“If I were young…”: Increased Dropout Risk of Older University Students

Joana R. Casanova; Cristiano Assis Gomes; Leandro S. Almeida; Ellián Tuero; Ana B. Bernardo

doi:10.24320/redie.2023.25.e27.5671

Authors

Joana R. Casanova Universidade do Minho https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0652-3438
Cristiano Gomes Federal University of Minas Gerais https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3939-5807
Leandro S. Almeida Universidade do Minho https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0651-7014
Ellián Tuero Universidad de Oviedo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5988-5996
Ana B. Bernardo Universidad de Oviedo https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5984-0985

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24320/redie.2023.25.e27.5671

Keywords:

higher education, student adjustment, adult students, dropouts

Supporting Agencies:

Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, trough national funds of Research Centre on Education (CIEd, projects UIDB/01661/2020 and UIDP/01661/2020) and Research Centre on Child Studies (CIEC, projects UIDB/00317/2020 and UIDP/00317/2020), Institute of Education, University of Minho, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT.

Abstract

Dropout from higher education is a worldwide phenomenon with negative consequences for students, families, institutions, and society. As student numbers increase, students become more heterogeneous in terms of academic competencies, motivation, and trajectories, creating new challenges for promoting student persistence. Higher education can pose difficulties for students, increasing their vulnerability and risk of underachievement or dropout. This study involved 2843 first-year students of a Portuguese public university. The aim was to identify the variables that predict the decision to persist or drop out, using the regression tree method. The results show a good model that classifies students into four groups and reveals that the decision to drop out is different for traditional and non-traditional students, suggesting higher vulnerability of older students. Some reflections are offered about institutional practices.

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