Abstract
The purpose of this quantitative analytic study is to evaluate and test the theoretical underpinnings of the Kember (1995) student progress model that examines the direct or indirect effects of student persistence in e-learning by identifying the relationships between variables such as student perceptions, performance, cost-benefit analysis, and student persistence. Thomson (1999), Houle (2004), Harlow (2006), and PortaMerida (2009) verified the reliability and validity of the theory, yet their results are slightly dissimilar in the magnitude of influence on student persistence. Former studies indicate that it could be meaningful to reexamine the variables in more current studies. The online survey in this study explored the relationships among variables. The population of the sample of this study was 169 students at a public community college in Maryland that is offering online and hybrid degree programs. The logistic regression and multiple regression analysis were utilized to analyze the survey data. The findings of this study consistently indicated that negative external attribution was a significant factor for student persistence, degrading the student’s work. Simultaneously, individual student grade point average (GPA) and academic integration were highly correlated to student persistence. The findings of this study convey the current phenomena and knowledge of e-learning regarding student persistence. Social media has been seen as a potential problem, but it could also be a solution if it increases social interaction on focused scholarly topics. Decreasing external attribution and encouraging higher GPA by increasing the academic integration help students continue to pursue their educational goals.
Highlights
Student persistence is a critical issue for both students and institutions because it affects students’ accomplishment of their education goals and financially sustains the institution’s own goals
The findings of the study indicated that academic incompatibility and academic integration had a significant relationship with student persistence Q13 and Q14, respectively
grade point average (GPA) had a partial indirect effect, while cost-benefits did not have any indirect effect on relationship between student perceptions and student persistence
Summary
Student persistence is a critical issue for both students and institutions because it affects students’ accomplishment of their education goals and financially sustains the institution’s own goals. The purpose of this study is to evaluate and test the theoretical underpinnings of Kember’s (1995) student progress model which examines the direct or indirect effects of student persistence on their successful completion of community college level e-learning programs. Individual student motivation is an important factor in evaluating persistence in successful completion of academic programs (Nichols, 2010). Despite the validity and impact of the Tinto model, Bean & Metzner (1985) claim that the Tinto model (1975) is less relevant where social interactions with peers and faculty are limited to time in class such as in e-learning programs. The Bean & Metzner (1985) conceptual model states that non-traditional students are more affected by the external environment than by the social integration variables that affect traditional student attrition. Former studies indicate that it could be meaningful to reexamine the variables in more current studies
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