Antecedents to Dropout in Distance Education: Does One Model Fit All?

Abstract

In recent years there has been an interest in adapting models of dropout-persistence, drawn from the literature of higher education, to explain the attrition phenomenon in distance education. The focus of these models has been redirected from explanations of program attrition (i.e., leaving a course). Program models typically include little consideration of differing course characteristics (such as content, intended learning outcomes, and so on). At the program level, this is reasonable, since the nature of individual courses is likely to exert minor influence on decisions to leave university. However, such characteristics may contribute to decisions to drop out from courses. This study was conducted to determine if the Tinto Model of Student Persistence and Withdrawal in Higher Education holds across a variety of distance education course types, as Sweet has suggested. Results indicate that course factors may exert a potent influence on the relative importance of major elements in Tinto’s model. It is argued that future models of course attrition recognize the contribution of differing course characteristics. Resume On essaie depuis quelques annees d’adapter les modeles d’abandon et de persistance tires de la litterature de l’education tertiaire pour expliquer le phenomene de l’attrition dans l’education a distance. Ce faisant, on a redirige le point de ces modeles, partant des explications de l’attrition des programmes (c’est-a-dire, quitter l’universite) vers des explications de l’attrition de cours indiviuels (c’est-a-dire, abandonner un cours). Les modeles se rapportant aux programmes considerent en general tres peu les caracteristiques variees des cours (telles que contenu, resultats recherches, etc.). Ceci est raisonnable au niveau du programme, puisque la nature individuelle des cours n’exerce probablement qu’une influence minime sur la decision de quitter l’universite. Cependant, de telles caracteristiques peuvent contribuer aux decisions d’abondonner un cours. L’etude a ete menee pour determiner si le modele de Tinto sur la persistance et le retrait des etudiants en education tertiaire est valable pour toute la variete des cours, comme le suggere Sweet. Les resultats indiquent que certains aspects des cours peuvent exercer une influence puissante sur l’importance relative des elements primordiaux du modele de Tinto. L’article suggere que des modeles futures de l’attrition des cours devront reconnaitre la contribution des caracteristiques particulieres de ces cours.