Civic engagement and the resources of persistent students and the reasons of dropout in higher education

Abstract

Background and aims Even the richest statistical databases leave the reasons of student dropout from higher education largely obscure. It is the answers of the students who drop out that the panel examinations of the cohorts of students do not contain. The theoretical background to our research was provided by Coleman’s concept of social capital (1961), Tinto’s integrational and Astin’s involvement theory, as well as Pascarella and Terenzini’s institutional integration/embeddedness ideas (2005). Methods To find a solution to that problem, we devised a quantitative, questionnaire survey, based upon the qualitative examination of students who have dropped out (DEPART 2018; N = 591). For data gathering, the snowball method was used, and almost all academic fields are represented in the database. The primary objective of the research was revealing and identifying the factors preventing students from obtaining a degree, surveying the processes and decisions that resulted in their not being able to graduate. School career, educational experience, the attitude of the family to the student’s studies, job/career orientation, educational and social experience in higher education, competitive activities, and social–economical characteristics were the topics we examined. We collected the data of the students who have dropped out with the questionnaire (IESA 2015; N = 2017) and compared the information thus collected with the social and demographic characteristics, school career, and higher educational integration of persistent students. We also compared the data to the embeddedness of (the persistent) students in various voluntary organizations (civic, sport, and religious). For the examination of persistence, a 9-item, highly reliable scale [Cronbach, 883 (IESA)] has been used since 2012. Results The results suggest that the influence of institutional factors and that of the social network is more powerful than the individual characteristics. We found considerable differences between the intra- and extra-campus influences. Discussion Our findings highlight the necessity of providing empirical foundations for the institutional dropout prevention programs.

Autonomy and Responsibility

“…Chapter 4, The Influence of Social and Cultural Capital on Student Persistence, provided an overview of mixed-methods research examining the influence of social or cultural capital on student persistence. Several research volumes have been published in Hungary about attrition and persistence in higher education and an entire volume of the Hungarian Educational Research Journal (HERJ) was also devoted to this topic in the same year this chapter came out (PusztAi & szigeti, 2018;PusztAi et al, 2019). In the reviewed chapter, interviews from participants covered four main factors: family, faculty/professors, selfmotivation, and finances.…”

The effect of volunteering and voluntary group membership on student's persistence

“…The study also points out that active involvement in organizations has a larger effect on students' performance than socio-economic variables have ( Pusztai 2015 ). The joint likelihood of students' voluntary group membership and volunteering (measured by a civic engagement index) is increased by a favorable financial situation, rural place of residence, good relationships with faculty and peers, and religiosity ( Fényes et al., 2018 , Pusztai et al., 2019 ).…”

Civic Engagement of Higher Education Students in a Central and Eastern European Region

“…In the literature on higher education, civic engagement of students is discussed in connection with the development in academic and life skill competences, civic consciousness, and responsibility (Astin and Sax, 1998;Hesser, 1995;Eyler, Giles, and Braxton 1997;Mabry, 1998;Khasanzyanova, 2017), it is referred to as a special teaching method (Freese 1998, Zlokowski 1996, Mabry 1998) and as a protection against attrition (Kim & Schneider 2005;Perna & Titus 2005;Baker 2008;Altbach 2009;Pusztai 2015;Pusztai et al 2019).…”