From life crisis to lifelong learning: Rethinking working-class 'drop out'

From life crisis to lifelong learning
Student drift
Student drift is the gradual process by which some students’ engagement with a
university will end. This is typically understood in terms of a waning attendance at
lectures, seminars and so on, which is often not recognised or commented on by the
HEI staff:
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It had been building up for some time. I gradually started to go to classes
less and less. There would be weeks that I didn’t go, then I would turn up,
speak to people, say I was embarrassed because I hadn’t gone.
Eventually, after the half-term break, I just didn’t go back.
(Female)
Researcher: Tell me about the process by which you left?
Interviewee (male): It was gradual and my attendance dwindled out.
It wasn’t an abrupt end, it was gradual. I started
thinking about the options. As I attended some of
the classes my mind became more made up and
I realised it wasn’t for me.
From the student perspective, it is easy to view the experience or existence of drift
as a bad one – perhaps symbolic of institutions that ‘don’t care’. However, for some
students, this allows an unforced decision to be made regarding choosing to
discontinue study.
The following extract could be termed ‘drift incorporated’. What stands out here is the
student’s own practically inactive response to gentle warnings about low attendance
and the significance of their view of time:
Researcher: When did you leave?
Interviewee (male): Well, I think once the second year started a few
months into it, I was going to most of the lectures
at the beginning, but gradually I was falling away
from it, I was just getting so fed up with certain
subjects – maybe two or three out of four – I was
really not enjoying, so I was not turning up very
often for them or not really bothering, so that was
one of the things.