Participation in Bridging Courses and Dropouts among Cooperative Education Students in Engineering

Abstract

Dropout rates in engineering degree programmes at universities are high, and skilled workers are needed. Universities try to prevent dropouts with different offers one of which is attending bridging courses. Research on the effects of these programmes is rare, especially in subject-specific programmes and study formats like cooperative education. Furthermore, the results are contradictory. We focus our research on Germany and use data from the project “Study Process – Crossroads, Determinants of Success and Barriers While Studying at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University”, which included 963 participants from the first academic year and matched data from a survey with university administration data on dropouts two years after enrolment. Different propensity score matching algorithms and entropy balancing show small, non-significant negative effects. Results are reflected and embedded in the current state of the research. New research questions are discussed and practical implications are considered.