Low study activity can reflect different intentions and barriers

Updated Sep 07, 2026

Low credit accumulation does not tell an institution why a student is progressing slowly. Andrea Kulhanek and Bianca Thaler’s Austrian interview study describes different intentions and barriers behind that indicator.

What the researchers did and found

The researchers interviewed 28 volunteers who had earned one to ten credits in winter 2020/21. Recruitment involved 13 universities; students earning zero credits were outside the target group. Eleven participants were interviewed again. Nine of the original participants were unavailable; the researchers selected eleven from the remaining nineteen, so the reduction was not entirely attrition.

Among those followed up, the authors distinguish students who chose a slower pace, those who overcame temporary difficulties, and those whose low activity persisted. Accounts combined study routines, motivation, health, paid work, caring responsibilities and pandemic disruption. Participants also differed in what they considered successful progress.

The paper lists interviews in autumn 2021 and November 2022 while elsewhere describing an approximately 1.5-year interval. This summary avoids treating that interval as exact.

How to use the findings

The complete main text was checked. This is a small, voluntary qualitative sample in a particular university system. It does not establish how common the patterns are, prove support interventions work, or validate an individual dropout prediction tool. Students unavailable for follow-up and those earning no credits may have different experiences.

For local practice, use the typology to frame a conversation: is the pace intentional, what is making study difficult, and what support does the student want? Repeated conversations could illuminate changes that a credit count misses. That is an interpretation to test locally.

Aggregate comment analysis can help organise recurring experiences, but these findings do not establish that software can distinguish temporary difficulty from impending withdrawal. Set clear boundaries for sensitive information using the student comment analysis governance checklist.

Reference

Kulhanek, A., & Thaler, B. (2026). Just a phase or quiet quitting? Exploring low study activity among university students. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 50(6), 1071–1086. DOI: 10.1080/0309877X.2026.2651730.