Improving Student Persistence in Open and Distance Learning; An Investigation of Demotivational Challenges
References
- Adu Henaku, E., Sambah, F., Quansah, F., Agormedah, E. K., Srem-Sai, M., Hagan, J. E., Ankomah, F., Ankomah-Sey, V. R., & Schack, T. (2024). Stress-related experiences and intentions to quit studies among female married postgraduate distance education students in Ghana. BMC Psychology, 12, 348. 10.1186/s40359-024-01839-x
- Akar, M. (2024). Why do students disengage from online courses?. The Internet and Higher Education, 62, 100948–100948. 10.1016/j.iheduc.2024.100948
- Bağrıacık Yılmaz, A., & Karataş, S. (2022). Why do open and distance education students drop out? Views from various stakeholders. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 19(1), 28. 10.1186/s41239-022-00333-x
- Baik, C., Naylor, R., & Arkoudis, S. (1994). Effort Levels in Contests with Two Asymmetric Players. Southern Economic Journal, 61(2), 367. 10.2307/1059984
- Baran, E., Correia, A. P., & Thompson, A. (2011). Transforming online teaching practice: Critical analysis of the literature on the roles and competencies of online teachers. Distance Education, 32(3), 421–439. 10.1080/01587919.2011.610293
- Bean, J. P. (1980). Dropouts and turnover: The synthesis and test of a causal model of student attrition. Research in Higher Education, 12(2), 155–187. 10.1007/BF00976194
- Bean, J. P., & Metzner, B. S. (1985). A conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Review of Educational Research, 55(4), 485–540. 10.3102/00346543055004485
- Bozkurt, A., Akgun-Ozbek, E., Yilmazel, S., Erdogdu, E., Ucar, H., Guler, E., Sezgin, S., Karadeniz, A., Sen-Ersoy, N., Goksel-Canbek, N., Dincer, G. D., Ari, S., & Aydin, C. H. (2015). Trends in distance education research: A content analysis of journals 2009–2013. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(1). 10.19173/irrodl.v16i1.1953
- Braxton, J. M. (2000).
Reworking the student departure puzzle . Vanderbilt University Press. 10.2307/j.ctv176kvf4.3 - Brubacher, M. R., & Silinda, F. T. (2019). Factors influencing the persistence of students in open distance learning: A review. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 34(3), 271–287. 10.19173/irrodl.v20i4.4325
- Carter, Jr. R. A., Rice, M., Yang, S., & Jackson, H. A. (2020). “Self-regulated learning in online learning environments: strategies for remote learning”. Information and Learning Sciences, 121, 321–329. 10.1108/ILS-04-2020-0114
- Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2023).
Revisiting Mixed Methods Research Designs Twenty Years Later . In C. N. Poth (Ed.), The SAGE Handbook of Mixed Methods Research Design (pp. 21–36). Sage Publications. 10.4135/9781529682663.n6 - De Paepe, L., Zhu, C., & DePryck, K. (2018).
Drop-out, retention, satisfaction and attainment of online learners of Dutch in adult education . International Journal on E-Learning, 17(3), 303–323. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/174173 - Elibol, S., & Bozkurt, A. (2025). Unfulfilled Promises: The Complex Reasons Behind Dropout in Open Online Distance Education in Türkiye. American Journal of Distance Education, 1–16. 10.1080/08923647.2025.2510736
- Feldman, K. A., & Astin, A. W. (1994). What Matters in College? Four Critical Years Revisited. The Journal of Higher Education, 65(5), 615. 10.2307/2943781
- Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2010). The first decade of the community of inquiry framework: A retrospective. The Internet and Higher Education, 13(1–2), 5–9. 10.1016/j.iheduc.2009.10.003
- Hart, C. (2012). Factors associated with student persistence in an online program of study: A review of the literature. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 11(1), 19–42. Issue 1–Spring, 2012–Journal of Interactive Online Learning (
ncolr.org ). - Hartnett, M., St. George, A., & Dron, J. (2011). Examining motivation in online distance learning environments: Complex, multifaceted, and situation-dependent. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 12(6), 20–38. 10.19173/irrodl.v12i6.1030
- James, S., Swan, K., & Daston, C. (2016). Retention, progression and the taking of online courses. Online Learning, 20(2), 75–96. 10.24059/olj.v20i2.780
- Kamaşak, R., & Sahan, K. (2023). Academic Success in English Medium Courses: Exploring Student Challenges, Opinions, Language Proficiency and L2 Use. RELC Journal, 003368822311676. 10.1177/00336882231167611
- Khan, S. K., Lim, B. C. Y., & Yacob, Y. (2022). Occupational commitment in private higher education sector: Work-life balance, job burnout and the mediating effect of supportive culture. International Journal of Business and Society, 23(3), 1404–1422. 10.33736/ijbs.5170.2022
- Kintu, M. J., Zhu, C., & Kagambe, E. (2017). Blended learning effectiveness: The relationship between student characteristics, design features and outcomes. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 14(1), 7. 10.1186/s41239-017-0043-4
- Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J. A., Bridges, B. K., & Hayek, J. C. (2019). What matters to student success: A review of the literature. Commissioned report for the National Symposium on Postsecondary Student Success: Spearheading a dialog on student success. National Postsecondary Education Cooperative.
