Drop-out in further education—a linking of perspectives for the (re-)construction of the drop-out phenomenon

Abstract

Abstract The early termination of educational measures is usually critically discussed as “drop-out”. The discontinuation of further education activities is considered a problem above all when existing interest in further education cannot be realized and/or when this initiates a categorical withdrawal from the system of further education. In educational research carried out in German-speaking countries (especially in research on university-, school-, and vocational education), the already wide-spread term “drop-out” is increasingly used as a synonym for the discontinuation of educational participation. In research on further education, however, this term is less common and, so far, no relevant studies have been conducted regarding the reasons for dropping out, the methods of dealing with this issue, or the importance of the drop-out phenomenon in continuing education. Against this background, the authors focus on the actual need for basic research and carry out a systematic categorization of the drop-out phenomenon in the context of further education. To this end, they first investigate which drop-out concept is most common in the field of adult education. They then link the present state of the art in research to perspectives formulated by eleven experts (representatives of education providers and continuing education associations) interviewed with regard to this topic. Findings are further substantiated through a reflection on the operationalization of early termination of further education in the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). In a discussion summarizing the major lines of reasoning, the results thus gained are condensed against the theoretical and empirical background and guiding implications for future (empirical) research activities are outlined.

Keywords

• Drop-out
• Adult education
• Educational behaviour
• Panel study
• Constellation
• Expert interviews