Predictors of Success for High School Students Enrolled in Online Courses in a Single District Program
D. Rankin
Abstract
The rapid growth in online learning opportunities and online courses in K-12 education is well documented in the literature. Studies conducted by various researchers that have focused on the K-12 population of online learners demonstrate that certain online learner characteristics and online learning environment characteristics may impact the likelihood of students passing or failing online courses. Research has produced models that predict online course success with measurable degrees of accuracy. This descriptive study examines characteristics of students enrolled in online high school courses provided by a virtual learning program administered by a single Virginia public school district. The study determined that students’ prior academic success; confidence in their technology skills and access to technology; confidence in their ability to achieve; and strong beliefs in their organizational skills proved to have a significant statistical relationship with online course success. The study developed a model with these factors that predicted success in online courses with a high degree of accuracy and predicted failure with a moderate degree of accuracy. The study has policy implications for public school leaders in Virginia as they implement recent state legislation requiring students to successfully complete a virtual course to graduate from public high school. The study indicates that additional research is warranted to further delineate learner and learning environment characteristics producing a model that more accurately predicts failure in online courses. Additional research is warranted with larger samples from single district virtual programs.
Keywords
Annotation
This dissertation looks at what factors influence K-12 students’ success in online courses. The work includes various accessible qualitative measures including logistic regressions, bivariate regressions, and chi-squared tests. Ultimately, the author finds that previous academic success and success and confidence with technology predict online academic success in predictable patterns. The findings have policy implications in Virginia schools and could potentially have implications elsewhere, noting differences in state regulations.
APA Citation
Rankin, D. (2013). Predictors of success for high school students enrolled in online courses in a single district program (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia.
About the Study
| Links to Article | https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C50&q=Rankin%2C+D.+%282013%29.+Predictors+of+success+for+high+school+students+enrolled+in+online+courses+in+a+single+district+program+%28Unpublished+doctoral+dissertation%29.Virginia+Commonwealth+University%2C+Virginia.&btnG= |
| Mode | Technology-enhanced, Online |
| Publication Type | Dissertation |
| In Publication | |
| Type of Research | Quantitative |
| Research Design | Survey research (qualitative or quantitative) |
| Intervention/Areas of Study | Student motivation, Student support, Student-student interactions |
| Level of Analysis | Student-level |
| Specific Populations Examined | |
| Peer-Reviewed | No |
| Specific Institutional Characteristics of Interest | K-12 |
| Specific Course or Program Characteristics | |
| Outcome Variables of Interest | Academic achievement or performance, including assessment scores and course grades, Learning effectiveness, Program effectiveness |
| Student Sample Size | 300-399 |
| Citing Articles | https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=7167699295706559467&as_sdt=5,50&sciodt=0,50&hl=en |
Back to Annotation Database