Understanding the complexity in measuring student progression in European higher education

Abstract

This article aims to analyze student progression in European higher education (HE) using Sweden and UK as countries of reference. It presents and problematizes common ways to measure student progression (e.g., rates of dropout, completion, and retention), distinguishing between institutional departures or system departures, and the implications of the timing of the measurement, hence focusing on early and late leavers. The article also discusses general rates of student progression in different countries and the reasons for dropping out, revealing what lies behind the dropout statistics. Finally, the article also includes a critical questioning of the interests and intentions behind the data production. The article offers an orientation among the multiple definitions and measurements of student progression in HE. It deals with the value of measurements and alternative ways of measuring student progression, and with the implications for further studies on dropout and completion rates, which are politically contested issues.