Abstract

Using large samples from multiple online degree programs, this study aimed to empirically identify the direct and indirect relationships between major adult dropout factors (i.e., basic scholastic aptitude, physical constraints, interaction with course content, satisfaction, and GPA) and provide educational practitioners with insights that will enable them to indirectly handle uncontrollable adult dropout factors based on the empirical evidence. To achieve these purposes, we formulated and empirically tested a hypothesized path model encompassing multiple hypotheses derived from related literature. We found that the physical constraints variable has statistically significant direct and indirect relationships through interactions with course content, satisfaction, and GPA with adult students’ dropout decisions, and the basic scholastic aptitude variable has an indirect relationship with dropout decisions through interactions with course content and GPA. This paper concludes by discussing the implications of our findings for educational practitioners in online degree programs.

Citation

Choi, H.J. & Park, J.H. (2018). Testing a path-analytic model of adult dropout in online degree programs. Computers & Education, 116(1), 130-138. Elsevier Ltd. Retrieved August 12, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/200738/.

Keywords

• Adult dropout
• Adult persistence
• distance education
• Online degree program
• Path-analytic model