Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

L. Carolyn Pearson, Ph.D.

Abstract

Literature is replete with the uniqueness of the community college student as it relates to remediation, persistence, and academic success; yet very little literature exists on the community college and retention in online courses. The purpose o f the study was to examine the effect of student characteristics, locus of control, motivation, and learning style on retention in online community college courses. The descriptive discriminant function analysis revealed one function that was primarily defined by age and ethnicity, locus of control was not supported, while motivation and learning style preference were predictors of retention to a lesser degree. Completers tended to be non-traditional. White, satisfied with the course, and had a learning style preference of sensor and sequential.

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