IMPACT OF SELF-EFFICACY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN THE DROPOUT OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS

ABSTRACT Dropping out of Higher Education has implications for students and universities, and the identification of variables associated with dropout makes it possible to develop actions that reduce its occurrence. This study analyzes the direct and mediated impacts of self-efficacy, income, sex, age, receipt of social assistance grants and entry into a preferred option course in evasion. Data were collected from 346 university students through a Socioeconomic Questionnaire, the Self-Efficacy Scale in Higher Education, in addition to documentary information, and were analyzed using the AMOS software. The results identified that being a woman and manifesting high self-efficacy are associated with better academic performance, which are related to lower risks of dropping out. It was also found that being a woman and attending the preferred option course decreases the chances of dropping out. Such results reinforce the weight of personal, psychological, academic and career variables in dropout and suggest ways for interventions that promote student permanence.