Drop-out in Literacy and Basic Education (DRAG), Quantitative Partial Studies

The aim of the project is to use a multi-perspective analysis to determine the individual and structural causes of drop-out in literacy and basic education and to derive possible preventative measures. In the extension phase, the focus will be on drop-outs among lecturers in literacy and basic education. The survey data (sub-study 1 and sub-study 2) from the two project phases are available for subsequent use.

Quantitative sub-study 1:
The data set is a standardized before-and-after survey of participants in literacy and basic education courses (AuG) in Germany. The focus is on the question of motives for participation, experiences in the course and tendencies to drop out. The survey was conducted at 14 institutions and in 26 courses. A key challenge here was to keep the instrument in appropriately “simple language” in order to ensure that the participants were able to respond. Contact with the participant sample was established via educational planners and lecturers from cooperating further education institutions. The aim of the AuG courses was to increase the basic education level of the learners. The questionnaires were presented in networking meetings with educational planners and lecturers and discussed in terms of design, wording and language. As many participants as possible in literacy and basic education courses in the participating adult education institutions were included in the survey. In order to ensure the highest possible level of participation, members of the research team went to the courses themselves and carried out the surveys. In order to avoid bias due to interviewer effects and at the same time to support the interviewees in answering the questions, it was precisely defined in advance which forms of support were permissible and which were not. Permissible forms included reading out questions and answer guidelines and allowing longer processing times. A detailed explanation of the background to the survey to the participants was mandatory (an introductory video was sent to lecturers in advance). However, further explanations of the individual questions that could influence response behavior were to be avoided. The data was transferred to SPSS and processed. Several corrections were made during data preparation. These included the correction of input errors identified by plausibility checks in order to ensure a consistent data basis. In addition, open response fields were subsequently coded where possible to enable systematic evaluation. The validity of the data was ensured by comparing it with external data sources such as the LEO study. This comparison made it possible to check the reliability of the sample and its consistency with known demographic patterns. Comprehensive anonymization measures were taken to protect the respondents in the data set. For this purpose, personal data that could enable identification was either removed or its information content was changed in such a way that it could not be traced back to the individual respondents (the name of the institution was replaced by the federal state of the institution, the course name was replaced by the course format, a code was assigned to the respondents).

Quantitative sub-study 2:
The study focuses on three central questions: Firstly, the nature of the supply, organizational and funding structures in which lecturers´ activities are embedded will be analysed. Secondly, it examines which working conditions influence lecturers´ decisions to remain in or leave their professional field. Thirdly, the financial, social and family conditions that promote long-term activity in this field are identified. By answering these questions, it will be possible to identify the conditions that are necessary to enable lecturers to work successfully on a long-term basis. Methodologically, the extension phase of the project is based on two approaches: a secondary analytical evaluation of existing data and targeted follow-up surveys in the field. The existing quantitative data set originates from an online survey of former and active lecturers in literacy and basic education. Demographic and work-related characteristics, job satisfaction, workload, intentions to change jobs and perceived employment prospects were recorded. The supplementary surveys are intended to deepen this data and provide further insights into the working reality of lecturers.