Educational Background at Entry and Drop-Out from Part-Time Undergraduate Studies

Abstract

The study was designed to investigate the relationship between differences in educational training at the time of entry into part-time undergraduate studies and persistence with such a program. The sample consisted of 612 students who enrolled for the first time in a part-time evening undergraduate program. A specially designed questionnaire was used as the chief measuring instrument. Possession of a high school diploma, having not repeated a year in high school, undertaking certain types of training, and delaying university entry by a year or more were found to be conducive to persistence. High school matriculation average, type of high school attended, amount of delay, and reasons for delaying entry to university were not found to be related to drop-out. The findings of the study stand in sharp contrast to previously reported research.