Drop-out from continued education distance courses: a case study on National School of Public Administration

Analyses available in the literature on distance learning are still limited with regard to studies that investigate the drop-out phenomenon, particularly in public service schools. This article seeks to identify and analyze factors which contribute to lead students to drop out from continued-education distance learning courses in a governmental organization responsible for training civil servants of the federal public administration. The investigations are focused on variables related to personal, professional and technological difficulties, to the unique features of this type of course, and to the characteristics of its clients contrasted with demographic variables related to drop-out from distance learning courses mediated by information and communication technologies. The article is based on a quantitative methodology applied to the participants through a descriptive field survey using an electronic questionnaire. It deals with drop-out from distance learning courses, methodological aspects of the survey, outcomes and final considerations. Aware that this is a comprehensive topic, it is not the intention of the article to exhaust it.