Dropping Out in Australia

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Dropping Out in Australia
Margaret Heagney Co-ordinator, Student Equity
Unit Equity and Diversity Centre Monash
University
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Background - Higher Education in Australia38
universities mainly on east coast students 64
f/t, 36 p/t 80 on-campus 15.5
off-campus

• Dropping Out in Australia

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Who gets in? Mainly students from high
  soci-economic status backgrounds (HSES) who are
  over-represented in
• research-intensive unis (The Group of 8)
• Medicine, Dentistry, Law Economics (high
  status, well paid professions)
• Postgraduate studies, over half of research (HDR)
  and over half of coursework students are HSES

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Students under-represented in higher education
  are those from
• from non-English-speaking backgrounds
• from rural and Isolated areas
• from Australian indigenous backgrounds
• women in non-traditional areas of study
• people with disabilities
• from low socio-economic- status backgrounds.

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Low Socio-economic status (LSES)
• measured by postcode in lowest 25 of population
  of given region
• determined by ABS Index of Education
  Occupation
• Access, participation, success and retention data
  of all equity group students collected each year
• LSES under 25 years young working class

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Dropping Out in Australia

• SES dominant factor in access, but also in
  retention
• LSES consistently lower retention than HSES
• HSES higher retention than medium and LSES for
  over a decade (James et al 200411)

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Financial Context User Pays
• Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS)
  income contingent loan scheme repaid via taxation
• Repay _at_ A23,000 in 2004,A35,000 in 2005
• Differential HECS ( since 1997)

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Dropping Out in Australia
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Dropping Out in Australia

• In 2002 Australian students owed 8 billion
  dollars 4.5 billion euros in HECS
• Australian students pay more to study than
  students in most other countries
• Source D Bruce Johnstone 2002
• HECS rates to increase 25 in 2005
• Cap on feepaying domestic students now 50
• Currently less than 2 choose fees option

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Student numbers nearly doubled 1991-2003, yet
• LSES participation static 14.7 in
  1991 14.5 in 2003
• LSES prime determinant of disadvantage
• Multiple compounding disadvantage common
• Overlap greatest between Indigenous/Rural LSES
  students

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Dropping Out in Australia One study

• 80 LSES belong to other equity groups
• 60 Rural students belong to other equity groups
• 30 of Indigenous students are LSES
• 30 Indigenous students are from rural areas
• Source Dobson et al1998

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Dropping Out in Australia

• System wide studies agree one third of students
  drop out
• Complex factors lead to drop out , a subtle web
  of interwoven characteristics
• Reasons vary for different groups

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Link between high retention rates living in
  urban areas
• Few national studies on LSES drop out include
  strategies and their evaluation
• Institutional studies on ATSI students
  attrition, young rural students (mostly LSES)
  deferral rates

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Background - Indigenous Australians
• 2.5 of population aged 15-64 years
• 0.9 of HE population 1991 1.2 in 2000
• 78 in education, health or humanities
• majority in HE are women (young parents)
• 40 HE population under 25 years of age
• in 2000, Indigenous retention rate 60.
• Source Roberts 199840

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Cultural factors Indigenous students drop out
• Indigenous values and practices are not included
  in curricula, learning, teaching, assessments and
  funding arrangements shaped for
  HSES/urban/non-Indigenous
• language of instruction and assumptions of prior
  knowledge favour dominant group
• Cultural Mismatch Indigenous students/success
• Adapting to university culture(shared with rurals)

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Distance Factor loneliness isolation from
  family and networks
• Attitudes to Higher Education/cultural issues
• Academic Skills/Transition Issues
• Choice of Course esp. young students (33)
• Economic Factors ( increased costs e.g.
  accommodation, costs of leaving home)

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Financial Issues major factor in drop out.
  Strong
• association between graduation rates and family
  wealth
• Graduation Rates
• High SES Med SES Low SES
• 88 75 71
• Source Urban et al (1999)

