Learning Persistence Research Articles

How to animate learners to persist in learning massive open online courses? An application of the stimulus-organism-response paradigm

Purpose The purpose of this study is to propose a research model based on the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) model to examine whether network externality, personalization and sociability as environmental feature antecedents to learners’ learning engagement (LE) can influence their learning persistence (LP) in massive open online courses (MOOCs). Design/methodology/approach Sample data for this study were collected from learners who had experience in taking MOOCs provided by the MOOC platform launched by a well-known university in Taiwan, and 371 usable questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling in this study. Findings This study proved that learners’ perceived network externality, personalization and sociability in MOOCs positively affected their cognitive LE, psychological LE and social LE elicited by MOOCs, which jointly led to their LP in MOOCs. The results support all proposed hypotheses, and the research model accounts for 76.2% of the variance in learners’ LP in MOOCs. Originality/value This study uses the S–O–R model as a theoretical base to construct learners’ LP in MOOCs as a series of the inner process, which is affected by network externality, personalization and sociability. It is worth noting that three psychological constructs including cognitive LE, psychological LE and social LE are used to represent learners’ organismic states of MOOCs usage. To date, hedonic/utilitarian concepts are more often adopted as organisms in previous studies using the S–O–R model, and psychological constructs have received lesser attention. Hence, this study’ contribution on the application of capturing psychological constructs for completely expounding three types of environmental features as antecedents to learners’ LP in MOOCs is well documented.

Contributing and Hindering Factors of Learner’s Persistence in a Free Basic Education

Access to free basic education is a critical cornerstone for the development of individuals and societies. However, despite efforts to provide free education, learner persistence remains a challenge in many regions. Hence, the study was conducted to discuss contributing and hindering factors affecting learner’s persistence. A survey was conducted among 79 pupils from Kinder to Grade IV. Key informants consisting of the teachers, parents, and three former students also formed part of the respondents. The findings showed that contributing factors were mostly teacher and school related. While hindering factors were student and classroom related. By understanding these factors, policymakers and educators can design targeted interventions to enhance the effectiveness of education initiatives. Thus, stakeholders must collaborate to create an environment where learners are empowered to overcome barriers and pursue their educational aspirations.

Addressing the challenges of learner's persistence in a free basic education program in a developing country

Addressing the challenges of learner's persistence in a free basic education program in a developing country

What makes learners enhance learning outcomes in MOOCs? Exploring the roles of gamification and personalization

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to propose a research model based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model to explore whether gamification and personalization as environmental stimuli to learners’ learning engagement (LE) can affect their learning persistence (LP) in massive open online courses (MOOCs) and, in turn, their learning outcomes in MOOCs.Design/methodology/approachSample data for this study were collected from learners who had experience in taking gamified MOOCs provided by the MOOCs platform launched by a well-known university in Taiwan, and 331 usable questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsThis study demonstrated that learners’ perceived gamification and personalization in MOOCs positively influenced their cognitive LE and emotional LE elicited by MOOCs, which jointly explained their LP in MOOCs and, in turn, enhanced their learning outcomes. The results support all proposed hypotheses and the research model, respectively, explaining 82.3% and 65.1% of the variance in learners’ LP in MOOCs and learning outcomes.Originality/valueThis study uses the S-O-R model as a theoretical base to construct learners’ learning outcomes in MOOCs as a series of the psychological process, which is influenced by gamification and personalization. Noteworthily, while the S-O-R model has been extensively used in prior studies, there is a dearth of evidence on the antecedents of learners’ learning outcomes in the context of MOOCs, which is very scarce in the S-O-R view. Hence, this study enriches the research for MOOCs adoption and learning outcomes into an invaluable context.

