A Profile of Today's Distance Learners: An Investigation of Demographic and Individual Difference Variables of Distance and Non-Distance Learners

Latanich, Gary; Nonis, Sarath A.; Hudson, Gail I.

doi:10.1300/j050v11n03_01

Cited by 16 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Therefore, we compare our population with students participating in traditional education and try to provide possible explanations. The characteristics of the DE students are that they are adult, mainly with an age between 25-45, which is in accordance with previous research describing typical distance students (Latanich et al, 2001). In sharp contrast with traditional education, DE students often have a full-time employment, a partner and children, which means their study time is limited.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…The majority of these students has an age between 25-45, which is congruent with the typical characteristics of a DE student (Latanich, Nonis, & Hudson, 2001). These students often have a full-time employment, a partner and children, which is logical as these characteristics are positively associated with age.…”

Section: Distance Education Versus Traditional Educationsupporting

confidence: 62%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sedentary behavior and not physical activity predicts study progress in distance education

Gijselaers

Kirschner

Verboon

et al. 2016

Learning and Individual Differences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Previous research has shown that physical activity and sedentary behavior are related to learning performance in traditional education. In distance education (DE), however, students are characterized by different features (e.g., age and responsibilities). As a result, DE students often have full schedules and must make choices that traditional students do not. Advice on behavior change is low-cost and easy to implement. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate whether physical activity and sedentary behavior are related to learning performance in DE. In an observational longitudinal study, physical activity and sedentary behavior of 1100 adult DE students were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Students provided information on physical activity, sedentary behavior and important covariates at the start of their study. Learning performance, measured as study progress, was evaluated after 14 months (i.e., the number of successfully completed modules). Analyses revealed that only sedentary behavior was a significant predictor for study progress. More sedentary behavior was predictive for more learning performance in adults participating in DE. Despite these findings, it is not recommended that students should be more sedentary as health/cognitive benefits following from more physical activity and less sedentary behavior are proven. Instead, future research should focus on which specific sedentary behaviors are responsible for this relation as sedentary behaviors may be differentially associated with learning performance.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Distance Education Versus Traditional Educationsupporting

confidence: 62%

Sedentary behavior and not physical activity predicts study progress in distance education

Gijselaers

Kirschner

Verboon

et al. 2016

Learning and Individual Differences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Previous studies found that distance students were more likely to be time-bound rather than place bound (Latanich et al, 2001;Livertos & Franks, 1996;Simpson, 2002). In this DCU study, students presented as more restricted by place.…”

Section: Employment Fee Payment and Locationmentioning

confidence: 49%

Who Graduates From Irish Distance University Education?

Delaney

2015

European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper outlines results from an online survey of recent distance graduates. The study, based in Dublin City University (DCU) addresses a gap in the research on this cohort of graduates. Findings indicate that distance graduates are primarily from lower socio economic backgrounds, a group largely under-represented in full-time university education. Significantly, 30% of survey respondents came from a skilled manual background. A large percentage (39% N = 61) of graduates had never accessed any form of higher education before. An equally large percentage (N = 62) had accessed full-time higher education previously, but at a lower level than the honours primary degree they obtained through distance learning. Implications regarding the role of distance education in improving access to university education and social mobility are discussed. Finally, this paper seeks to establish relevance between knowledge of distance graduates and doing things better for first time distance learners.suggestive. To date, no study has explored the particular position of online distance university graduates in an Irish context.

show abstract

“…For example, studies in the early 1990s found that online learners were older females who had both work and family responsibilities (Hazel and Dirr 1991;Robinson 1992), and were "place-bound" with a majority living 100-200 miles from the closest campus (Gibson and Graff 1992). In contrast, more recent research (Liviertos and Franks 1996) suggests that online students are more "time-bound" than "place-bound," a characteristic that can also be applied to contemporary traditional students (Latanich, Nonis and Hudson 2001). Latanich, Nonis and Hudson (2001) legitimately question the relevance and validity of previous findings to the demographic characteristics of current online students.…”

Section: Demographic Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…In contrast, more recent research (Liviertos and Franks 1996) suggests that online students are more "time-bound" than "place-bound," a characteristic that can also be applied to contemporary traditional students (Latanich, Nonis and Hudson 2001). Latanich, Nonis and Hudson (2001) legitimately question the relevance and validity of previous findings to the demographic characteristics of current online students. According to their study, there are no significant differences in age, gender, and employment between the two groups (Latanich, Nonis and Hudson 2001).…”

Section: Demographic Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Differences in Characteristics of Online versus Traditional Students: Implications for Target Marketing

Pentina

Neeley²

2007

Journal of Marketing for Higher Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study provides insight for educators and administrators into differences between students enrolled in Web-based and traditional classes as online learning enters the growth stage of its product life cycle. We identify characteristics that differentiate online students from those who prefer traditional education methods in order to offer more effective marketing techniques for attracting and retaining online students. Results of the study suggest that students in traditional classes have higher perceptions of performance and financial risk than their online counterparts. Social character was another important factor determining the choice of traditional over online learning. Recommendations to assist administrators in increasing enrollment in their online programs are presented.

show abstract

A Profile of Today's Distance Learners: An Investigation of Demographic and Individual Difference Variables of Distance and Non-Distance Learners

Cited by 16 publications

References 10 publications

Sedentary behavior and not physical activity predicts study progress in distance education

Sedentary behavior and not physical activity predicts study progress in distance education

Who Graduates From Irish Distance University Education?

Differences in Characteristics of Online versus Traditional Students: Implications for Target Marketing

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About