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Academic Retention in the Italian Context

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Digital Technologies: Sustainable Innovations for Improving Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This study analyzes if motivation, academic self-concept, perception of the time perspective, self-regulation, and the attendance of specific online laboratory activities influence academic retention and achievement of two group of freshmen attending the first year of their Bachelor’s Degree. The freshmen were monitored along their first academic year. In particular, we try to understand which factors can help student to overcome the transition gap created by the passage from high school to university. The choice of the implementation of an online lab is due to evidence that online platforms are tools that can help to reduce the academic dropout. These platforms allowed students to use a supporting network, but, at the same time, students can autonomously take advantage of suitable materials to achieve their learning goals and to bridge an orientation gap. In Italy, this gap is often present in the transition between high school and university. In general, we can say that the experience of the online laboratory was positive and combined with the enhancement of motivation, academic self-concept, vision of the time perspective, and self-regulation can represent an important support above all for the Italian freshmen.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

    Maria Lidia Mascia, Mirian Agus, Gianrico Dettori & Maria Pietronilla Penna

  2. Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

    Maria Assunta Zanetti & Eliano Pessa

Authors
  1. Maria Lidia Mascia
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  2. Mirian Agus
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  3. Gianrico Dettori
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  4. Maria Assunta Zanetti
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  5. Eliano Pessa
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  6. Maria Pietronilla Penna
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Correspondence to Maria Lidia Mascia .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Digital Systems, University of Piraeus, Piraeus, Greece

    Demetrios Sampson

  2. Learning, Design and Technology, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Dirk Ifenthaler

  3. Department of Learning Technologies, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA

    J. Michael Spector

  4. Institute for Teaching & Learning Innovation (ITaLI), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia

    Pedro Isaías

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Mascia, M.L., Agus, M., Dettori, G., Zanetti, M.A., Pessa, E., Penna, M.P. (2018). Academic Retention in the Italian Context. In: Sampson, D., Ifenthaler, D., Spector, J., Isaías, P. (eds) Digital Technologies: Sustainable Innovations for Improving Teaching and Learning. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73417-0_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73417-0_11

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