Can media richness and interaction act as stimulants to medical professionals’ learning persistence in MOOCs via fostering learning engagement?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to propose a research model based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model to examine whether media richness (MR), human-system interaction (HSI) and human-human interaction (HHI) as technological feature antecedents to medical professionals’ learning engagement (LE) can affect their learning persistence (LP) in massive open online courses (MOOCs).Design/methodology/approachSample data for this study were collected from medical professionals at six university-/medical university-affiliated hospitals in Taiwan. A total of 600 questionnaires were distributed, and 309 (51.5%) usable questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling in this study.FindingsThis study certified that medical professionals’ perceived MR, HSI and HHI in MOOCs positively affected their emotional LE, cognitive LE and social LE elicited by MOOCs, which together explained their LP in MOOCs. The results support all proposed hypotheses and the research model accounts for 84.1% of the variance in medical professionals’ LP in MOOCs.Originality/valueThis study uses the S-O-R model as a theoretical base to construct medical professionals’ LP in MOOCs as a series of the psychological process, which is affected by MR and interaction (i.e. HSI and HHI). Noteworthily, three psychological constructs, emotional LE, cognitive LE and social LE, are adopted to represent medical professionals’ organisms of MOOCs adoption. To date, hedonic/utilitarian concepts are more commonly adopted as organisms in prior studies using the S-O-R model and psychological constructs have received lesser attention. Hence, this study enriches the S-O-R model into an invaluable context, and this study’s contribution on the application of capturing psychological constructs for completely explaining three types of technological features as external stimuli to medical professionals’ LP in MOOCs is well-documented.

Mapping the MOOC Research Landscape: Insights from Empirical Studies

Several reviews have been conducted of empirical studies of MOOC learners and teachers.The scope and foci of such reviews has varied, as has the reporting of the details of how they were conducted.This study analysed 1,435 published articles determining 922 to be empirical studies. We analyzed the full text of 826 of these articles to which the research team had access using the scienometic tool Scival, manual researcher evaluation and topic modelling to determine: the impact as measured by citations; geographic and institutional publishing patterns; and the themes and types of MOOC research. We found that MOOC research is mostly clustered in the discipline of computer science. Learner persistence and self-regulated learning continue to be a focus of study and most impactful finding respectively as studies of previous periods have found. Research is carried out worldwide, with the most influential studies and researchers clustered in particular institutions and countries. Implications of this study are that MOOC research is clustered in certain ways which may give rise to particular biases, that researchers should consider more interdisciplinary approaches in their research and greater awareness and use of open science principles and practices in their work.

“I Didn’t Just Do It for Myself”: Exploring the Roles of Family in Adult Learner Persistence

Adult students and are a rapidly growing population in U.S. higher education. Yet limited scholarship has centered on the voices of adult learners and explored the complex roles that family play in their decisions to enroll and their motivations to persist in college. This study begins to fill that gap. In a grounded theory study using individual interviews with 31 adult students at a continuing education campus in the northeast United States, we documented the complicated roles family played in adult student motivation, success, and persistence. Three grounded theory categories emerged from this study: (a) family as a source of motivation, inspiration, and pride; (b) family as a source of tangible support; and (c) family as a challenge. We suggest numerous ways that higher education institutions can use these findings to foster success and persistence for adult students.

The Effect of Animated Teaching on Science Teacher Candidates' Chemistry Achievements and Learning Persistence

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of teaching with animation on chemistry achievement and learning persistence on pre-service science teachers studying in the undergraduate program of science teaching. The quasi-experimental model, one of the quantitative research approaches, was used in the study. The pretest-posttest was applied with the experimental control group. Eighty-two pre-service teachers, randomly selected with the appropriate sampling method, participated in the research. The "General Chemistry Achievement Test" developed by Sönmez (2017), which has validity and reliability in the literature, was used as a data collection tool. In addition, to determine the persistence of learning, chemistry achievement test post-test applications were applied again at six-week intervals. The data obtained from the findings was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques in the SPSS 23.0 package program. Because the collected data did not have a normal distribution, the research conducted using nonparametric test techniques (Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis) revealed a significant positive difference in favor of the experimental group to which animation was applied. In addition, in terms of gender variables, it has been determined that women have a higher mean than men. In contrast, there was no significant difference in grade level between teacher candidates. Following a six-week persistence test, it was found that there was a significant and positive correlation, ensuring the learning's persistence.