https://nces.ed.gov/npec/pdf/Kuh_Team_Report.pdf - Lee, Y., & Choi, J. (2011). A review of online course dropout research: Implications for practice and future research. Educational Technology Research and Development, 59(5), 593–618. 10.1007/s11423-010-9177-y
- Liu, J. (2022). Demotivating factors among undergraduate distance English learners: A Chinese case study. Revista Signos. Estudios de Lingüística, 55(109), 581–604. 10.4067/S0718-09342022000200581
- Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994).
Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Sage. ISBN: 978-0-8039-5540-0. - Moore, M. G. (1993).
Three types of interaction . In K. Harry, M. H. John, & D. Keegan (Eds.), Distance education: New perspectives (pp. 19–24). Routledge. 10.1080/08923648909526659 - Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2012). Distance education: A systems view of online learning (3rd ed.). Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. ISBN: 978-1-111-52099-1
- Muljana, P. S., & Luo, T. (2019). Factors contributing to student retention in online learning and recommended strategies for improvement: A systematic literature review. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 18, 19–57. 10.28945/4182
- Park, J. H., & Choi, H. J. (2009). Factors Influencing Adult Learners’ Decision to Drop Out or Persist in Online Learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 12(4), 207–217.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.12.4.207 - Pearson, M. (2004). A comparison of online and face-to-face approaches to teaching the development of a tertiary-level study skills course. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 41(3), 242–255. 10.1080/1470329042000224933
- Pumpe, I. E., & Jonkmann, K. (2025). Study demands and resources in distance education—their associations with engagement, emotional exhaustion, and academic success. Education Sciences, 15(6), 664. 10.3390/educsci15060664
- Ranasinghe, K., Fernando, T. L. D., Vineeshiya, N., & Bozkurt, A. (2025). Identifying Reasons That Contribute to Dropout Rates in Open and Distance Learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 26(2), 162–183. 10.19173/irrodl.v26i2.8067
- Rovai, A. P. (2003). In search of higher persistence rates in distance education online programs. The Internet and Higher Education, 6(1), 1–16. 10.1016/S1096-7516(02)00158-6
- Shaikh, U. U., & Asif, Z. (2022). Persistence and dropout in higher online education: Review and categorization of factors. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 902070. 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.902070
- Shea, P., Li, C. S., & Pickett, A. (2006). A study of teaching presence and student sense of learning community in fully online and web-enhanced college courses. The Internet and Higher Education, 9(3), 175–190. 10.1016/j.iheduc.2006.06.005
- Shillingford, S., & Karlin, N. J. (2013). The role of intrinsic motivation in the academic pursuits of nontraditional students. New Horizons in Adult Education & Human Resource Development, 25(3), 91–102. 10.1002/nha3.20033
- Simpson, O. (2004). The impact on retention of interventions to support distance learning students. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 19(1), 79–95. 10.1080/0268051042000177863
- Simpson, O. (2018). Supporting students in online, open and distance learning (1st ed.). Routledge. 10.4324/9780203417003
- Tait, A. (2003). Guest editorial—Reflections on student support in open and distance learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 4(1). 10.19173/irrodl.v4i1.134
- Tinto, V. (1993).
Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press. 10.2307/40250027 - Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89–125. 10.3102/00346543045001089
- Turan, Z., Kucuk, S., & Cilligol Karabey, S. (2022). The university students’ self-regulated effort, flexibility and satisfaction in distance education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 19(1), 35. 10.1186/s41239-022-00342-w
- Xavier, M., & Meneses, J. (2022). Persistence and time challenges in an open online university: A case study of the experiences of first-year learners. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 19(1), 31. 10.1186/s41239-022-00338-6
- Yorke, M. (2004). Retention, persistence and success in on-campus higher education, and their enhancement in open and distance learning. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 19(1), 19–32. 10.1080/0268051042000177827
- Zimmerman, B. J. (2008). Investigating self-regulation and motivation: Historical background, methodological developments, and future prospects. American Educational Research Journal, 45(1), 166–183. 10.3102/0002831207312909
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55982/openpraxis.17.4.850 | Journal eISSN: 2304-070X
Language: English
Page range: 648 - 663
Submitted on: Feb 17, 2025
Accepted on: Aug 1, 2025
Published on: Nov 25, 2025
Published by: International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE)
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Keywords:
© 2025 Kokila Ranasinghe, T. Lakshini D. Fernando, Nimali Vineeshiya, G. W. A. Rohan Fernando, published by International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE)
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.