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Publication
Drivers of academic pathways in higher education: traditional vs. non-traditional students
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Dropout rates in higher education (HE) are particularly high for nontraditional students which may be due to unadjusted educational
policies. Considering as non-traditional the students who are employed
at the enrolment moment and using a longitudinal database containing
information on 5351 students from a Portuguese HE institution, an event
history analysis approach is employed to distinguish the main drivers of
graduation and dropout risks for traditional and non-traditional students
and to test a set of research hypotheses. The results show significant
differences between the two types of students, confirming the need of
discretionary policies. For non-traditional students, policies that assist
them in an early stage are shown to be of critical importance, for
example by offering pre-enrolment preparatory courses or by joining
them, in the classroom, with students with similar characteristics. For
traditional students, providing solutions for financial limitations and
promoting academic integration seem to be more effective.
Description
Keywords
Traditional students Nontraditional students Event history analysis Competing risk Dropout Education policy