Research Topic: Why Students leave the University?

Problem Statement: As we know because of our personal experience that every student seems very excited about studying in University in their college life however As we are student of GIFT UNIVERSITY during a period of one year we have examined that most of students enrolled in degree program but after a short period of time they usually quiet and that is the big issue for the management team of universities. We personally observed that many students leave because of weak financial background of their families, their personal characteristics like non serious attitude toward study, their natural characteristics and after disappointing from their initial results. Research Objective: In our research we have to analyze the financial factors, habitual factors like study habit, demographic and motivational factors like initial results that are related to students withdrawal from university. In our research, we have to find out the factor from above factors which is mostly related to this problem in the context of our local environment. Research Questions: Q1: Does the financial position of the student make any impact on his decision of leaving the university? Q2: Does the habitual factors like study habit of the students plays any role in student withdrawal? Q3: Does the initial academic performance of the student in the university have any impact on his decision of leaving the university? Q4: Does the previous performance of the student plays any role in his withdrawal? Q5: Do the demographic characteristics of the students make any impact of their decision of withdrawal?

Research Framework

Independent Variables

Moderating Variable

Mediating Variable

Dependent Variable

Previous Performance

Commitment

First GPA

Study Habit Student Age Intent to leave Withdrawal

Gender

Financial Position

Theoretical Reflection and Justification

In our research frame work student withdrawal/turnover is our dependent variable while Previous performance of student, first GPA, Age, gender, study habit and financial position of student are our independent variables. Here commitment to the study plays the role of moderating variable while Intention to leave is mediating variable.

Theoretical reflection and justification of all independent variables, moderating variable and mediating variable is given below:

Previous Performance: According to the student attrition model introduced by Bean in 1980, previous performance of student is highly important variable according to the bean if the previous performance of the student is good then there will be less chances of student's attention to leave the university on the other hand if student's previous performance is not good then there will be likely more chances of making attention to leave. Hutto stated that the previous academic performance helpful for making decision either to quit or continue some of the students who are bad performing in their subjects they involuntary withdrawal from university.(Hutto,2002). Seymour and Hewitt describes that women migrants performed worse as compared to women who completed engineering degree in a constructed way which is totally based on the university GPA and high school class rank.(Seymour and Hewitt) First GPA Desjardins argued in response of Tinto's model which was made to criticize student attrition model, that GPA of first semester play a vital role in making attention of leaving the university. According to his arguments, if a student gets a good GPA in his/her very 1st semester, there will be less chances of making attention of leaving while if he does not attain a good GPA in very 1st

semester then he /she will be de motivated and make attention to leave the university. Bean (1980) hypothesized grades would have the same effect in the university setting. He added variables to measure prematriculation characteristics and student interaction. G.P.A significantly related to satisfaction and organizational commitment and student who have bad academic grade leave impact on their decision of withdrawal. (Bean,1980). Spady also make contribution towards the G.P.A of students he stated that G.P.A is extrinsic reward for students who do job or playing role in developing their professional career for improved opportunity for success, Who dissatisfied with their first G.P.A they quit form the ladder of career developing path. Spady (1970, p. 77)

Age: Recent research into student attrition rates has identified that the majority of students in higher education are now non-traditional (i.e. between the ages of 25 and 60, working in a part- or fulltime capacity, and attending a non-residential college facility to undertake a part-time study program). For example, in 2002 the major provider of technical and further education (TAFE) in New South Wales, Australia, reported that almost 300,000 students who had registered their enrolment were over the age of 25 years, and that over 87% of enrolments were for part-time studies (Statistics Newsletter: Enrolment Summary 1999-2001, 2002). Furthermore, Streckfuss and Waters (1990) have reported that the mature-age student entering higher education has typically not studied in the previous ten years before undertaking the course. Schlossberg, Lynch and Checkering (1989) suggest that this long period of absence from study is precisely why higher education should be thought of differently for mature-age students. In support of this position they argue that in contrast to traditional students, mature-age students have diverse characteristics, a vast range of life circumstances, more and varied past experiences, are more concerned with practical application, and have greater self-determination and acceptance of responsibility. All of which, according to Kerka (1989), results in the student role becoming a secondary activity for mature-age part-time students which contributes to higher rates of withdrawal. Gender: According to Theoretical Model of Non-traditional Student Attrition (Wylie, 2004) a person's gender is also important factor weather he/she make attention of leaving or not. After doing

research on that model, it was seen that there are higher chances of making attention to leave in females as compared to males. (Wylie, 2004)Some of the earlier researcher found that intelligence was the only factor that causes gender variations among high achievers. (Robinson, 1965). Bean also makes contribution towards student attrition in which he state that gender and external factors, such as family circumstances and socio economic status. (Bean, 1980). Later some attributed familial factors like parental aspiration beliefs and their socio economic status as the main factors that cause age and gender differences among high achievers by Malathi (1987)

Study Habit: Theoretical Model of Non-traditional Student Attrition (Wylie, 2004) introduced a very important factor of making attention of leaving or not, that is study habit. According to that study, the student who gives more time to their study has less chances of making attention to leave as compared to those students who give less time to their studies. Study habits play an important role for developing skills and knowledge and consider a study is an art which requires more practice in order to become successful. Most of the students who put less effort and achieve more they are more willing to continue their study and who put more effort in study and achieve less make their decisions to quit. (NUTHANAP.G. JULY, 2007) Financial Position: Ishitani and Desjardins while criticizing five-year study of student attrition identified very important factor of financial position of student regarding with leaving the university. According to their arguments and research, when the student faces financial problems, although he would be not intended to leave but he will can leave the University. Student voluntarily withdrawal from the university due to lack of financial resources or any personal and family reasons.(Hutto,2002)

Commitment to the study (moderating variable): Tintos (1975) Theoretical Model of Student Integration stated that student's commitment to the study directly affect the student's intention to leave the university. According to that model, if the student committed to his studies, then there are very less chances of making intention of leaving although the other variables like age, gender, first GPA and study habit of student affect the intention of leaving positively. So here we can say that student commitment to the study plays the role of moderation variable which minimize the effect of independent variable to the

dependent variable. In other way High commitment to the study affect the first GPA and study habit positively. His own analysis of the students issues of leaving the institutional of their own weak commitment towards their studies and the courses they have selected are not of their own choices that at last force them to leave the university. The main issue faced by them is of the instructors appointed to them are not giving their full efforts to build up the students moral and motivation level increases due to teachers are showing good response. But if they are demotivated by the instructor then they intent to leave the university as they cant go with the system. (French et al., 2005; Matusovich, 2008) Intend to leave(mediating variable): John Bean (1987) further expanded the previous work of Tinto by adding a very important mediating variable which was "student intention of leaving" according to his argument, student cannot take the decision of leaving until they are not intended to leave. Only when students are forced to leave the university for example by the factor of unaffordable tuition fee then the students leave the university without their own intention other than this, the student first make intention to leave and then they leave. This Process was included to enhance the students morale towards their intention to leave the university, are they not fully satisfied with the atmosphere of the university or they facing the difficulties in the financial crises of their family back ground situation are making their intentions to leave the university. For the majority of the decisions taken by them are of failure in their studies not coming up to the mark as required by the university patters. So they are no longer intended to stay with the studies because they are making them in big trouble of selected courses are the major cause to leave the university. (John R.Whyle)

Dimensions and Elements of non Demographic variables Study Habit (c)

Study Planning (D)

Concentration toward study (D)

Planning of Work (E)

Planning of Subject (E)

Reading and note taking (E)

Consulting to no syllabic material for understanding (E)

Examination Preparation time (E)