Work

Measuring social determinants influencing Australian university students’ completion: confirmatory factor analysis

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction This study compares the 5-factor and 4-factor models of the Higher Education Success Factor (HESF) framework. Through this research, we aimed to identify the social determinants influencing Australian university students’ completion rates. We analysed responses from 2,248 participants. The social determinants we examined included the social environment, physical environment, economic conditions, health and wellbeing, and individual characteristics. Methods Confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate both models. While both models demonstrated strong and consistent goodness-of-fit measures, the findings reveal that the 4-factor model outperforms the 5-factor model. Results Our findings suggest that the 4-factor model provides a good fit to the modified model and reduces the risk of redundancy and overfitting in evaluating the factors that impact student success. Discussion Based on our findings, we advocate for academic institutions to adopt the HESF model to identify better where students need support, ultimately improving university completion rates in Australia.

Source: Frontiers in Education

DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1568521

Authors: Thu D. Pham, Angela Baeza Penã, Congcong Xing, Levon E. Blue, Peter J. Anderson, Rhetta Chappell

Institutions: Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology, The University of Queensland

Language: English

Topic: Higher Education Research Studies

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,353