Why they Contemplate Leaving: Exploring the Factors that Drive the High Dropout Intention Rate among University Teacher Trainees in Post-COVID Uganda and South Africa

Why they Contemplate Leaving: Exploring the Factors that Drive the High Dropout Intention Rate among University Teacher Trainees in Post-COVID Uganda and South Africa

Loyce Kiiza Kobusingye , Newlin Marongwe & Rogers Mageyo

Issue: Vol.5 No.3 Issue Article 12 pp.301-318
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245312 | Published online 22nd March, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

158 Downloads

DOWNLOAD PDF

ABSTRACT

In the post-COVID-19 period, it is evident that various studies have been conducted on the effects of the pandemic on economies, politics, education, and teachers, to mention but a few, but there are very few studies on how the pandemic has influenced student turn over especially in as far as educational retention and drop out intention is concerned. It should be noted that a multiplicity of factors hinder disadvantaged students from completing their studies and becoming lifelong students for educational and academic sustainability. Therefore, in addition to exploring the factors for this hindrance, the purpose of this study was also to offer strategies or alternative pathways that should be implemented to retain students and help them overcome related challenges. A qualitative approach was chosen for the study and a snowball sampling technique was utilized to select a total of 16 teacher trainees drawn from one Ugandan university (8) and one South African university (8) to explore factors why student teachers contemplate dropping out of their university education. Microsoft Teams meetings and physical interviews were utilized to collect data. The data was analysed thematically. Findings showed that the intention to drop out of university is driven by COVID-19-related factors or effects such as grief and loss of employment; government policies, economic, academic, and personal factors. The researchers therefore recommend teacher motivation, counselling, and new funding models to support teacher trainees, partnering with different potential employer stakeholders, focusing on addressing COVID-19 instructional effects, and creating socially safe spaces to minimize the intention to and actual drop out which are detrimental to future teacher availability. This in turn has implications on the quality of education for sustainability, which in the long run has implications on students’ academic achievement and job prospects.

Keywords: Dropout Intention, Demographic, Teacher Trainees, Post-COVID-19

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aguti, Jessica Norah, Dorothy Nakibuuka, and Richard Kajumbula. “Determinants of Student Dropout from Two External Degree Programmes of Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda,” 2009.

Alivernini, Fabio, and Fabio Lucidi. “Relationship between Social Context, Self-Efficacy, Motivation, Academic Achievement, and Intention to Drop out of High School: A Longitudinal Study.” The Journal of Educational Research 104, no. 4 (2011): 241–52.

Allen, Jeff, Steven B. Robbins, Alex Casillas, and In-Sue Oh. “Third-Year College Retention and Transfer: Effects of Academic Performance, Motivation, and Social Connectedness.” Research in Higher Education 49, no. 7 (November 12, 2008): 647–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-008-9098-3.

Aoki, S. “The Role of Parental Expectations and Self-Beliefs on Academic Stress and Depression among Asian American Undergraduates.” University of Arizona, 2019.

Archambault, Isabelle, Jade Vandenbossche-Makombo, and Sarah L. Fraser. “Students’ Oppositional Behaviors and Engagement in School: The Differential Role of the Student-Teacher Relationship.” Journal of Child and Family Studies 26, no. 6 (June 17, 2017): 1702–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0691-y.

Arhin, Vera. “Relationship between Career Aspirations and Study Behaviours among Second Year Distance Learners of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.” African Educational Research Journal 6, no. 3 (2018): 173–80.

Bardach, Lisa, Marko Lüftenegger, Sophie Oczlon, Christiane Spiel, and Barbara Schober. “Context-Related Problems and University Students’ Dropout Intentions—the Buffering Effect of Personal Best Goals.” European Journal of Psychology of Education 35, no. 2 (June 13, 2020): 477–93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-019-00433-9.

Bargmann, Carina, Lisa Thiele, and Simone Kauffeld. “Motivation Matters: Predicting Students’ Career Decidedness and Intention to Drop out after the First Year in Higher Education.” Higher Education, 2022, 1–17.

Bergeron, Julie, Roch Chouinard, and Michel Janosz. “The Impact of Teacher-Student Relationships and Achievement Motivation on Students’ Intentions to Dropout According to Socio-Economic Status.” Online Submission, 2011.

Bernardo, Ana B., Adrian Castro-Lopez, and Alejandro Diaz Mujica. “Editorial: Higher Education Dropout After COVID-19: New Strategies to Optimize Success.” Frontiers in Psychology 13 (April 8, 2022). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.880295.

Bernardo, Ana, María Esteban, Estrella Fernández, Antonio Cervero, Ellián Tuero, and Paula Solano. “Comparison of Personal, Social and Academic Variables Related to University Drop-out and Persistence.” Frontiers in Psychology 7 (2016): 1610.

Bowers, Alex J, Ryan Sprott, and Sherry A Taff. “Do We Know Who Will Drop out? A Review of the Predictors of Dropping out of High School: Precision, Sensitivity, and Specificity.” The High School Journal, 2012, 77–100.

