Dropout Intention as an Expression of Structural Incoherence

This study analyzes dropout intention in higher education from a structural perspective, shifting its interpretation from approaches centered on individual deficits toward a relational model of pedagogical coherence. Drawing on a sample of 1,010 students and their respective instructors, multidimensional gaps across eight dimensions of inclusive practice were estimated using repeated-measures models. The Hierarchical Index of Inclusive Sustainability (HIIS) was also operationalized as a tool for synthesizing structural instructor–student misalignment. Results indicate that the overall intensity of gaps nearly triples among students who have considered dropping out, suggesting that this predisposition is associated not only with isolated discrepancies but with a cumulative configuration of misalignment. The internal hierarchy of gaps reveals that assessment, meaningful teaching, and inclusive support constitute the structural core of the phenomenon. Furthermore, age emerges as a consistent moderating factor, suggesting that non-traditional trajectories exhibit greater sensitivity to pedagogical mismatches. These findings are consistent with conceptualizing dropout intention as a correlate of structural misalignment that operates alongside individual factors. From a methodological standpoint, the HIIS offers a preliminary analytical tool for summarizing the multidimensional architecture of pedagogical gaps, whose value for institutional monitoring requires longitudinal validation. In contexts of increasing student diversification, academic persistence depends not only on individual attributes but also on the institutional capacity to sustain structural coherence between inclusive discourse and educational experience.