Investigating Students’ Adoption of MOOCs during COVID-19 Pandemic: Students’ Academic Self-Efficacy, Learning Engagement, and Learning Persistence

Students’ learning environments are significantly influenced by massive open online courses (MOOCs). To better understand how students could implement learning technology for educational purposes, this study creates a structural equation model and tests confirmatory factor analysis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a model through investigating observability (OB), complexity (CO), trialability (TR), and perceived usefulness (PU) with perceived ease-of-use (PEU) of MOOCs adoption by university students to measure their academic self-efficacy (ASE), learning engagement (LE), and learning persistence (LP). As a result, the study used an expanded variant of the innovation diffusion theory (IDT) and the technology acceptance model (TAM) as the research model. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with Smart-PLS was applied to quantitative data collection and analysis of 540 university students as respondents. Student responses were grouped into nine factors and evaluated to decide the students’ ASE, LE, and LP. The findings revealed a clear correlation between OB, CO, and TR, all of which were important predictors of PU and PEU. Students’ ASE, LE, and LP were affected by PEU and PU. This study’s established model was effective in explaining students’ ASE, LE, and LP on MOOC adoption. These findings suggest implications for designing and developing effective instructional and learning strategies in MOOCs in terms of learners’ perceptions of themselves, their instructors, and learning support systems.

Communication and the student experience in the time of Covid-19: An autoethnography

The Covid-19 pandemic creates physical barriers and raises issues about online learning and course design. These must be overcome in order to continue teaching three English language support papers in a transnational education programme. This autoethnography explores online communication strategies and their effect on students’ learning experience. Moodle logs, teacher observations and other qualitative data from the first year of emergency online teaching were evaluated. This analysis prompted several improvements to communication strategies. Additional forum activities, scaffolding and feedback have had a positive effect, and increased use of informal communication via WeChat has bolstered learner persistence. These findings can be applied to the design of other online and blended courses, especially those linked to English language teaching in China.

Self-Regulated Learning User Interface (SRLUI) Design Principles and Experimental Findings in MOOCs

There have been many attempts to support learners in massive open online courses (MOOCs) with retention and self-regulated learning (SRL) with limited and mixed findings. This paper presents a design of integrated SRL support called SRLUI developed from a review of SRL support and empirical findings. The results from implementing SRLUI for 808 learners in eight MOOCs are also presented. The finding indicates that SRLUI has a high compliance rate (80%), and increases learning outcomes for a high-performance group. There is no direct evidence indicating SRLUI has an impact on learner persistence. Future studies are suggested to investigate the potential typologies of MOOC learners and differentiate SRL supports into subgroups.

Beyond one-size-fits-all in MOOCs: Variation in learning design and persistence of learners in different cultural and socioeconomic contexts

How successful online learners are in achieving their goals varies along geo-cultural and socioeconomic dimensions, as well as with learning design features. Despite diverse enrollments, most online courses adopt a one-size-fits-all design that presents the same learning activities to all learners. We studied how learning design can be adapted to improve learner persistence rate. We leveraged data from ten FutureLearn MOOCs (n = 49,582) to examine how variation in course activities, such as articles, videos, discussions and quizzes predicted learner persistence. We then assessed the heterogeneity in these associations by learners' geo-cultural and socioeconomic context. Our findings suggest that certain types of learning activities (e.g., discussion) facilitate progress for learners in one context (e.g., Anglo-Saxon), while inhibiting progress in another (e.g., South Asia). This research contributes new insights into the role of cultural variation in learning design preferences and can inform ongoing efforts to create online learning environments that are effective for learners from diverse backgrounds.

