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Undergraduate Dissertation Problems: An Aggregate Cross-Sectional Analysis from Five Latin American Universities

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Undergraduate Dissertation Problems: An Aggregate Cross-Sectional Analysis from Five Latin American Universities
Language: English
Authors: Boris Christian Herbas-Torrico (ORCID 0000-0001-7764-0186), Pablo René González-Bravo (ORCID 0000-0002-7437-6292), David Gonzalo Romero, María Lizbeth Murillo-Ramírez (ORCID 0000-0003-3583-1683), Job Angulo-Rueda (ORCID 0009-0003-2727-6509)
Source: Studies in Higher Education. 2025 50(4):878-895.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 18
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Undergraduate Students, Theses, Research Problems, Educational Resources, Student Characteristics, Supervision, Time to Degree, Influences
Geographic Terms: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico
DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2024.2359050
ISSN: 0307-5079
1470-174X
Abstract: Latin America may have higher attrition rates than previously assumed. Many students in Latin America do not graduate on time because they cannot complete the traditional undergraduate dissertation. This paper examines the factors contributing to delayed graduation for a context-specific variable: dissertation problems. We designed a questionnaire survey based on multi-item scales and surveyed 480 university students from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. Aggregate-cross-sectional data and multilevel structural equation modeling show that institutional assistance and supervision quality [personal problems] reduce [increase] dissertation problems. These results may enable university authorities to identify undergraduate students with dissertation problems and thus improve their strategies for reducing attrition rates.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1498232
Database: ERIC
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Description
Abstract:Latin America may have higher attrition rates than previously assumed. Many students in Latin America do not graduate on time because they cannot complete the traditional undergraduate dissertation. This paper examines the factors contributing to delayed graduation for a context-specific variable: dissertation problems. We designed a questionnaire survey based on multi-item scales and surveyed 480 university students from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. Aggregate-cross-sectional data and multilevel structural equation modeling show that institutional assistance and supervision quality [personal problems] reduce [increase] dissertation problems. These results may enable university authorities to identify undergraduate students with dissertation problems and thus improve their strategies for reducing attrition rates.
ISSN:0307-5079
1470-174X
DOI:10.1080/03075079.2024.2359050