5 ways to reduce high dropout rates and ease student transitions

StudentPulse Team
October 24, 2022

In any given year, approximately 20% of 18-year-olds enter vocational schools in Denmark. Yet only 60% of these students complete their programme, setting the dropout rate at a staggering 40%. For many of these students, the risk of dropping out is elevated as they go through periods of transition, for example, during pre-boarding, on-boarding, or when they begin their apprenticeship. ‍ In Episode 3 of the StudentPulse podcast, we speak to Lea Bergstedt, Director of Quality Assurance at Roskilde Technical College and Chairperson of the Quality Network, a collection of 160 vocational schools in Denmark, on how we can help students through challenging transition periods and prevent dropouts.

Transitions affect students both practically and mentally

When people go through a period of change, it is common to feel insecure and doubtful, even when the change is welcome and is good for us! This is because we are leaving what we know behind and venturing out into the new and unknown. Similarly for students transitioning, for instance from secondary school to vocational school, they are often vulnerable and require support to deal with their evolving identity and to make sense of the change they’re experiencing.

On a practical level, incoming students also require information and support on important matters such as class selection, student funding and apprenticeship programmes. Additionally, there are also students joining school who are coming from a job and with families to support. These students will have many more practical matters of concern such as housing, funding and being able to take time off for family emergencies.

How can educational institutions support students during transitions?

Lea shares that there are several steps that educators can take to proactively support their students through transitions.

  1. Provide prospective students with a mirror of the future by inviting them for a school visit. Inviting prospective students for a tour and a chat prior to starting school will allow them to immerse their senses in the environment, help them imagine themselves there and give them the opportunity to ask any questions. Educators will also be able to discover if there are any challenges students face such as dyslexia or anxiety that they can help address even before the programme begins. Additionally, for a new student, being able to recognise a familiar face once school officially starts will go a long way to ease them into a new environment.
  2. Leverage student councils and student counselling to be both proactive and reactive. Lea shares that not only can colleges make student counselling available to answer any questions, the student council can also be proactively deployed to attend education fairs to talk to prospective students about what it’s like to be a student and to answer any questions.
  3. Show students that their feelings are completely normal. Lea shares that by making video portraits of real students across the different programmes sharing their experience, doubts and fears, incoming students are able to relate to them and feel comforted that many other students feel the same way they do.
  4. Address transitions in an open environment. There are certain time periods in which a student is most vulnerable. For instance in their onboarding week where they may feel lonely and are wondering if they’re making the right choice. Or two months into the programme when they need to look for apprenticeships and will begin to question if this is really going to be their professional identity. At these times, Lea says that it is crucial for educators to publicly acknowledge that students may be having a hard time, normalise it and offer their support.  

Additionally Lea shares that there are also other initiatives happening in small pockets such as mentorship or buddy programmes that are still being trialled out in certain colleges. After all, reducing the 40% dropout rate is a big task and innovative solutions are needed to help solve this problem.

StudentPulse helps support student transitions during preboarding and onboarding

StudentPulse aims to empower educational institutions to better understand students’ needs by combining microsurveys with real-time data analytics. During the vulnerable preboarding (from the time a student signs up until their first day) and onboarding (first few days and weeks) period, StudentPulse microsurveys can be easily integrated into existing admission letters and processes to help students with their transitions b

  • Identifying students’ expectations. Knowing incoming students’ concerns and hopes as well as information they expect to receive will help educators plan their communications and ensure students get what they need.
  • Identifying at-risk students. For instance, if a student indicates in their survey that they have questions or are not in a great mental headspace, they can automatically be connected to a counsellor to support them, whether mentally or practically.
  • Improving students’ motivation and empowering them to take action. For example, if a student responds negatively to questions like ‘I am confident that I can handle the workload’, they can be directed to take specific actions such as meeting other students for a support network or to relevant videos and resources that can help them cope and build confidence.  

To learn more about StudentPulse, feel free to reach out to our team here or click here to listen to the full version of our podcast with Lea on easing student transitions and reducing dropouts.