverty is currently an understudied topic in developmental psychology. This is an important shortcoming because this population, which is rapidly increasing in many western countries, is in a double minority condition and has a greater risk of experiencing psychological distress at school, in comparison with their native peers. In order to improve our understanding on this issue, the present two-wave study investigated the prospective relationships between peer acceptance and two aspects of well-being at school—intention to drop out of school and negative self-esteem—specifically focusing on the differential effect of having (vs. not having) an immigrant background. The participants were 249 preadolescents and adolescents living in poverty (Mage = 12.76; SDage = 2.34; 41.8% girls; 19.3% immigrants) who were attending educational centres for disadvantaged minors. The poverty status of the participants was an inclusion criterion. A multilinear regression model with multigroup analysis was tested. As expected, the results showed that peer acceptance had a significant negative association with school dropout intentions and negative self-esteem only for immigrants, but not for natives. For immigrant students, the protective effect of peer acceptance was comparable to the stability over time of dropout intention and self-esteem, a result that has promising implications for prevention programs. The applied implications of the study for educational and clinical contexts are discussed.

“I Don’t Really Belong Here”

Abstract. The present study investigates the role of sense of belonging on dropout intention in teacher education with a special focus on immigrant teacher students. We present data from a survey of 925 German teacher students using two times of measurement. The results confirm the significance of sense of belonging for the dropout rate among students in teacher education and support our hypotheses that immigrant students show a lower sense of belonging and higher dropout intentions.

Survey of job stress and burnout among employees of various occupations at a COVID-19-dedicated hospital

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of burnout among both medical and non-medical workers at a single coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-dedicated hospital and to find factors significantly associated with burnout. Methods: One hundred seventy-nine respondents (81.4% of the total employees) who answered a questionnaire were included. The questionnaire consisted of 50 questions, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to calculate the odds ratios for burnout using a non-burnout group as a reference, with adjustment for age, sex, medical or non-medical worker status, presence or absence of work in direct contact with COVID-19 patients, and presence or absence of work without direct contact but which was related to COVID-19 patients. Results: Burnout was equally observed in both medical and non-medical workers; the overall burnout rate was 8.9%. The factors significantly associated with burnout were anxiety in relation to infection with COVID-19, self-quarantine and stress behavior of patients, lack of sleep in comparison to the pre-COVID-19 period, and the desire for more days off, increased staff, hazard pay, and resources for coping with stress. Conclusion: System-level solutions for these factors may be effective for reducing dropout intention, burnout, and resignation of hospital workers.

The Importance of a Sense of University Belonging for the Psychological and Academic Adaptation of International Students in Germany

Abstract. Although a sense of university belonging has been established as a crucial factor for students’ academic success and subjective well-being, little is known about its importance regarding the adaptation of international students in Germany. Likewise, few studies have addressed the long-term reciprocal relations of a sense of university belonging and psychological and academic outcomes. To close this research gap, we analyzed data from N = 3,837 international students with a set of cross-lagged panel models. The results showed that a high sense of belonging is beneficial for international students’ adaptation in Germany as it is related to better well-being, higher study satisfaction, and lower drop-out intention. Furthermore, these indicators of psychological and academic adaption predicted the development of a sense of university belonging across the study entrance period, which points to the dynamic relationship between both kinds of constructs. We discuss the theoretical implications and the implementation of interventions that promote a sense of university belonging to increase the psychological and academic adaptation of international students in Germany.