Brown, G., and J. Hattie. “The Benefits of Regular Standardized Assessment in Childhood Education: Guiding Improved Instruction and Learning. .” www.researchgate.net/publication/233871126, 2012.

Catalán, Ximena, and María Verónica Santelices. “Academic Performance of Students from Different Socio-Economic Levels in Universities: The Case of the Catholic University of Chile.” Calidad En La Educación, no. 40 (2014).

Cocoradă, Elena, Alexandru Lucian Curtu, Laura Elena Năstasă, and Iosif Vorovencii. “Dropout Intention, Motivation, and Socio-Demographics of Forestry Students in Romania.” Forests 12, no. 5 (2021): 618.

Cohen, L., L. Manion, and K. Morrison. Research Methods in Education. 6th ed. London and New York, NY: Routledge Falmer, 2007.

Creswell, John W. A Concise Introduction to Mixed Methods Research. SAGE publications, 2014.

Deci, E.L., and R.M. Ryan. “A Motivational Approach to Self-Intergration in Personality .” In Nebraska Symposium on Motivation: Perspectives on Motivation, edited by R. Deinstbier, 38:237–88. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1991.

Deepika, S, and S Sushma. “Relationship between Motivation and Academic Achievement.” International Journal of Advances in Scientific Research 4, no. 1 (2018): 1–5.

Dube, Bekithemba, and Xolisile P. Ndaba. “Educating Progressed Learners in Times of COVID-19: How Can Bricolage Help?” Research in Social Sciences and Technology 6, no. 2 (September 9, 2021): 22–36. https://doi.org/10.46303/ressat.2021.9.

Fataar, A. “Why the Fees Must Fall.” The Socialist Worker, 2015. https://socialistworker.org/2015/10/27/why-the-fees-must-fall.

Fataar, A. “Why the Fees Must Fall.” The Socialist Worker. Accessed April 9 (2015): 2020. https://socialistworker.org/2015/10/27/why-the-fees-must-fall.

Giorgi, Amedeo. “Concerning a Serious Misunderstanding of the Essence of the Phenomenological Method in Psychology.” Journal of Phenomenological Psychology 39, no. 1 (2008): 33–58.

Gobena, Gemechu Abera. “Family Socio-Economic Status Effect on Students’ Academic Achievement at College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Haramaya University, Eastern Ethiopia.” Journal of Teacher Education and Educators 7, no. 3 (2018): 207–22.

Hardre, Patricia L, and Johnmarshall Reeve. “A Motivational Model of Rural Students’ Intentions to Persist in, versus Drop out of, High School.” Journal of Educational Psychology 95, no. 2 (2003): 347.

Houtte, Mieke Van, and Jannick Demanet. “Vocational Students’ Intention to Drop out in Flanders: The Role of Teacher Beliefs.” Profesorado, Revista de Currículum y Formación Del Profesorado 19,no.3(2015):178–94.

ILO. “ILO Monitor on the World of Work ,” 2022.

Kakuchi, S. “Student Dropout Rate Due to COVID-19 Is Still Rising. University World News: The Global Window on Higher Education, Japan.” https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=202111261339042, 2021.

Kobusingye, Loyce Kiiza, and Tom Luswata. “The COVID-19-Related Schools’ Closure and the Ugandan Teacher: Exploring the Psychological and Non-Psychological Threats and Opportunities.” Journal of Education 4, no. 8 (November 26, 2021): 32–45. https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t5035.

Mageyo, R. “Motivation, Academic Achievement and Drop out Intention among Secondary School Students in Butaleja District.” Makerere University. Kampala, 2022.

Marôco, João, Hugo Assunção, Heidi Harju-Luukkainen, Su-Wei Lin, Pou-Seong Sit, Kwok-cheung Cheung, Benvindo Maloa, Ivana Stepanović Ilic, Thomas J. Smith, and Juliana A. D. B. Campos. “Predictors of Academic Efficacy and Dropout Intention in University Students: Can Engagement Suppress Burnout?” PLOS ONE 15, no. 10 (October 29, 2020): e0239816. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239816.

Moran, D. Introduction to Phenomenology. London: Routledge, 2008.

Moscoviz, Laura, and David K Evans. “Learning Loss and Student Dropouts during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Review of the Evidence Two Years after Schools Shut Down,” 2022. https://www.cgdev.org/publication/learning-loss-and-student-dropouts-during-covid-19-pandemic-review-evidence-two-years.

Ndebele, Hloniphani. “Exploring the Challenges of Information and Communication Technology Localization in South African Higher Education: A Language Management Approach.” International Journal of Multilingualism 19, no. 3 (2022): 368–82.

Newlin, Marongwe, and Kobusingye Kiiza Loyce. “A Comparative Analysis Of The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Rural University Students In South Africa And Uganda.” E-BANGI 19, no. 3 (2022): 1–17.

Okudi, C.A. “Support to School Drop Outs as a Result of COVID-19 Pandemic in Uganda.” International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education 3, no. 1 (2022): 4586–91.

Pascarella, E. T., and P. T. Terenzini. How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005.

