Academic survival: student retention in sport and exercise sciences

Figures & data

Figure 1. Lorenz curves of participation rate of students across POLAR4 quintiles (HEFCE 2017) in the department of sport, health and exercise science at the University of Hull.

Table 1. Student characteristics across programmes.

	Sport Rehabilitation	Coaching & Performance Science	Sport & Exercise Science	All programmes	P
Gender
Male, n (%)	80 (55)^a	105 (84)^b	105 (72)^b	290 (70)	p < 0.001
Female, n (%)	65 (43)^a	20 (16)^b	40 (28)^b	125 (30)
Age
Young, n (%)	115 (79)^a	115 (96)^b	120 (83)^a	350 (85)	p = 0.001
Mature, n (%)	30 (21)^a	5 (4)^b	25 (17)^a	60 (15)
Locality
Local, n (%)	75 (52)^a	105 (84)^b	90 (64)^a	270 (66)	p < 0.001
Not local, n (%)	70 (48)^a	20 (16)^b	50 (36)^a	140 (34)
Qualification at entry
FDn yr, n (%)	5 (3)^a	0 (0)^a	25 (18)^b	30 (7)	p < 0.001
Dip Level 3, n (%)	95 (63)^a	110 (88)^b	85 (61)^a	290 (70)
A/AS level, n(%)	35 (23)^a	15 (12)^b	30 (21)	80 (19)
Other, n (%)	15 (10)^a	0 (0)^b	0 (0)^b	15 (4)
POLAR4
Quintile 1, n(%)	35 (25)^a	55 (46)^b	40 (28)^a	130 (32)	p = 0.024
Quintile 2, n (%)	30 (21)	25 (21)	35 (24)	95 (23)
Quintile 3, n (%)	20 (14)	15 (13)	25 (17)	60 (15)
Quintile 4, n (%)	30 (21)	15 (13)	25 (17)	70 (17)
Quintile 5, n (%)	25 (18)	10 (8)	20 (14)	55 (13)
Degree Classification
1, n (%)	30 (21)	15 (12)	25 (18)	70 (17)	p = 0.140
2:1, n (%)	35 (24)	35 (28)	35 (25)	110 (27)
2:2, n (%)	25 (17)	25 (20)	20 (14)	70 (17)
Pass, n (%)	0 (0)	5 (4)	0 (0)	10 (2)
Ordinary, n (%)	5 (3)	5 (4)	0 (0)	5 (1)
Other/none, n (%)	50 (35)	40 (32)	60 (43)	150 (36)

Counts of people are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5 in accordance with HESA guidelines to protect student anonymity (Higher Education Statistics Agency [HESA], n.d.-b). POLAR4, Participation of Local Areas in Higher Education classifications (HEFCE 2017).

^asignificantly different to ^bat p < 0.05.

Figure 2. Student retention in sport, health and exercise science programmes between genders (p = 0.058).

Figure 3. Student retention in sport, health and exercise science programmes dependent on highest entry qualification (p < 0.001).

Figure 4. Student retention in sport, health and exercise science programmes across POLAR4 quintiles (HEFCE 2017) (p = 0.003).

Figure 5. Retention across programmes in the department of sport, health and exercise science (p-0.455).

Figure 6. Student retention across programmes and split by highest entry qualification on entry in the department of sport, health and exercise science.

Higher Education Funding Council for England. 2017. POLAR4 Classification: A Local Geography Classification for Young Participation in Higher Education, The National Archives. October 27. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20180322111559/http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/year/2017/201729/.

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Higher Education Statistics Agency. n.d.-b. Rounding and Suppression to Anonymise Statistics. https://www.hesa.ac.uk/about/regulation/data-protection/rounding-and-suppression-anonymise-statistics.

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