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Education costs rising all the time, computers,
  photocopying
• Rurals and Indigenous costs of travel, either
  to home at weekends or to uni if living at rural
  home
• Govt.income support inadequate (below the poverty
  line)
• Institutional scholarships are few count for
  social security purposes
• 70 undergraduates work approx. 15 hours/week
• Source Long 2002

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Dropping Out in Australia

• More income support means less part time work
• In my experience the full time student is a
  myth. Everyone I know works .to afford to live
• Receiving Austudy is a blessing. It is difficult
  to scrape by each week. I am reliant on my
  casual work to pay big bills and to do this,
  sometimes I miss uni to work
• . (Long 2002)

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Access issue but does impact on dropping out
• Debt aversion high in the most disadvantaged
  groups
• LSES, Rurals Indigenous students
• Rural students on reduced farm incomes hit hard
  by fees and increased debt (drought deferral)
• Deferring does not remove debt, just delays it

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Managing Drop Out Institutions Strategies
• Culturally appropriate support services
• Social supports e.g. local Elders, rural
  students mentor schemes
• Transition issues built into tutorials in core
  1st year subjects
• Inclusive Curriculum e.g. Indigenous perspectives
  in Medicine courses

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Managing Drop Out Institutions Strategies
• Outreach programs esp. for rurals moving to city
  Rural students kit (demystifying tool)
• Flexible timetabling for p/t work and travel home
• implemented at some regional institutions

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Managing Drop out Economic Factors
• Scholarships to cover living and tuition costs
• Free computers and grants for books
• Emergency funds for students (loss of accmdn.,
  part time job)

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Student drop out best managed at local level?
• Multi-facetted programs developed
• Deal with cluster of reasons for drop out
• Reviewed and evaluated

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Dropping Out in Australia Institutional
Strategy review

• Do Scholarships Help? review showed
• 70 believe scholarship payment reduced the
  financial burden on their family
• 47 indicated they would not have to work to help
  meet their expenses, or could work fewer hours as
  a result of the scholarship payment
• Source Aitken et al 2004 Widening
  Participation and Lifelong Learning, 6(1)

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Dropping Out in Australia Institutional
Strategy review

• Scholarship holders had above average grades
• Link between academic performance and financial
  supports established
• I believe that this scholarship allows less
  privileged students to continue their studies at
  a more even level to those students who don't
  have to worry about finances. Thanks.

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Dropping Out in Australia Institutional
Strategies

• Inclusive Learning Environment Project, conducted
  in one school within large University faculty
• Attrition rate in 1998 prior to project -
  46.3
• Attrition rate in 2001 post project - 1.75
• Source Blashki 2003

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Dropping Out in Australia Institutional
Strategies

• Project addressed cluster of drop out factors
• Studio learning environment
• More staff academic, technical and admin.
• Early identification of students at risk
• Mentoring staff and peer buddy
• School funded scholarships
• Increased resources to program

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Dropping Out in Australia National Strategies
(Future)

• 2500 Commonwealth Education Scholarships _at_ 2000
  p.a. rising to 5075 in 2007
• 1500 Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarships
  valued at 4000 p.a. rising to 7550
• neither count as income for social security
  purposes
• Full time students only for 4 years but learning
  entitlement is for 5 years

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Conceptualising Drop out
• Students move in and out of H Ed.(double
  degrees, go to VET)
• Tracking of students needs improving only count
  retained at the same institution
• Many return to H Ed. after dropping out early on
• e.g. 22 enrolling in 1st year had previous H
  Ed. experience
• Source Urban et al (1999)

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Conceptualising Drop out
• Successful drop outs
• withdraw but remain eligible to continue later
• get a job
• fulfill their goals

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Dropping Out in Australia

• Dropping out complex issue
• Need system wide evaluation of strategies
• Analyses need to be sensitive to needs of
  non-traditional students