In Search of Higher Persistence Rates in Distance Education Online Programs

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In Search of Higher Persistence Rates in Distance Education Online Programs

Alfred P. Rovai

Abstract

Tinto’s [Rev. Educ. Res. 45 (1975) 89, Tinto, V. (1987). Leaving college. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press] student integration model and Bean and Metzner’s [Rev. Educ. Res. 55 (1985) 485] student attrition model have been influential in explaining persistence and attrition in higher education programs. However, these models were developed with on-campus programs in mind and, although they are broadly relevant to distance education programs, their ability to explain the persistence of online students is limited. Distance education students have characteristics and needs that differ from traditional learners and the virtual learning environment differs in important ways from an on-campus environment. This article draws chiefly from Tinto’s and Bean and Metzner’s models and the results of research into the needs of online distance education students in order to synthesize a composite model to better explain persistence and attrition among the largely nontraditional students that enroll in online courses.

Keywords

Persistence, Dropout, Retention, Attrition, Online distance education, Adult education

Annotation

This paper summarizes and builds upon previous theories of persistence among distance education learners, especially those of Tinto (1975) and Bean & Metzner (1985). Rovai identifies four main constructs that influence the student’s decision to persist: student characteristics, student skills, external factors, and internal factors.

Student characteristics include factors such as age, ethnicity, gender, intellectual development, previous academic performance, and academic preparation.

Student skills include factors such as computer literacy, information literacy, time management, reading and writing, and computer-based interpersonal interaction. Later research (Park and Choi, 2009) questions the validity of these factors as meaningful indicators of persistence.

External factors include employment and family responsibilities, outside support and encouragement, opportunities to transfer, and life crises.

Internal factors include a wide variety of course design and program design variables as well as the smooth interaction between learning and teaching styles.

Of these four major constructs, student characteristics and student skills are elements that the student brings with them prior to admission, while external and internal factors are both things that happen to the student after admission. Later research responded to and built upon this theory. See Park and Choi (2009).

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