The Role of Mental Toughness and Academic Satisfaction in Suppressing First-Year Students' Intentions to Dropout of University
Saved in:
| Title: | The Role of Mental Toughness and Academic Satisfaction in Suppressing First-Year Students' Intentions to Dropout of University |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Nuno Rodrigues (ORCID |
| Source: | European Journal of Psychology of Education. 2026 41(1). |
| Availability: | Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Resilience (Psychology), College Freshmen, Intention, Potential Dropouts, Dropout Characteristics, Predictor Variables, Student Behavior, Student Attitudes, Student Satisfaction, Student Characteristics |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10212-026-01069-2 |
| ISSN: | 0256-2928 1878-5174 |
| Abstract: | The urgent need to reduce the substantial and persistent incidence of higher education dropout, especially during the first academic year, calls for further research to identify the core predictors of students' withdrawal intentions and actual behaviors. Specifically, more research is needed to assess whether and how students' personal resources and academic attitudes interplay in shaping this phenomenon. This study addresses these questions by examining the unexplored joint role of students' mental toughness and academic satisfaction in counteracting their intention to leave university at the end of the first year. Data from a sample of 187 first-year undergraduates at a non-residential public university, collected at three measurement points, supported the validity of both variables in predicting dropout intentions, after controlling for the effects of academic performance. The results also indicated that the effect of mental toughness in suppressing dropout intentions does not occur when students are dissatisfied with the university. The main implications of these findings are presented and discussed. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1504938 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The urgent need to reduce the substantial and persistent incidence of higher education dropout, especially during the first academic year, calls for further research to identify the core predictors of students' withdrawal intentions and actual behaviors. Specifically, more research is needed to assess whether and how students' personal resources and academic attitudes interplay in shaping this phenomenon. This study addresses these questions by examining the unexplored joint role of students' mental toughness and academic satisfaction in counteracting their intention to leave university at the end of the first year. Data from a sample of 187 first-year undergraduates at a non-residential public university, collected at three measurement points, supported the validity of both variables in predicting dropout intentions, after controlling for the effects of academic performance. The results also indicated that the effect of mental toughness in suppressing dropout intentions does not occur when students are dissatisfied with the university. The main implications of these findings are presented and discussed. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0256-2928 1878-5174 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10212-026-01069-2 |
