Uppeldi og menntun - 01.07.2011, Page 50

Uppeldi og menntUn/icelandic JoUrnal of edUcation 20 (2) 201150
„bara ef maðUr hefði sett meiri kraft í þetta“
Late drop-out from university
A qualitative study on antecedents and consequences
abstraCt
The drop-out rate from the University of Iceland is unusually high or up to 57% in
some majors. Additionally, up to 8% of students at the University of Iceland drop-out
late in their educational process when they are heading towards graduation (Heiður
Hrund Jónsdóttir & Friðrik H. Jónsson, 2008; Ríkisendurskoðun, 2007). This has
caused a major concern because drop-out is costly both in terms of time and financial
resources for individuals, institutions and the community. This is especially the case
for those that drop out after spending 2–3 years at the University without completing
their degree.
Tinto (1975; 1993) and Bean (1980; 1982) have proposed two complementary models
that explain drop-out and retention among university students. They suggest that
individual factors, such as student goal setting and commitment to the university and
involvement in the community play a role in drop-out. The interaction between stu-
dent and institution, together with social status, family, parents‘ education and other
commitments or life roles also explain drop-out. Research in the area has been largely
supportive of their conceptualizations (e.g. Cabrera, Nora & Castañeda, 1993; Hovd-
haugen, 2009; McKenzie & Schweitzer, 2001; Sandler, 2000; Smith & Naylor, 2001). In
a recent study in Iceland, drop-out students stated that the main reasons for abandon-
ing their studies were: employment opportunities, academic conditions and atmo-
sphere, unclear career goals and difficulties in combining the student role and other
life roles such as family. According to Super´s (1957) theory of career development, it
may not come as a surprise that young people, still in the exploration stage of their
development, have unclear career goals and want to try out different options before
making final decisions. However, very little is known about the antecedents and what
consequences it has for the individual to drop out from university, especially at the
implementing stage when one is about to finish a degree and enter the job-market.
The major aim of this study was to gain insight into the experience of individuals
who have dropped out of university shortly before graduation. The focus is on their
perceived reasons for drop-out and the consequences it has had for their career devel-
opment and self-perception. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven
individuals who had been enrolled as students in the faculties of social sciences or
humanities at the University of Iceland. Five of the students had completed all their
studies except their BA-thesis and two had one or two additional courses left.
The participants were generally content during their course of study and success-
ful in their academic achievements. However, the results showed that their academic
choice had not been thoughtful and both academic and career goals in general were
unclear. Their choice of study was mainly based on their interests or their friends‘
educational choices. Additionally, the students reported difficulties in organizing their