Analysis of the attrition phenomenon through the lens of university dropouts in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Purpose Theoretical models of attrition have failed to address the interwoven factors from the perspective of undergraduate students that influence their decision to drop out. The purpose of this paper is to unravel these complexities using a qualitative phenomenological approach to gain systematic descriptions of the experience of non-completion. Design/methodology/approach Tinto’s (2004) and Bean and Metzner’s (1985) models serve as the theoretical construct for the study’s design and analysis. In-depth interviews were conducted with 41 students who discontinued studies at universities in the United Arab Emirates, to understand the situations that led them to drop out of university and how they experienced this event in their lives. Findings Several issues were identified as contributing factors for dropping out that are consistent with those found in the international literature. Additional issues were more gender or culture specific and, to some extent, represented the differences that signal a social development that is in a transitional stage. The findings revealed that institutional factors, poor pre-college preparation, environmental factors (work-education conflict), early marriage responsibilities, well-paid job opportunities and financial concerns were most influential. Research limitations/implications Despite the limitations of relying on a small sample to generalize findings, the rich detail of this inductive study has added to the understanding of the dropout phenomenon in a new context. Practical implications The paper recommends both remedial and early intervention strategies to be undertaken by the Ministry of Education and universities. Remedial strategies include re-examining the desired standard of English as a condition for admission and adjusting the grading system. Early intervention measures that accommodate the needs of at-risk students are also proposed. At local, regional and international levels, higher education should be freed from commodification and inflated fees. Originality/value The paper presents a significant departure from the largely North American and European literature on the university dropout, by offering a broader knowledge of this phenomenon in another regional and national context.

Quality higher education is the foundation of a knowledge society: where does the UAE stand?

“…This situation, however, is expected to change, as governmental regulation has increasingly tied wages to education, encouraging many nationals to pursue degrees after years in the workforce. Unfortunately, this time lapse has negatively affected the confidence and ability of many Emiratis, leading them to pursue non-STEM degree paths (for example, social sciences, business, humanities) which they erroneously believe are easier to pass and which are also out of alignment with projected future labour demands (Ashour, 2019).…”

Dental students' dropout rates and professional practice adherence among graduates from a public institution

“…There is a diversity of school dropout factors, which also vary from one course to another, between institutions, from one region of the country to another, between countries and considering their historical context, because it has long been investigated 1,2,5,6,10,11,25,28-33 . Among the factors related to the student, we can 70,08 71,43 0, differentiate the pre-university ones, such as parents' schooling 4 , advice and support from friends and family regarding the career choice, previous exposure to stimulating environments and situations, personal plans, gender, age, motivation, socio-demographic conditions, financial status 3,31 , previous qualifications 31,34 , early family formation 34 ; from those that are circumstantial and individual, such as grades, commitment and feelings of personal adequacy 3 . Among the factors related to the institution, the structure, such as laboratories, services, classrooms, equipment and library, the existence of financial support, such as student's scholarships and loans 3 and the quality of the faculty 29 should be highlighted.…”

Predicting Student-Teachers Dropout Risk and Early Identification: A Four-Step Logistic Regression Approach

“…Ansary [49] identified student's age, gender, and land ownership pattern as significant predictors of study dropout in the leastdeveloped and developing economies. Prior research [41,42,47,48,[50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57] finds gender as an important predictor of university students' dropout. However, the results of the effect of gender on dropout decisions are contradictory in existing literature.…”

“…However, the results of the effect of gender on dropout decisions are contradictory in existing literature. Certain research indicates that males are more likely than females to drop out [46,[50][51][52][53][54][55], while other research indicates the opposite [41,42,48,56,57]. According to Stratton et al [53], men, particularly married men, are more likely to abandon their studies as their family responsibilities influenced their dropout decision in an indirect way.…”