Factors affecting adult learners' persistence in E-learning program - A study in Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

Having its root from distance learning, e-learning can be described the effort of providing access to learning for those who are geographically distant. At the beginning of 21st century, e-learning has visions in bring learning community and long-life study. Through e-learning, adult learners with multiple roles in social life, to continue enjoy in higher education, can enhance knowledge and skills by saving travel time, cost with a flexible access. Along with e-learning’s rapid growth, the low persistence rate e-learning has become a considerable issue of many organizations. Therefore, this research is going find out relationship between the barriers that adult learners face and how they overcome to persist in e-learning. The result of this research will provide significant reference for e-learning education designers, instructors in order to hold the goal of bring opportunities for long-life study and create the convenient to retain adult learners in distance learning program. The questionnaire was distributed to 403 adult learners in e-learning program in Ho Chi Minh City. Based on the results of the path analysis, the research found that four factors have direct effect and one factor indirectly effects on adult learners persistence in e-learning program. Moreover, research also points out that learners’ motivation has the strongest effect on learners’ persistence. With experiences during conducting research process, this research also provides some recommendations to elearning program in Ho Chi Minh City to make e-learning program better. Keywords: distance learning, e-learning, motivation, family support, study skill.