Factors influencing adult learners' decisions to drop or persist in online learning

Online Learning Study

Park, J., & Choi, H.J. (2009). Factors influencing adult learners' decision to drop out or persist in online learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 12(4), 207-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1287038599?accountid=28844

Online study has become increasingly popular with adult learners over the last twenty years. Despite the popularity of this learning mode, the dropout rate is significant and thus of concern to institutions and organizations. The purpose of the study was to characterize the dropouts and determine the roles played by individual identifiers (i.e., age, gender, and level of education), external factors (i.e.., family and/or organizational support) and internal factors (related to motivation). Understanding why adult learners drop out is essential to planning programs designed to retain students and help them complete their educational goals.

Participants:

The target population for the study was non-traditional adult learners enrolled in job-related online courses offered through a large Midwestern university (Park and Choi, 2009, p. 210). From the target population, a sample of 147 adult learners was selected. The individuals in the sample had either completed or dropped out of one of three online courses offered between fall 2005 and summer 2007. Ninety-eight participants (66.7%) were persistent learners and forty-nine (33.3%) were dropouts. There were 105 females and 42 males in the study. Approximately half the participants (73, or 49.7%) were in the 30 -- 39 age group, with 32% over the age of forty and 18.4% between the ages of 29 -- 29. More than half the participants (53.7%) had completed some college. High school graduates comprised 36.7% of the sample population, while 9.5% were college graduates, or higher. Twenty-one participants had been enrolled in the first class, fifty-four in the second class, and seventy-two in the third class.

Type of Study: Was it a quantitative or a qualitative study? Or were both types of data used? Please explain why you think so.

The researchers called this a quantitative study because they collected numerical data. Items such as age, gender and years of education completed are simple facts and can easily be quantified. The researchers also asked participants to rank factors such as relevance of the course and support of family and organizations; these items are subjective and cannot be quantified absolutely. Thus, both quantitative and qualitative data were used in the study.

Hypothesis:

Participants' decisions to complete an online course or drop out are related to factors that include motivation and perceived relevance of the course; and external factors such as family and organizational support.

Procedure:

Participants were selected from a target population; they agreed to participate in the study. After demographic data was tabulated, participants were asked to evaluate various statements on a five-point Likert scale, indicating the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with items such as: "My supervisor shows interest in my job-related learning." The items used for the Likert rankings were based on Keller's (1987) Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (Park and Choi, 2009, p. 210).

Statistical Tests:

The statistical tests used in this study were as follows: The chi-square was used to determine the differences in individual characteristics between the dropouts and the learners who completed the course. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze a dependence relationship to examine the differences between the two groups since there were a number of factors, or variables, being considered. In analyzing the data to develop a predictive model, the researchers used logit coefficients and Wald statistics.

Results or Findings:

The researchers found there was no significant difference in individual characteristics 74.5% of total learners and 65.3% of the dropouts. The "dropout group" had a higher number of learners between the ages of 20 -- 29. Neither of these findings was statistically significant. Learners who completed the course were found to have higher means with respect to family and organizational support. Learners who registered for the first class were shown to have the greatest differences in family and organizational support. There was also a correlation between student satisfaction with courses and their perceived relevance. The researchers used this information to construct a model that could be used to predict whether a student would dropout or be persistent in his/her studies.

Conclusions: