Dropout from Higher Education: A Theoretical Synthesis of Recent Research

Despite the very extensive literature on dropout from higher education, much remains unknown about the nature of the dropout process. In large measure, the failure of past research to delineate more clearly the multiple characteristics of dropout can be traced to two major shortcomings; namely, inadequate atten-tion given to questions of definition and to the development of theoretical models that seek to explain, not simply to describe, the processes that bring individuals to leave institutions of higher education. With regard to the former, inadequate attention given to definition has often led researchers to lump together, under the rubric of dropout, forms of leaving behavior that are very differ-ent in character. It is not uncommon to find, for instance, research on dropout that fails to distinguish dropout resulting from academic failure from that which is the outcome of voluntary withdrawal. Nor is it uncommon to find permanent dropouts placed together with persons whose leaving may be temporary in I am indebted to my research assistant, John B. Cullen, for having made an extensive literature search and compiling summaries of the literature for me. I am also indebted to Professors Peter Moock, to John Weidman, and to an unknown reviewer for their insightful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. The work reported here overlaps to a large extent work performed for the Office of