More than 40 per cent of students complete less than five hours' study a week and the vast majority regularly miss lectures, according to a survey on drop-out rates at third level.
The survey of more than 1,300 students on national certificate courses at the various institutes of technology (ITs) was commissioned in response to figures which show that some 42 per cent of students drop out before completing their course.
The latest report highlights graphically the difficulty many students encounter in switching from secondary school to third level. Over 35 per cent said they felt lost or isolated in college. Difficulty with the course or a particular subject was their main reason for considering leaving college.
The drop-out rate was very high for courses which required a high level of maths knowledge. Significantly, the report also shows the drop-out rate among males is 10 per cent higher than among female students.
On study patterns, the report found that over 70 per cent of students had missed lectures in the week prior to being surveyed. Asked to explain this, students gave a wide variety of explanations including:
25 per cent said they were feeling unwell.
25 per cent said they were too tired or too lazy to attend.
12 per cent said transport problems prevented them from attending lectures.
The 42 per cent drop-out rate in the ITs compares with an overall rate of about 17 per cent in the university sector. In general terms, the academic and social background of students in ITs would be very different to university students. Many of the students surveyed on one- or two-year certificate courses would have no family history of third-level education. But over three-quarters hoped to gain a degree.
The report proposes a new mentoring system with students assigned to specific members of staff. It also wants a review of the role of guidance counsellors in second-level schools.
Dr Mark Morgan of the Educational Research Centre, who helped to prepare the report, was also critical of the Leaving Cert. The exam, he said, did little to foster the kind of independent thinking and self-reliance required of students in college.
The report was prepared by Eemer Eivers, Rita Flanagan and Mark Morgan for the council of directors of the 13 institutes of technology.