Descriptive results regarding the possibility of evasion

The last question of the sociodemographic questionnaire dealt with the possibility of students’ evasion, with the question: “Would you abandon the course for a reason?”. Table 3 details the results.

Results regarding the relationship of study variables

To verify if the possibility of evasion relates to the variables Learning Styles and Learning strategies, tests of difference of averages (T-test) were performed. These tests aim to identify possible significant differences between the possibility of evasion and the factorial scores of the scales used to measure Learning Styles and Strategies. Therefore, this study could identify some characteristics of the student that would abandon the course for some reason.

To perform these analyses, the answer to the question related to the abandonment of the course for some reason was transformed into the variable-criterion of the model. The variables inserted separately in the model were the means of the participants’ responses to the Learning Strategies and Learning Styles Scales.

As previously mentioned, to study two homogeneous groups, two samples of the same size were selected: one of the group that would not abandon the course and one of the group who would abandon it. Two groups of 44 participants were built.

The result of the difference test between means (T-test), considering p<0.05, shows that the participant who would not abandon the course uses more frequently the Self-Regulatory Learning Strategies than the participant who would abandon the course for some reason. The group that would not abandon the course had a mean equal to 8.21 (SD = 1.26), whereas the group of students who would abandon the course had a mean equal to 7.58 (SD = 1.36), for a T-test of 2.13 (gl = 77; p = 0.036). The group that would not abandon the course also uses more frequently the Behavioral Learning Strategies, presenting an average of 8.92 (SD = 1.24), while the group that would abandon the course presented a mean of 7.81 (SD = 2.73), for a T-Test value of 2.40 (gl= 84; p = 0.018).

In relation to Learning Styles, students who would not abandon the course value more the aspects of the environment in which they study, presenting a higher mean of Study Environment (M=4.77; SD=0.36) than students who would abandon the course (M=4.45; SD=0.88). The T-Test value in this case was 2.23 (gl=85; p=0.028).

In short, the T-tests showed that the participant who would not abandon the course for some reason: (1) makes more use of Self-Regulatory Learning Strategies; (2) makes more use of Behavioral Learning Strategies; (3) values more the aspects of the Environment where he/she studies.