Building the profile of students with the intention of dropping out of university studies

Construyendo el perfil del alumnado con intención de abandono de los estudios universitarios

Rocío Peña-Vázquez, Universidad de La Laguna
Olga González Morales, Universidad de La Laguna
Pedro Ricardo Álvarez-Pérez, Universidad de La Laguna
David López-Aguilar, Universidad de La Laguna

DOI

10.22550/REP81-2-2023-03

Abstract

The analysis of the problem of dropout from university studies is a subject of great importance and topicality owing to the repercussions it has, not only in the economic and social sphere, but also at a personal, family, institutional level, etc. The objective of this article is to define a profile for a student who intends to abandon their university studies and who, therefore, is at risk of academic dropout. Various characteristics with a possible impact on this situation were analysed, both those of an individual, academic and socioeconomic nature and those which are personal. Specifically, we studied the variables of age, gender, how studies are financed, average university grade and order of preference of the degree course, as well as those related to academic satisfaction, adaptability skills and the student’s academic engagement. The analysis was conducted on students at the Universidad de La Laguna (ULL) according to degree field and academic year. The results obtained show that the students with the highest risk of dropping out of the degree programme are those in their first year, mainly in the field of sciences, who have chosen the degree course they are studying that was their third choice or lower, their average university grade has been a fail, they have a low level of academic engagement and are not very satisfied with the educational process.

Please, cite this article as follows: Peña-Vázquez, R., González Morales, O., Álvarez-Pérez, P. R. y López-Aguilar, D. (2023). Construyendo el perfil del alumnado con intención de abandono de los estudios universitarios | Building the profile of students with the intention of dropping out of university studies. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 81 (285), 291-315. 10.22550/REP81-2-2023-03

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Author Biography

Rocío Peña-Vázquez. PhD and Associated Professor of Applied Economics and Vice-Rector for Teaching and Research Personnel at the Universidad de La Laguna, as well as a member of ISTUR and various research groups. Expert in Public Policy and Economics of Education. She has participated in R&D projects and published in scientific journals and book chapters. Currently, she is part of the project funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation on university dropout.

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8910-5025

Olga González Morales. PhD in Economics and Business Administration, Associate Professor and Director of the Master’s Degree in Regional Development at the Universidad de La Laguna. She coordinates the Research Group on Public Policies and Regional Development and is a member of ISTUR. Her research focuses on Public Policies to promote entrepreneurship and CSR. She has participated in research projects and published in high-impact journals. Her scientific production is available on Google Scholar.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3754-2300

Pedro Ricardo Álvarez-Pérez. Assistant Professor of Professional Orientation at the Universidad de La Laguna and Director of the GUFOI Research Group. He has three six-year research terms and his current lines focus on adaptation, dropout and academic success, and university orientation and tutoring. He has directed and co-directed numerous projects and published articles in impact journals on academic dropout. He currently leads a project funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation on university dropout in collaboration with five national universities.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0023-0765

David López-Aguilar. Associated Professor at the Universidad de La Laguna. He belongs to the University Group for Training and Integrated Guidance (GUFI) of this same university. His research focuses on the adaptation of students to university teaching, the development of generic competencies, the analysis of the factors involved in dropout and prolongation of university education, and the training and professional development of high-level athletes. He has published books, chapters and articles and has participated in national and regional research and innovation projects. He is currently the principal investigator in a project funded by the Ministry for Science and Innovation on university dropout.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4460-1954

Citación recomendada | Recommended citation

Peña-Vázquez, R., González Morales, O., Álvarez-Pérez, P. R. y López-Aguilar, D. (2023). Construyendo el perfil del alumnado con intención de abandono de los estudios universitarios | Building the profile of students with the intention of dropping out of university studies. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 81 (285), 291-315. 10.22550/REP81-2-2023-03