Differentiating between the dropout and the failing student this study looks for the explanation of the process of dropping out, as opposed to a description of the individual who drops out. Examines the intake characteristics of dropouts and persisters. (RB)

The Open University set out ten years ago to solve the problem of dropouts in external degree programs. The importance of its success for itself and other institutions is discussed, although there is caution due to the lack of unanimity in terminology in dropout research, and the danger of using dropouts to compare institutions. (MSE)

Using a matched sample of students who stay in school and those who drop out, or leave early, an attempt was made, via multiple discriminant analysis, to identify the significant characteristics which distinguish "drop outs" from their peers who remain at school. Results indicated that both types of students have similar value orientations and…

Several themes relating to the education and employment patterns of female dropouts are examined, especially trends in women's occupations and technological change: adequacy of career education and guidance, problems of women's entry into nontraditional occupations, male attitudes, and policy considerations. (MSE)

After dropouts were categorized into five "types" on the basis of their acceptance or rejection of cultural goals associated with university attendance and the institutionalized means of attaining those goals, it was found that different types of dropouts experienced dissatisfaction with different aspects of the institutional environment according…

A study of the relationship of school type, student characteristics, and family background to student persistence and satisfaction in 30 South Australian secondary schools showed the key factors to be parents' socioeducational level, school type, sex, academic self-concept, and parental encouragement. (Author/MSE)