Research Article

       Identifying Predictors of Academic Persistence in Distance Education

Angie Parker

            Article Review by Robert Andrews

The problem of high attrition rates among students undergoing a distance based education program of study, is addressed in this article by Angie Parker, which appeared in the United States Distance Learning Journal. The author hypothesizes that the type of student that enrolls in an online class vis-à-vis his relative degree of internal motivation, is a significant indicator to his success. Many freshman students who signed up for an online course, who were externally motivated, failed to complete the course. 

The author begins with the observation that students with an internal Locus of Control, complete distance-learning programs more frequently than students with an external Locus of Control. Locus of Control is said to be internal when students believe that their success comes through their own efforts and interaction with the program, and external, when students believe their success depends on luck, environment, others’ opinions of them, etc.

It is not surprising that students who prefer independent, self-paced instruction would self-select into an online class. It may be that the distance education format appealed to students with independent learning styles, and that independent learning preferences are well suited to the relative isolation of the distance-learning environment .

The author believes that students develop their internal Locus of Control, and increase their own sense of self worth, from completing a distance-learning program.

Adult learners have a particularly high need for internal satisfaction from learning.

The results of the study indicated that students who were internally focused and motivated were more likely to finish a course of study using distance learning than those with external loci of control. Students developed their internal sense of control as the session continued, in a meaningful amount. This finding has a suggestion that students should be pre-selected based on their scores on a internal-external survey such as, Rotter's Locus of Control . Students with scores tending toward internal Locus of Control would be more likely to complete an online course and receive more benefit from it. Students at the other end of the spectrum, might be better served by traditional methods of study. The online study program would benefit from greater degrees of completion and lower attrition rates.

This article may be found in its entirety at:

 http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/JAN03_Issue/article06.html