Factors determining dropouts from higher education institutions

Abstract

Based on the experience of Lithuanian and foreign researchers and practitioners, the article theoretically justifies the reasons for dropping out of studies and provides options for reducing them. The purpose of the study was to identify the factors that determine dropout and their relationship with students’ attitude towards studies. Research methods: a quantitative method (questionnaire survey) was used to investigate students’ attitudes toward the reasons for withdrawing from their studies; a statistical analysis method was used to process the data collected during the study. Using the Student’s t criterion, indicators and differences in attitudes towards the factors determining withdrawal from studies were examined and compared in two groups of subjects: 1) students who had never thought about dropping out of their studies; 2) students who had thought about dropping out of their studies at least once. The results of the study will have practical implications for the possibilities of improving the quality of organising the study process in higher education by reducing the number of students who intend to discontinue their studies.