Remain or Quit? Through-put on Educational Programmes and Student Trajectories in Swedish Higher Education

Throughput and dropouts in Swedish higher education have in recent years become an urgent topic in the debate. Reports have shown low figures of students passing through higher education programmes and obtaining a degree. Research indicates that the problem is complex and contextual, but more systematic studies are lacking.

In addition, research that combines quantitative and qualitative approaches is rare.The aim of the project is to deepen the understanding of throughput and dropout in Swedish higher education over the last three decades with a focus on recent years.

The project contains three sub-studies covering: 1) statistical analyses at the national level and the development of throughput and dropout over time based on total population micro data registers on students, 2) in-depth statistical studies of a selection of professional programmes, and 3) case studies of elementary school teacher education programmes.The theoretical foundation is relational Bourdieusian sociology.

Methods include interviews, observations, and a variety of statistical tools such as regression analysis, geometric data analysis, and network analysis.

The main research contribution of the project will be a thorough investigation of the complexities of throughput and dropout, taking in both the views of the teachers, academic leaders and administrators, and students – dropping out or not – as well as the general trends and specific characteristics of various educational programmes.