The Ecology of Student Retention at a Tertiary Technical Institution in Bogotá, Colombia: Hope and Social Mobility From Poverty, Violence, and Mistrust

• In Event: Comprehensive Education Across Communities

Abstract

Using ecological systems theory applied to collegiate environments, this case study identifies and characterizes factors associated with student retention in a technical degree— International Trade—at “El Poli Sur,” a tertiary technical institution serving low-income students from Ciudad Bolivar and surrounding areas in Bogota, Colombia. Ciudad Bolivar is a settlement with the worst social conditions hosting generations of families fleeing the rural violence from decades of poverty, guerrilla, mafia warfare and more recently, widespread flooding. This study provides specific recommendations for administrators of higher education institutions working in challenging socio-economic environments as well as timely knowledge regarding tertiary technical education in fast developing countries such as Colombia.

Authors

• Pilar Mendoza, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Carlos Alberto Casas, Universidad de los Andes

• Cristina Venegas, Universidad de los Andes