A literature review on the definitions of dropout in Online Higher Education

Abstract

Online higher education continues to grow, yet its high dropout rates remain a pressing and complex problem. However, there are many different definitions of dropout (and related concepts: attrition, persistence, and retention) in the literature, usually related to a temporal conception, and the issue is controversial. Inconsistent terminology is problematic because the ways dropout is defined determine how it is measured, tackled, and researched. This contribution seeks to remedy such issue by summarizing a scoping review of the recent literature on the theme, focusing on the key issue of online higher education students’ dropout conceptualization and definition. A scoping review between 2014 and 2018 yielded 138 articles and dissertations. Findings reveal a complex yet disorganized field, lacking standard definitions. Some concepts (e.g. completion) were defined clearly more often, while others (e.g. attrition and dropout) varied wildly; few papers employed previous definitions from the body of literature. Future research should strive to achieve greater consistency in terminology, so as to compare findings and produce reliable knowledge for intervention in online higher education institutions.

Publication
European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN) Proceedings of the 2020 Annual Conference: Human and artificial intelligence for the society of the future (pp. 73-80)

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Citation

Xavier, M., & Meneses, J. (2020). A literature review on the definitions of dropout in Online Higher Education. In S. K. Softic, D. Andone, & A. Szucs (Eds.), European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN) Proceedings of the 2020 Annual Conference: Human and artificial intelligence for the society of the future. Inspiring digital education for the next STE(A)M student generation (pp. 73-80). Budapest: European Distance and E-Learning Network. ISSN: 2707-2819. https://doi.org/10.38069/edenconf-2020-ac0004
Marlon Xavier
Marlon Xavier
Investigador

Investigador.

Julio Meneses
Julio Meneses
Full Professor

Professor de metodologia de la investigació, director d’Anàlisi de l’Aprenentatge i de la Docència de l’eLearning Innovation Center i investigador de l’Internet Interdisciplinary Institute de la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.

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