Title: Technological, institutional and situational influences on student persistence

Authors: Maximus Gorky Sembiring

Addresses: Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Universitas Terbuka, Jalan Cabe Raya Pondok Cabe, Pamulang, Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia

Abstract: Understanding plausible variables affecting persistence in open distance learning (ODL) outlooks were explored. It was aimed at exposing associated factors and their attributes, how and in what routines they were interrelated remarked by Universitas Terbuka overseas students. The study was accomplished using exploratory-design. It was qualitatively identified first six variables involved: persistence; epistemological and technological; situational, institutional and dispositional factors. They were quantitatively categorised as the dependent, intervening and independent variables, respectively. Instruments in unified list of queries for review and focus-group discussion (for qualitative) and questionnaires related to the six variables involved (for quantitative) were developed. The ultimate of qualitative approach was aimed at establishing frameworks and hypotheses. Data were processed using structural equation model (SEM) to validate 12 hypotheses; ten were statistically validated. The results confirmed the prominent influence on persistence was technological factor followed by institutional and situational. Variably, persistence was insignificantly affected by epistemological and dispositional.

Keywords: open distance learning; ODL; persistence; technological influence; exploratory-design; structural equation model; SEM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSS.2018.100216

International Journal of Services and Standards, 2018 Vol.12 No.3/4, pp.261 - 274

Received: 30 Jun 2018
Accepted: 04 Mar 2019
Published online: 18 Jun 2019 *

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