ERIC Number: ED220037
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1982-May
Pages: 15
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Drop-Out at the Distance University in the Federal Republic of Germany. AIR Forum 1982 Paper.
Bartels, Joern
Student attrition at the Distance University in the Federal Republic of Germany was studied. The Distance University, which was founded in December 1974, offers the following departments: mathematics and computer sciences, electrical engineering, economics and law, and education and the social sciences. The university is directed toward people with full-time jobs who cannot attend a conventional university. The analysis includes degree students who are studying full-time or part-time, and dropouts are considered to be students who have discontinued their studies at the Distance University, or who have changed their course of studies or the student category under which they registered. The dropout rate is highest among the students of mathematics, whereas it is lowest among the students of economics. During the first four semesters, student success is largely dependent on their educational background. Women students usually discontinue their studies more frequently than male students. In addition, the older the part-time students are, the lower the dropout rate. After 1 year, 47 percent of all beginning students discontinued their studies. Their vocational commitment often prevented students from completing their assignments: family, job, and study demands often were too much. The percentage of students complaining about missing social contact because of studying at a distance has been increasing, and students who did not begin with a view of gaining a degree were more likely to drop out. The dropout rate is highest among students possessing no formal entrance qualifications, women, and students under 25 years old. (SW)
Descriptors: Academic Aspiration, Academic Persistence, Age Differences, Dropout Attitudes, Dropout Characteristics, Educational Background, Extension Education, External Degree Programs, Foreign Countries, Full Time Students, Higher Education, Open Universities, Part Time Students, Sex Differences, Student Attrition, Student Employment
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A