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Why Students Leave: Findings from Qualitative Research into Student Non-Completion in Higher Education in Ireland

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Why Students Leave: Findings from Qualitative Research into Student Non-Completion in Higher Education in Ireland

Creator(s)

Elaine Burroughs, Niamh Moore-Cherry, Suzanne Quin

Organisation(s)

National Forum, University College Dublin

Discipline(s)

Teaching & Learning

Topic(s)

Learning Analytics, National Forum Publications, Student Success

License

CC BY

Media Format

PDF

Date Submitted

Submitted by

National Forum

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Description

Why Students Leave: Findings from Qualitative Research into Student Non-Completion in Higher Education in Ireland

Benefit of this resource and how to make the best use of it

This project reports on a systematic survey of existing qualitative data on student non-completion gathered by 16 Irish higher education institutions, including Universities, Institutes of Technology and HECA Colleges. The findings of the current qualitative study identified five core themes which are significant in terms of student non-completion: course, personal, financial, medical/health and family. Of these five, course was the strongest influencing factor. Importantly the study calls for a more positive interpretation of non-completion as part of the wider context of students’ career and programme plans. It also suggests that developing systematic and standardised institutional approaches to qualitative data gathering on students who leave will help enhance institutional and policy responses for the future. This study also helps to inform the forthcoming HEA Report 2015 A Study of Progression in Irish Higher Education Institutions 2012/13 2013/14, a quantitative analysis.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)

This work is licensed under a CC BY license, allowing sharing and adaptation with proper attribution.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Burroughs, E., Moore-Cherry, N., & Quin, S. (15/05/2025). Why students leave: findings from qualitative research into student non-completion in higher education in ireland. National Resource Hub (Ireland). Retrieved from: https://hub.teachingandlearning.ie/resource/why-students-leave-findings-from-qualitative-research-into-student-non-completion-in-higher-education-in-ireland/ License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY).

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This resource captures key insights from a full-day workshop held on 8 May 2025, hosted by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and led by internationally recognised expert Dr Alison Cook-Sather. The event focused on the transformative potential of authentic student-staff partnerships as a strategic approach to advancing student engagement, success, and institutional effectiveness.

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