Fostering Emerging Online Learner Persistence:

Undergraduate students living on-campus and taking online and face-to-face courses concurrently, are the predominant consumer of online classes (Seaman et al., 2018). However, they have lower rates of persistence for online courses as compared to face-to-face courses (Hart, 2012; Xu & Jaggars, 2011). Part of the reason could be due to the mismatch between the types of interactions they prefer and what is being provided in online courses. The purpose of this literature review is to investigate the use of asynchronous and synchronous discussions as a way to address the needs of emerging online learners. Using elements of previously developed frameworks, I propose the Framework for Emerging Online Learner Persistence (FEOLP). This framework addresses the values and needs of emerging online learners through course design that has the potential to enhance social presence using student values to determine the blend of asynchronous and synchronous interactions. Given the limited research to draw from on how to design online courses, this framework and the recommendations from this article provide a starting point for the responsive design of online courses for the emerging online learner with potential application to other groups of distinct online learners.

Persistence Model of Non-traditional Online Learners: Self-Efficacy, Self-Regulation, and Self-Direction

ABSTRACT This quantitative non-experimental correlational study examined the associations among the predictor variables of first year, first semester nontraditional online learners’ self-regulation, self-direction, and self-efficacy with the criterion variable of semester-to semester persistence. A nonprobability convenience sampling method was used to select nontraditional learners enrolled in online undergraduate degree level courses during the Fall semester of the 2018–2019 academic year at a private higher education institution in the Southeast region of the United States. A logistical regression analysis demonstrated that nontraditional online learner semester-to-semester persistence can be explained by the combination of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and self-directedness. The entire model containing all the predictor and criterion variables significantly predicted whether or not first-semester, first-year nontraditional, online learners would persist beyond their second semester at the current institution. The adequacy of the model was further supported by the results of the Hosmer and Lemeshow test, which confirmed that the model is a good fit for predicting online, nontraditional learner persistence.

Mobile-assisted language learning: A Duolingo case study

AbstractThe growing availability of mobile technologies has contributed to an increase in mobile-assisted language learning in which learners can autonomously study a second language (L2) anytime or anywhere (e.g. Kukulska-Hulme, Lee & Norris, 2017; Reinders & Benson, 2017). Research investigating the effectiveness of such study for L2 learning, however, has been limited, especially regarding large-scale commercial L2 learning apps, such as Duolingo. Although one commissioned research study found favorable language learning outcomes (Vesselinov & Grego, 2012), limited independent research has reported issues related to learner persistence, motivation, and program efficacy (Lord, 2015; Nielson, 2011). The current study investigates the semester-long learning experiences and results of nine participants learning Turkish on Duolingo. The participants showed improvement on L2 measures at the end of the study, and results indicate a positive, moderate correlation between the amount of time spent on Duolingo and learning gains. In terms of perceptions of their experiences, the participants generally viewed Duolingo’s flexibility and gamification aspects positively; however, variability in motivation to study and frustration with instructional materials were also expressed.

Using Primary Knowledge: an Efficient Way To Motivate Students and Promote the Learning of Formal Reasoning

According to Geary’s evolutionary approach, humans are able to easily acquire primary knowledge and, with more efforts, secondary knowledge. The present study investigates how primary knowledge contents can facilitate the learning of formal logical rules, i.e., secondary knowledge. Framing formal logical problems in evolutionary salient contexts should increase learners’ efficiency, motivation, and engagement in learning compared with framing logical problems in secondary knowledge. In two experiments, high school students (n = 210) had to train with syllogisms of unknown content (to reduce the use of prior knowledge) and which could be related to primary knowledge (rules about invented food and animals) or secondary knowledge (fictitious mathematics and grammar rules) in order to best pass a final test. The training phase was compulsory or left to learners’ choice. In a third experiment, participants (university students, n = 227) were confronted with three phases: (i) a priming phase consisting of problems with primary or secondary knowledge contents, then (ii) a training phase consisting of secondary knowledge only, and (iii) the final test. Results confirmed the positive influence of primary knowledge in a learning task: participants were more efficient, more motivated, more confident, and experienced less cognitive load when confronted with primary knowledge compared to secondary knowledge. In particular, primary knowledge favored the involvement and persistence of learners in the training phase regardless of their personal characteristics unlike secondary knowledge. Finally, presenting primary knowledge first and then secondary knowledge was more efficient both in terms of performance and motivation. The evolutionary approach to knowledge would provide a framework for developing a way to present new content that is cost-efficient in keeping learners motivated, whatever their age or personal characteristics.

