Integrating Business Analytics in Educational Decision-Making: A Multifaceted Approach to Enhance Learning Outcomes in EFL Contexts

Abstract

This study introduces a framework that integrates business analytics into educational decision-making to improve learner engagement and performance in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), focusing on learning environments in English as a Foreign Language (EFL). By examining three specific research questions, this paper delineates patterns in learner engagement, evaluates factors that affect these patterns, and examines the relationship between these factors and educational outcomes. The study provides an empirical analysis that elucidates the connection between learner behaviors and learning outcomes by employing machine learning, process mining, and statistical methods such as hierarchical clustering, process discovery, and the Mann–Kendall test. The analysis determines that learning patterns, characterized as single-phase or multi-phase, repetitive or non-repetitive, and sequential or self-regulated, are more closely associated with the nature of the educational content—such as books, series, or reading levels—than learner characteristics. Furthermore, it has been observed that learners exhibiting self-regulated learning patterns tend to achieve superior academic outcomes. The findings advocate for integrating analytics in educational practices, offer strategic insights for educational enhancements, and propose a new perspective on the connection between learner behavior and educational success.