Social integration in university during the pandemic: predictors of dropout intention in first-year students

Abstract

The objective of this research is to evaluate a predictive model of the intention of university dropout, formed by variables that affect the social integration of students, during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, in Chilean university students. An associative-predictive design was used with 459 first-year students (67% men, 33% women) studying remotely, to whom a virtual survey was applied to measure the relationship between these variables and the intention of abandonment between May and June 2020. The sense of belonging, social isolation and perceived uncertainty were shown to be predictors, with uncertainty perceived as the greatest predictor of intention to abandon and temporarily stop studies. From these results it is possible to conclude the relevance of the social factors studied against the intention of abandonment and its predictive value in the particular conditions of the health situation.