Abstract
Abstract The self-determination of online graduate students was studied in terms of the impact of autonomy, competence and relatedness upon their persistence. Unique to this study was the assessment of the potential influence of socio-cultural factors. As the majority of research into online university students’ persistence is generated from the US, Canada, UK and European countries assessing their own domestic populations, the global nature of this study provides a new perspective. Fifty-four online graduate students representing 26 countries participated representing 19 lesser developed economies and 7 developed economies. Collectivist versus individualistic cultures were equally represented. Self-determination Theory (SDT) was examined both in terms of the online classroom environment as well as overcoming life challenges for programme perseverance. A correlational matrix was used to reject the null hypothesis. Results indicated that statistically significant correlations exist among the three variables, and, in the instances of the variables of autonomy and relatedness, a significant negative correlation exists. The findings indicate that the participants displayed strong internal locus of control, self-directed learning, competency and relatedness in attaining success within the online environment programme. Cultural communitarianism values were not found to be of significant influence.
Highlights
The study of students’ self-determination within the online environment continues to be of critical importance and is considered to be a factor in retention (Chen & Jang, 2010)
Questions were aligned to the components of the self-determination theory while worded to reflect known behaviours associated with national cultural values (Hofstede, 2018; LeBaron, 2003a; LeBaron 2003b)
Self-determination theory has captured the interest of professionals and researchers alike in its helpfulness towards an understanding of the human behaviour associated with its internalized motivators as well as its interrelatedness to external influences
Summary
The study of students’ self-determination within the online environment continues to be of critical importance and is considered to be a factor in retention (Chen & Jang, 2010). Filak and Nicolini (2018) identified potential changes to the three SDT components and online students’ classroom experiences. Self-determination is a critical aspect of the online environment and one in which more research is needed as to how students’ motivational needs are catered to in the design and structure of the online modules (Filak & Nicolini, 2018; Khan et al, 2017). With the rapid growth in e-learning worldwide expected to surge beyond USD243 billion by 2022 (Statista, 2018), fresh research is important for the higher learning community to understand the nuances of the learning experience which lead to or inhibit students’ success
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