Factors Influencing the Chance of Dropout or Being at Risk of Dropout in Higher Education

The purpose of this paper is to establish what sociodemographic and institutional factors cause students to drop out, become uncertain about their intentions to obtain a degree, or confidently advance towards the fulfilment of their ambitions. Our analysis is based on the combined databases of large...

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Main Authors: Gabriella Pusztai, Hajnalka Fényes, Klára Kovács
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-11-01
Series:Education Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/11/804
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author Gabriella Pusztai
Hajnalka Fényes
Klára Kovács
author_facet Gabriella Pusztai
Hajnalka Fényes
Klára Kovács
author_sort Gabriella Pusztai
collection DOAJ
description The purpose of this paper is to establish what sociodemographic and institutional factors cause students to drop out, become uncertain about their intentions to obtain a degree, or confidently advance towards the fulfilment of their ambitions. Our analysis is based on the combined databases of large-sample questionnaire surveys carried out among former students who dropped out from higher education institutions in an eastern region of Hungary as well as those carried out among current students. In addition to bivariate methods, we conduct multinomial logistic regression analysis to explore how students’ gender, social background, the funding of their training, willingness to do paid work alongside their studies, and relationships with academic staff and fellow students affect the chance of dropout, the risk of dropout, and persistence. In contrast to previous studies, which have mostly identified those at risk of dropping out of higher education and have primarily focused on the deficiencies of institutional integration, our novel results show that the actual dropout rate is at least as influenced by students’ unfavourable social background as it is by institutional factors.
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spelling doaj.art-503e93fc15b54430b7e083d90974f5fc2023-11-24T08:07:17ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022022-11-01121180410.3390/educsci12110804Factors Influencing the Chance of Dropout or Being at Risk of Dropout in Higher EducationGabriella Pusztai0Hajnalka Fényes1Klára Kovács2MTA-DE-Parent-Teacher Cooperation Research Group, Institute of Educational Studies and Cultural Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, HungaryMTA-DE-Parent-Teacher Cooperation Research Group, Department of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, HungaryMTA-DE-Parent-Teacher Cooperation Research Group, Institute of Educational Studies and Cultural Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, HungaryThe purpose of this paper is to establish what sociodemographic and institutional factors cause students to drop out, become uncertain about their intentions to obtain a degree, or confidently advance towards the fulfilment of their ambitions. Our analysis is based on the combined databases of large-sample questionnaire surveys carried out among former students who dropped out from higher education institutions in an eastern region of Hungary as well as those carried out among current students. In addition to bivariate methods, we conduct multinomial logistic regression analysis to explore how students’ gender, social background, the funding of their training, willingness to do paid work alongside their studies, and relationships with academic staff and fellow students affect the chance of dropout, the risk of dropout, and persistence. In contrast to previous studies, which have mostly identified those at risk of dropping out of higher education and have primarily focused on the deficiencies of institutional integration, our novel results show that the actual dropout rate is at least as influenced by students’ unfavourable social background as it is by institutional factors.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/11/804dropoutCentral and Eastern Europesociodemographic backgroundinstitutional integration
spellingShingle Gabriella Pusztai
Hajnalka Fényes
Klára Kovács
Factors Influencing the Chance of Dropout or Being at Risk of Dropout in Higher Education
Education Sciences
dropout
Central and Eastern Europe
sociodemographic background
institutional integration
title Factors Influencing the Chance of Dropout or Being at Risk of Dropout in Higher Education
title_full Factors Influencing the Chance of Dropout or Being at Risk of Dropout in Higher Education
title_fullStr Factors Influencing the Chance of Dropout or Being at Risk of Dropout in Higher Education
title_full_unstemmed Factors Influencing the Chance of Dropout or Being at Risk of Dropout in Higher Education
title_short Factors Influencing the Chance of Dropout or Being at Risk of Dropout in Higher Education
title_sort factors influencing the chance of dropout or being at risk of dropout in higher education
topic dropout
Central and Eastern Europe
sociodemographic background
institutional integration
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/11/804
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