Trayectorias de Permanencia y Abandono de Estudios Universitarios: una aproximación metodológica mixta

The doctoral research presented below aims at explaining and understanding the impact of higher education curriculum on the decision to continue or dropout from university studies, on the basis of their perceptions. The context of the problem statement in this study is largely marked by three phenomena that have affected higher education at the international level: high rates of dropout of university studies, diversification of admission profiles of students and the propensity for innovation of university curricular programs. The literature review first considered the functionalist approach on retention and dropout at the university level, based on quantitative methodological approaches, as represented by Tinto (1975, 1987) and other American scholars. Then, we reviewed the interpretative approach of this phenomenon, which is linked to qualitative approaches represented by Coulon (2005) and other sociologists from the French School. The literature review permitted to identify two major limits of studies related to retention and dropout at the university level: insufficient incorporation of variables associated to curriculum and a limited number of mixed-method researches. On the basis of the above, a mixed-method research model was conceived, which considered three consecutive stages: stage 1 (quantitative) included the participation of 1,454 students of Education and Engineering programs through a population census; stage 2 considered a sample of 174 students who were interviewed through an on-line questionnaire; and stage 3 (qualitative) included 28 students who participated in a semi-structured interview. The study addresses the case of a Chilean university that deals with students from the middle-low socio-economic sector. Over 95% of the population comes from schools that receive state subsidies and from households with a monthly income that ranges from $ 118.146 to $ 181.703 Chilean pesos per capita, equivalent to USD 249.60 and USD 383.84 respectively. For this study, statistical tools such as logistic regression or logit model and factor analysis, among others, were used. Qualitative data analysis techniques such as content analysis were also used. For both cases, two computer programs were used, respectively dedicated to quantitative and qualitative data analysis. The results indicate that academic performance of students is the main variable that predicts retention and dropout of the university level, which is in line with the academic “insertion” factors identified by Tinto (1975, 1987) and other authors. Students´ commitment, university rating and an enriching experience during secondary education are also important predictors of the retention of students in university studies. These predictors were considered in an estimated logistic regression model. The study also revealed that some elements of the university curriculum are linked to the decision to remain in university studies, though to a lesser extent. In addition to the above factors, these elements might favour dropout of university students in certain cases, which emphasizes the importance of the decisions taken by various universities in this regard. Otherwise, the results of the qualitative stage identified with clarity the process that a student experiences to reach optimal affiliation or dropout during his/her educational trajectory in university, which is line with Coulon´s proposal (2005).

Keyphrases: University curriculum, Dropout, Mixed-method research model, Educational trajectories