Perry, Raymond P, Steven Hladkyj, Reinhard H Pekrun, and Sarah T Pelletier. “Academic Control and Action Control in the Achievement of College Students: A Longitudinal Field Study.” Journal of Educational Psychology 93, no. 4 (2001): 776.

Porter, Stephen R, and Randy L Swing. “Understanding How First-Year Seminars Affect Persistence.” Research in Higher Education 47 (2006): 89–109.

Posel, Dorrit, Adeola Oyenubi, and Umakrishnan Kollamparambil. “Job Loss and Mental Health during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Evidence from South Africa.” PLOS ONE 16, no. 3 (March 30, 2021): e0249352. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249352.

Pring, R. Philosophy of Educational Research. London: Continum, 2000.

Richardson, Michelle, Charles Abraham, and Rod Bond. “Psychological Correlates of University Students’ Academic Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Psychological Bulletin 138, no. 2 (2012): 353.

Ripamonti, Enrico. “Risk Factors for Dropping out of High School: A Review of Contemporary, International Empirical Research.” Adolescent Research Review 3 (2018): 321–38.

Robbins, Steven B, In-Sue Oh, Huy Le, and Christopher Button. “Intervention Effects on College Performance and Retention as Mediated by Motivational, Emotional, and Social Control Factors: Integrated Meta-Analytic Path Analyses.” Journal of Applied Psychology 94, no. 5 (2009): 1163.

Roman, Nicolette Vanessa, Portia E. Davidse, Anja Human-Hendricks, Letitia Butler-Kruger, and Inge Karla Sonn. “School Dropout: Intentions, Motivations and Self-Efficacy of a Sample of South Africa Youth.” Youth 2, no. 2 (April 11, 2022): 126–37. https://doi.org/10.3390/youth2020010.

Rumberger, Russell W, Rita Ghatak, Gary Poulos, Philip L Ritter, and Sanford M Dornbusch. “Family Influences on Dropout Behavior in One California High School.” Sociology of Education, 1990, 283–99.

Rumberger, Russell W, and Sun Ah Lim. “Why Students Drop out of School: A Review of 25 Years of Research,” 2008.

Ryan, Richard M, and Edward L Deci. “Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions.” Contemporary Educational Psychology 25, no. 1 (2000): 54–67.

Samushonga, Hartness M. “On Bivocational Ministry-Focused Training in British Theological Schools: Dialoguing with British Theological Educationalists.” Practical Theology 13, no. 4 (2020): 385–99.

Shuja, Anita, Prof Ali, Sana Shuja Ahmad Khan, Shafiqa Bilal Burki, and Shaham Bilal Buki. “Factors Affecting Students’ Dropout Rate During COVID-19,” 2021.

Strenze, Tarmo. “Intelligence and Socioeconomic Success: A Meta-Analytic Review of Longitudinal Research.” Intelligence 35, no. 5 (2007): 401–26.

Tentsho, Kelzang, Rhysa McNeil, and Phattrawan Tongkumchum. “Determinants of University Dropout: A Case of Thailand.” Asian Social Science 15, no. 7 (June 30, 2019): 49. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v15n7p49.

Thomas, Liz, Glenda Crosling, and Margaret Heagney. “Improving Student Retention in Higher Education.” Australian Universities Review 51, no. 2 (2009): 9–18.

Trentham, Landa L. “Anxiety and Instruction Effects on Sixth‐grade Students in a Testing Situation.” Psychology in the Schools 16, no. 3 (1979): 439–43.

Truta, Camelia, Luminita Parv, and Ioana Topala. “Academic Engagement and Intention to Drop out: Levers for Sustainability in Higher Education.” Sustainability 10, no. 12 (2018): 4637.

Tsolou, Olympia, Thomas Babalis, and Konstantina Tsoli. “The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Education: Social Exclusion and Dropping out of School.” Creative Education 12, no. 03 (2021): 529–44. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2021.123036.

Vignoles, Anna F, and Nattavudh Powdthavee. “The Socioeconomic Gap in University Dropouts.” The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy 9, no. 1 (April 23, 2009). https://doi.org/10.2202/1935-1682.2051.

Wadsworth, Martha E., Tali Raviv, Christine Reinhard, Brian Wolff, Catherine DeCarlo Santiago, and Lindsey Einhorn. “An Indirect Effects Model of the Association Between Poverty and Child Functioning: The Role of Children’s Poverty-Related Stress.” Journal of Loss and Trauma 13, no. 2–3 (February 18, 2008): 156–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325020701742185.

ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Loyce Kiiza Kobusingye is a Senior Lecturer of Educational Psychology, Department of Educational, Social and Organisational Psychology, Makerere University, Uganda.
Newlin Marongwe is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, Department of Continuing Professional Teacher Development, Walter Sisulu University, South Africa
Rogers Mageyo is a Graduate of Master of Education in Educational Psychology, Makerere University, Uganda.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Kobusingye, Loyce Kiiza, Newlin Marongwe & Rogers Mageyo.“Why they Contemplate Leaving: Exploring the Factors that Drive the High Dropout Intention Rate among University Teacher Trainees in Post-COVID Uganda and South Africa,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.3 (2024): 301-318. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245312