Learner interrupted: understanding the stories behind the codes – a qualitative analysis of HE distance-learner withdrawals

Abstract

Successful retention of students through understanding their motivations and behaviours is a challenge to universities worldwide. Whilst the impact of withdrawals is an issue for all institutions, attrition for distance-learning providers is particularly problematic owing to higher non-completion rates, less physical visibility, and because distance-learners tend to have more complex lives. This paper examines students' personal stories explaining their decisions to withdraw from university study. It considers 641 written discourses initiated by students as part of their requests to withdraw, covering the challenges they face, and the complex combinations of factors that contribute to their decisions to give up. This qualitative approach was adopted as a necessary complement to the quantitative rush of metrics information that universities now provide on withdrawal figures. Three themes selected are: deferral/withdrawal, time available, and preparedness for study. The paper concludes that complementary qualitative insights both add clarity and detail to institutional understanding and reduces oversimplification of complex decision-making from unidimensional quantitative approaches.

Persistence and time challenges in an open online university: a case study of the experiences of first-year learners

“…All these factors have significant impact upon students' time. Indeed, time-related issues appear to be the primary reasons for students not persisting and dropping out of online courses (Ashby, 2004;Myers et al, 2021). Among such time challenges are time poverty, time pressure, and time-related conflicts, and the need to juggle multiple responsibilities (Lee & Choi, 2011).…”

“…Complementing institutional measures of attrition and persistence, it is paramount to give voice to the students' experiences of their learning journeys, which have been less visible to institutions. In the same way that OHE is fundamentally student-centered, so are dropout and retention, for which student and social factors often play a much more crucial role than institutional issues (Myers et al, 2021).…”