A Comparative Study of Learning Styles and Motivational Factors in Traditional and Online Sections of a Business Course

Abstract

Online learning has grown tremendously over the past decade. As the trend continues, it is important to understand which students are likely to choose to enroll in online courses and which factors affect their performance. This study explored the differences in motivational factors among students enrolled in online and traditional face-to-face sections of a bottleneck business course, with a focus on how these factors differentially affect performance in the two formats. Furthermore, it provided useful insights into students’ decisions to select a particular course format. Results based on a sample of 146 students at a large public university showed that autonomous motivation and intrinsic value predicted students’ enrollment in online courses and performance in those courses. On the other hand, performance and learning approach goal orientations predicted students’ enrollment in traditional face-to-face courses and their performance in those courses. Learning styles such as reflective observation and abstract experience predicted performance, yet had no impact on course format selection. We discuss implications of these findings for student advising, course design and delivery, and broader impacts on student retention and on-time graduation.