Can active learning strategies be regarded as resources to combat dropout in undergraduate STEM courses? An analysis based on Vincent Tinto's idea

Abstract

Active learning strategies have been widely investigated in the Science Education literature. These studies have shown, among other things, that activities that place students in an active role, engaging them in science classes, contribute to better learning outcomes. Such results led researchers to adopt the implementation of active learning strategies to combat dropout in university courses. In some cases, it is assumed that better learning outcomes contribute to a decrease in failure rates, resulting in fewer students dropping out. This argument, widely used to advocate the implementation of active learning strategies, is interesting but can be enriched in order to better guide didactic and research actions. In this sense, the aim of this paper is to highlight the relations between the implementation of these strategies and the students’ decision to persist or to dropout of higher education, particularly on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) courses, presenting examples related to Physics Education. For this, we adopt the interactionist theory of Vincent Tinto as framework. Based on literature results, we showed how the implementation of active learning helps to improve students’ perceptions of: i) their ability to handle the course demands (self-efficacy); ii) their belonging as members of a community that values their participation in the institution (sense of belonging); and iii) the value and/or relevance of what is foreseen in their course curriculum (curriculum perception). Thus, we contribute to the Science Education field by providing a theoretical framework for the design, conduct and study of institutional actions focused on combating university dropouts.