Las trayectorias de los estudiantes universitarios : un modelo integral =
Les trajectoires des étudiants universitaires : un modèle intégré
We developed a model that seeks to identify the determinants of university student academic paths articulating two theoretical perspectives trough the use of a mixed methodological approach in two phases: quantitative and qualitative.  First, the quantitative model based on Tinto (1992) with the incorporation of other variables from Crespo and Houle (1995). This phase attained two purposes. In the first, were determined the differences between the exogenous variables (economic index, parents’ educational level, high school average and average of the entrance exam) and three types of trajectory: persistent, lagged and attrition. This phase was based on data from a survey applied to 800 students at the University of Sonora (Mexico). The results show that those who left the institution had scores significantly lower at the exogenous variables. The second objective was achieved from the trajectories persistent and lagged. It was found that there is a greater chance of having a persistent trajectory when students have a high academic integration, better scores on the entrance exam, more employment expectations, having obtained a scholarship and being a woman. In the second phase a deeper understanding (verstehen) of the processes of articulation between the academic and social integration was developed through three registers: integration, project and vocation, as proposed by Dubet (2005). This phase consisted in conducting of 30 interviews with students of all three types of trajectories. From the work of Bourdages (1994) and Guzman (2004), we sought the meaning of the experience given by the students to the educational process. The results reveal five groups of students with identifiable college experiences: the ones with highest academic and social integration, the female workers with academic integration, the ones most economically disadvantaged and lower academic integration, those who sought his vocation in a different institution and the ones who dropped out. The use of different statistical tools (correlation analysis, logistic regression analysis and cluster analysis) handled in the first phase identified key variables in each type of trajectory, which were validated with the results of the qualitative phase. This thesis, in addition to showing the usefulness of a mixed methodological approach, extends the Tinto’s model (1987) and confirms the importance of academic integration for persistence in university studies.
Trajectories of university students Social integration Academic integration Persistence Delay Attrition