Understanding catalan university dropout from a comparative approach

Last decade yielded important research to understand the extent to which university dropout is having relevant consequences for higher education. The dropout rate has also been quantified and used as an indicator of performance (Dearing, 1996; Bricall, 2000; Rauret & Grifol, 2001; OECD, 2008; Mandelson, 2009). The aim of this paper is to offer an extensive perspective on how university dropout is being studied and faced in several contexts (America, Europe and, more concretely, Spain and Catalonia), in order to contribute to the provision of action plans which are designed to increase the students’ retention and performance at Catalan HEI.