This publication presents completion and attrition rates for apprentices and trainees using three different methodologies: (1) contract completion and attrition rates: based on the outcomes of contracts of training; (2) individual completion rates: based on contract completion rates and adjusted for factors representing average recommencements by…

Two hundred and twenty-six qualitative interviews with students studying at Australia's largest online tertiary education organisation, Open Universities Australia (OUA), found that failure to complete assessments due to unexpected and unavoidable employment commitments was the standout reason for dropping out of its open-access courses. The…

Apprenticeship completion rates have remained persistently low for decades in spite of broad agreement over the causes of non-completions. A possible factor missing from these explanations is climate, particularly in northern Australia where traditional trade apprentices are exposed to extreme conditions and exert themselves. We hypothesize that:…

Using data collected from a recent national survey of Australian first-year students, this paper defines and validates four scales--belonging, feeling supported, intellectual engagement and workload stress--to measure the student experience of university. These scales provide insights into the university experience for both groups and individual…

Despite institutional strategies to prevent student withdrawal, attrition remains a concern across higher education sectors in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. In the case of Australian universities, attrition rates have remained consistently high since 2002. Some level of attrition is inevitable, but universities can influence…

Swinburne University of Technology has experienced tremendous growth in open access online learning and as such is typical of the many Australian institutions that have ventured into online tertiary education. While research in online education continues to expand, comparatively little investigates students' enrolment and attrition. This research…

This technical paper examines the issue of attrition bias in two cohorts of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), based on an analysis using data from 1995 to 2002. Data up to 2002 provided eight years of information on members of the Y95 cohort and five years of information on members of the Y98 cohort. This study suggests that…

Institutional researchers have undertaken many studies of student attrition in the past but mainly focusing on the quantitative dimensions. No doubt it is important for institutions to be aware of their attrition rates and how this may vary by demographic and other variables in order to develop strategies to minimise drop-out rates and thereby…

The Student Performance and Progress Study (SPPS) was established at the Australian National University in an attempt to identify the causes of high attrition rates and to suggest policy formulations to reduce the attrition rates. Studies fall into four main categories: demographic, university performance, university experience, and previous…

This volume contains a comprehensive review and analysis of existing Australian research on early school leaving behavior, focusing on girls. Part One gives an overview of school leavers, and data on general trends are considered. Observable trends in school leaving statistics are examined from antecedents through the school leaving decision to…

This publication from Australia reports on an investigation directed at possible explanations of why students in the state of Victoria remain to complete secondary school, and why schools themselves vary in their capacity to retain students to year 12. Chapter 1 provides perspectives on this topic from past research and identifies three domains of…

An exploratory study was the first part of an extensive study of retention in vocational education and training (VET) modules in Australia. These four major categorical variables were used to explore patterns in the withdrawal rate: year, gender, state/territory, and area of study/discipline. Withdrawal rates declined significantly from 1995-97.…

A study explored possible reasons why technical and further education (TAFE) students enrolling in vocational education and training (VET) courses in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia do not complete those courses. Findings were based on these two kinds of evidence: evidence obtained from a statistical investigation of the outcomes…

This publication provides a synopsis of the issues, as identified in recent research reports, relating to non-completion of New Apprenticeships and Traineeships in Australia. Some of the key findings of the research reports are the following: (1) during the mid-1990s, non-completion rates were approximately 45 percent for trainees and between…

Australian young people take five major transition pathways when they reach the end of compulsory schooling: compulsory to postcompulsory school, school-to-university/higher-education, school-to-vocational education and training, apprenticeship/traineeship, and school-to-work. In 1997, 97.2 percent were retained to Year 10; in Year 11, 84.4…