Influence of occupational-related factors on perseverance with online university courses

Abstract

Review of the literature on online distance education reveals the need for studies relating the various motivational factors, which include personal-social contextual factors, with perseverance with distance education. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to analyze the influence of occupational-related factors on students’ participation and perseverance with first-stage undergraduate e-learning courses. This study was based on the case of students studying Technical Engineering and Computer Technology at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. The most advanced course in which students were registered was used as an indicator of perseverance. We used a mixed methodology with questionnaires and semistructured interviews; descriptive statistical analysis for demographic characterization was combined with inferential analysis based on discriminant analysis to establish which occupational-related factors best explain why an individual belongs to a particular group and whether this technique can be used to predict academic success or failure.