School non-completion and non-completers' subsequent pathways into employment or back into education are enduring issues for policy-makers in Australia. Understanding the factors that predict a higher probability of leaving school before completing Year 12, as well as those that increase the chance of reengaging with education, can inform action…

Intrinsic motivation is considered the dominant factor in the motivation of adult students in continuing postgraduate education. However, the strength of an intrinsic motivation to learn does not explain the phenomenon of dropout where the student withdraws and does not return or where the student withdraws and then recommences their postgraduate…

The objective of this paper is to better understand the factors that affect the chances of re-engaging early school leavers in education, with a particular focus on the importance of time out from school (duration dependence) and school-related factors. Using data from three cohorts of the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth and duration…

In many higher education systems around the world increasing retention is vital if institutions are to produce the number of graduates identified through government projections to meet industry needs. Taking Australia as an example, the analysis uses results from a large-scale survey of undergraduate students to review rates and rationales for…

There has been a discernable focus within many Australian industries on improving the rates of completion amongst their apprentices and trainees. This paper outlines the results of a study which involved a multivariate analysis of data relating to apprenticeship and traineeship completion, derived from a database developed by the Victorian…

A 2006 study of apprentices commencing with a Group Training Organisation in an Australian regional centre identified factors that appear to support apprentices in their first year. The research demonstrates that school subject selection and access to work-related experiences while still at school make an important difference to completion of the…

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…

Responses from Australian reentry students (1233 of 2278) and 66 of 80 institutions were used to develop a profile of dropout characteristics, living conditions, employment status, and reasons for reentry. Improved data collection on dropouts, a preventive focus in grades 10-11, and adoption of innovative reentry program practices were…

This paper is concerned with research into early school leaving. A narrative interview approach was used to document and analyse the experiences, processes and decisions that a small sample of boys made prior to leaving school, in this case, before completing year 10 and 11. Data collected in 2004 indicate that schools along with students…

Significant proportions of participants drop out of cognitive behaviour therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study indexed the pretreatment characteristics of civilian trauma survivors who remained in (n = 95) and dropped out (n = 33) of therapy for chronic PTSD. Therapy involved either cognitive behaviour therapy or supportive…

This report examines early school leaving in Australia. It draws in the most recent and extensive set of national data in early school leavers. It focuses on students who leave school before the beginning of Year 11 using a national representative longitudinal survey of Australian youth who were in Year 9 in 1995. The first part of the…

This survey of Australian college students provides support for an alternative explanation of attrition for a specific group of university students: students who planned to withdraw from their original program of study after facilitating entry to another undergraduate degree. (EV)

Study of 1,233 Australian dropouts who reentered high school showed that unsuccessful reentrants were often homeless and unemployed, were more likely to be at traditional rather than innovative schools, and had practical, interpersonal, or discipline-related problems at school. Three best predictors of repeat dropout were extent of interpersonal…

Reports a study examining the characteristics, study habits, and motivation of students who officially withdrew from the University of Adelaide (Australia) without failing. Causes of first year withdrawal were study being more difficult or less interesting than expected and weak academic motivation. Previously enrolled withdrawals were…

States early school leaving is a protracted educational problem throughout the world. Examines early school leaving from the position of young Australians (n=209) who left school or were considering leaving. Provides tentative theorizing traversing aspects of the cultural geography of high school as partial explanation of what is occurring. (BT)