Supporting individuals' progression into, and completion of post-compulsory education is a key strategic policy of the UK government. However, the number of learners withdrawing from Further Education (FE) prior to qualification completion has been highlighted as an area of concern within the UK. Consequently, we aimed to explore why learners…

Open educational resources (OERs) are an alternative textbook to publisher materials used by colleges and universities. While OERs likely reduce the cost of college for students, research is mixed on the impact of these textbooks on student success in college. The present study utilizes preference score matching (PSM) methodology to compare OER…

School absenteeism is a major societal problem, with a range of potential adverse long-term consequences. This scoping review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the research on school absenteeism in autistic children and adolescents, expose important gaps in the literature, and explore possibilities for future systematic reviews. Five…

Withdrawal from doctoral education has been recognized as a problem with negative consequences for different actors, leading researchers worldwide to explore its underlying factors and processes. However, even if many PhD candidates who withdrew intend to re-enrol, there is a gap in the literature regarding the factors and processes related to…

Using data from 11 institutions, the authors investigate enrollments in intermediate microeconomics to determine characteristics of successful and unsuccessful students and follow the retake behavior of unsuccessful students. Successful students are significantly different from unsuccessful ones, and unsuccessful students differ by type…

This survey explores attitudes of 245 currently enrolled college students with disabilities regarding their comfort taking a COVID-19 vaccine. Results suggest most college students with disabilities are willing to take a COVID-19 vaccine if their institution requires it to return to campus in subsequent semesters. However, many students with…

Open educational resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that are less expensive than commercial course materials. Previous findings have indicated that learning outcomes are similar between OER and commercial resources (which typically require fees to access), but there is considerable variation in the findings. It is not well known…

This study provides a comprehensive review of the phenomenon of students dropping out from tertiary education. Student withdrawal is the result of a long decision-making process and complex interaction between several determinants. We first provide an overview of definitions, theoretical models and perspectives of dropping out. Referring to…

The motivation to participate in ensemble rehearsals may be influenced by the rehearsal environment. With the emergence of the virtual rehearsal environment, there is a need to gain a better understanding of how online rehearsals affect participation decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine the applicability of one theory of…

High dropout rates constitute a major concern for higher education institutions, due to their economic and academic impact. The problem is particularly relevant for institutions offering online courses, where withdrawal ratios are reported to be higher. Both the impact and these high rates motivate the implementation of interventions oriented to…

Second-term general chemistry is a key gateway course at our institution for a variety of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) majors. Herein, we examine data on DFW% (i.e., % of D and F grades and withdrawals) in our general chemistry courses over roughly a quarter-century period, focusing on sections taught by the authors.…

This article identifies the latest researched practices for preventing school disengagement resulting in Early School Leaving (ESL) within the European Union, and which are significant as we transition to a post-COVID-19 school environment. Drawing from an extensive review of European and U.S.-based research literature on the prevention of ESL and…

General Chemistry I is known as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) gatekeeper, often playing a role in determining students' STEM college pathways and their career prospects. However, there have been recent efforts to transform General Chemistry I from a gatekeeper course into a gateway course by implementing equity approaches.…

This research rigorously examines the determinants shaping undergraduate student outcomes within two small private Thai universities, specifically Asia-Pacific International University and Krirk University. The emphasis on small private universities is deliberate, given their heightened vulnerability to institutional instability. This…

In January of 2023, Georgia State University proposed a policy stating that, if graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) taught courses that reported grades of Ds, Fs, or withdrawals (DFW) at a rate of twenty percent or higher, GTAs would be required to complete a course on how to teach college students before they could resume their job as a teaching…