Dropout Intention, Motivation, and Socio-Demographics of Forestry Students in Romania

Abstract

Reducing students’ dropout rate is a major challenge for universities. Based on a quantitative approach, this study aims to analyze and explain students’ dropout intention at the largest forestry school in Romania by collecting data in their first two months of the academic year prior to failing any courses. The study participants are undergraduate freshmen, male and female students, and the tools are psychological instruments commonly used or specifically developed for this study. Our findings partly confirm previous results, such as the higher intention of dropping out among male students compared to females, and also among students with admission GPA lower or equal to seven, on a GPA scale from 1 to 10, and among students from families with low income. Dropout intention can be explained by the academic performance expectancy, gender, family, socio-economic status, and perceived barriers to completion of studies. There were no differences regarding whether students were from urban or rural areas, proximity of university to home, and high school academic program. Our results may help to implement efficient measures for increasing student retention.

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

“…They refer to the student's social and economic circumstances, contributing to their failure to complete higher education. Prior literature [4,44,56,[72][73][74][75] depicts that family background (e.g., family's socioeconomic status and financial resources) as important predictors of students' dropout. Students whose parents have inferior educational qualifications are less likely to graduate, especially firstgeneration students [26,73,74].…”

“…Prior literature [4,44,56,[72][73][74][75] depicts that family background (e.g., family's socioeconomic status and financial resources) as important predictors of students' dropout. Students whose parents have inferior educational qualifications are less likely to graduate, especially firstgeneration students [26,73,74]. According to Aina [56], students coming from disadvantaged educational families are at a higher risk of dropping out.…”

“…According to Aina [56], students coming from disadvantaged educational families are at a higher risk of dropping out. Students whose parents are less educated report a greater likelihood of dropping out and do not perceive themselves as more competent during their first year of education [56,74]. Larsen et al's [4] study confirms that parents' educational attainment has a significant impact on students' dropout risk.…”

“…The study shows that students' dropout risk is significantly influenced by their parents' financial situation: the higher the parents' financial status, the lower the dropout risk. Low family income continues to be a risk factor for dropping out, as students may face financial difficulties due to living expenses or tuition fees [74]. Also, family is the primary source of funding for students' education [75], particularly in developing and leastdeveloped countries.…”

Passion for nature: global student motivations for forestrelated education and career aspirations

“…In their study on students enrolled in undergraduate forestry study programmes in Romania, Cocoradă et al . (2021) reported that perceived barriers to the completion of studies are based on student emotions, attitudes, and external factors. Poor programme choice not based on talent or preferences resulted in university students in forest-related programmes in Turkey being dissatisfied with their career opportunities and being unable to secure desired jobs (Yavuzaslan et al .…”