Teaching strategies and student dropout rates:

a study of physics and mathematics students at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, Managua

Abstract

Student dropout is one of the main challenges of higher education, especially in scientific careers such as Mathematics, Physics, Physics – Mathematics, etc. This study analyzes the relationship between the didactic strategies implemented by teachers and student dropout in the Physics-Mathematics career at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN – Managua). Through a mixed methodological approach, quantitative techniques were combined; a Likert - type survey of active students and dropouts in 2024 and the first semester of 2025, and qualitative; Focus group carried out with 2nd year students of the career, with the aim of identifying pedagogical factors associated with dropout. The preliminary findings show that dropout is not only linked to socioeconomic factors, but also to practices focused on the unidirectional transmission of knowledge, scarce pedagogical innovation, and weak academic support. It is concluded that the incorporation of active didactic strategies, such as project-based learning, flipped classroom, peer tutoring and the integration of ICT, especially gamification, could contribute to reducing dropout rates in the career. This study provides empirical evidence to strengthen institutional educational policies and fill a gap in research on interactions between university mathematics didactics and student permanence in scientific-mathematical careers in Nicaragua.