E-Practices in Developing Community in Online ESL Learning Environment

Arguably, online language teaching and learning entails developing and sustaining community. Online community can serve as a rich source for opportunities for language learning and language use, and ensure persistence of language learners in the online environment. Given that bringing a language class online does not necessarily develop community, this study investigated how a community was developed in an online English as a Second Language (ESL) learning environment. Specifically, the e-practices of one online teacher and 25 ESL learners populating a microsite in MyLinE (Malaysia Online Resources for Learning in English) were explored using interviews, teaching journals, observations, online documents, and surveys. Evidence suggested that the community was developed due to the prevalence of self-disclosure in the online learning environment where the affordances of the online forums were tapped in providing a range of opportunities for self-disclosure to develop shared repository and nurture social connections.

Narrative Perspectives on Self-Directed Foreign Language Learning in a Computer- and Mobile-Assisted Language Learning Context

Millions of learners around the world use self-directed computer- and mobile-assisted language learning (CALL, MALL) programs to study foreign languages. One such program, Duolingo, currently attracts over 120 million users and is claimed (by the publisher) to be a highly effective method of language learning. While L2 researchers have shown limited engagement with similar large-scale commercial programs, issues related to learner persistence, motivation, and program efficacy have been reported. This study investigates the experiences and efficacy of learning Turkish on Duolingo for 12 weeks, drawing on a methodological tradition of researcher narratives. Three graduate student researchers kept diaries and completed weekly reflections on their Turkish learning experiences, which served as source material for individual narrative analysis. The resulting narratives were discussed and analyzed collaboratively from an ecological perspective. Strategies used by the researcher-participants were heavily influenced by ecological factors. Persistence in learning was found to be influenced by ecological factors and varied across timescales. Ultimately, the researcher-participants had limited Turkish learning outcomes and felt demotivated to continue studying on Duolingo. Implications for CALL/MALL design include presenting materials in a meaningful context, capitalizing on social affordances, and providing meaningful feedback to learners in order to facilitate learning and goal-setting.

Deconstructing Candy Crush: what instructional design can learn from game design

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore four general design features of King Digital Entertainment’s game “Candy Crush Saga” – structural, social, cognitive, and emotional – that reflect the principles of Universal Design for Learning and discusses how these features can be applied to course design in order to motivate learner persistence and increase student success. Design/methodology/approach – Both authors are casual Candy Crush game players intrigued by how the game motivates users to continue. The methodology began with participant observation and expanded to “deconstruction” of game features and application of research findings in multiple disciplines to build the argument that game design strategies can be applied to course design to enhance learning outcomes. Findings – Many factors influence game play, but it is crucial for each level to provide increasing challenges that motivate increased mastery but do not frustrate a player to the point of quitting. Similarly, course design that provides the opportunity for learners to achieve a sense of “flow” through the opportunity to identify goals, meet challenges, and receive feedback may encourage them to persist even when they are working autonomously as in some online environments. Research limitations/implications – This paper is based on an analysis of the design of a single game and has not been formally tested on course design. Some suggestions may be easier to implement in courses than others. Practical implications – The paper offers 14 structural, three social, four cognitive, and six social design strategies that can be implemented in course design as a way to potentially enhance learner engagement and learning outcomes. Originality/value – No published research exists that connects game design and course design in this fashion.

The effect of blended learning on course persistence and performance of adult learners: A difference-in-differences analysis

This article examines the effect of blended learning on adult learners' academic success. Using a large administrative data set we test the impact of introducing a blended learning format within the first year of a business education curriculum on course persistence and performance. Our difference-in-difference research design minimizes the potential bias resulting from the selectivity of learners enrolled in blended programmes. We find out that blended learning improves exam results. Although we observe a negative effect on the course persistence of adult learners (increased drop-out due to blended learning), the overall effect on course pass rates remains positive. Implications for practice and follow-up studies are discussed.