Student leave-taking and attrition in Australian higher education: lessons for equity policy

Le résumé fourni par la source

Increasing student retention remains a high priority of Australian governments and universities. Central to retention is the process by which students take leave, or stop-out, during their studies. Drawing on longitudinal national data, this paper focusses on the leave-taking behaviour of four priority groups: Indigenous students, those from low socio-economic status or regional backgrounds, and those with disability. We find that students from these four groups are more likely than their peers both to take leave, and to fail to return to study having taken leave. Collectively, these trends account for much of the retention gaps between groups. However, the higher priority group rates of leave and non-return are mostly explained by underlying factors, in particular prior achievement, study mode, and study status. Understanding the significance of these factors is critical to identifying risk, avoiding deficit language and stereotypes, and clarifying the needs on which future funding could be based.

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