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Nature Versus Nurture in Online Education: An Analysis of Retention in E-learning

Retention in online education is an under researched area. The foundational theory on student retention presented 30 years ago, focused on the learner as the cause of the retention problem. Researchers have begun to query learners about how the university, through omission or commission, effect their decision to withdraw or persist. This retention study consisted of one hundred and forty-eight learners from University X, an online university. The study employed both The Priorities Survey for Online Learners and nine open-ended questions. This survey has been used by 78 institutions on over 34,000 students. The learners reported that the two major contributing factors to their decision to withdraw were: a lack of meaningful feedback from their instructors and the administration, and university's policies which often took precedent over them as individuals. Adults often choose the flexibility of online education because of their demanding schedules, which can include a career, their own family and aging parents. These adults often seek a degree or a graduate degree to meet increasing economic responsibilities, paradoxically, it is often these same responsibilities that complicate their lives, therefore hindering them from graduating. Research often looks for cause and effect in retention; which is similar to the Nature versus Nurture argument. Nature is the characteristics and traits of the adult online learner and nurture being the support that online degree programs provide. It appears that nurture may play a more significant role in retention of adult online learners than previously believed.

Retention in online education is an under researched area. The foundational theory on student retention presented 30 years ago, focused on the learner as the cause of the retention problem.