Undergraduate Physics courses has one of the highest dropout rates in Brazilian universities. To face this problem, it is necessary a deep understanding of the causes that lead students to withdraw or persist in their undergraduate courses. Despite empirical research, the validation of a theoretical model that explains dropout and student persistence in the Brazilian context is a current challenge for researchers in the field. In this paper, we evaluate the suitability of the Tinto’s Persistence Motivation Model, developed in the United States of America, to represent the scenario of an undergraduate Physics course at a Brazilian public university. We carried out a quantitative study from data collected with a questionnaire answered by 168 undergraduate students. The questionnaire brings up statements related to the predictors of student persistence according to the Tinto model (academic self-efficacy, sense of belonging and perception of curricular relevance) and the self-declared intention of persistence. Statistically significant correlations were identified between all constructs, endorsing the theory proposed by Tinto. The linear regression model was able to predict 37% of the variance of intention to persist. This indicates that the model partially represents the investigated setting. New studies must be done to identify other aspects that impact student persistence in the investigated context.
Keywords:
Dropout; Persistence; Higher Education; Physics; Persistence Motivation Model
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