Modeling Student Persistence in Online Education: A Validation Study

This study examined the factors related to student persistence in online education programs. Using a model of persistence, we conducted five confirmatory factor analytic models to evaluate scales that measured the factors of interest: locus of control, self-efficacy, task value, satisfaction, and persistence. We also conducted and compared two structural equation models to investigate the relationships among these factors, along with achievement. Results indicated that the critical factors related to students’ persistence in online programs are locus of control, self-efficacy, and achievement. On the other hand, task value and satisfaction were not significant predictors of online program persistence. The similarities and dissimilarities between previous findings and the present study are discussed.