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...
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