The Australian Association for Research in Education 2022 Conference

Description

Presentation title:
Student retention in higher education: Why students choose to remain at university in complex and uncertain times

Abstract:
Studying at university can be a transformative experience for students, providing them with skills and knowledge that can change their lives and give them access to a wider range of employment opportunities in these complex and uncertain times. Literature suggests that higher education students who have a greater sense of belonging tend to have higher motivation, more academic self-confidence, higher levels of academic engagement and higher achievement. However, not all students succeed in their studies and may leave university prior to completion. Thus, student retention is highly pertinent for students and universities globally.

This research captured the voices of 578 current university students using an online questionnaire, to investigate whether they have considered leaving university without completing their studies, what caused them to consider leaving their studies, and the reasons that led them to stay. It was found that the majority of participants had considered leaving university without completing their course. Multiple factors contributed to this consideration, with family commitments, financial strain, time management, expected study load, and work commitments cited most frequently. Similarly, multiple factors influenced participants’ decision to stay at university, with students’ commitment to achieving personal and career goals, and social support received cited most frequently. Thus, for the majority of participants there were multiple factors that caused them to consider leaving university and there were multiple factors contributing to their decision to stay.

The current study also found a significant difference in the level of belonging between first- generation students and students whose parents had both completed university. In addition, students who frequently considering leaving university without completing their degree (i.e. dropping out) had a significantly lower sense of belonging than students who did not. Finally, university students with a higher sense of belonging reported higher motivation and enjoyment in their studies whereas students that reported lower levels of belonging reported lower levels of motivation and enjoyment.

This study highlights that university students’ sense of belonging is of high importance to higher education institutions as it increases students’ academic motivation and enjoyment in their studies, which can impact on student achievement and reduces the likelihood of students considering leaving university before completing their studies, thus contributing to student retention. This novel research contributes to the limited amount of literature that explores the reasons students stay at university despite experiencing multiple challenges in the rapidly changing conditions of the tertiary sector.

Period	27 Nov 2022 → 1 Dec 2022
Event type	Conference
Location	Adelaide, Australia, South AustraliaShow on map