The Persistence Scale for Online Education: Development of a Psychometric Tool

Hart, Carolyn

Monday, 31 October 2011

Carolyn Hart, RN, MSN
College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Southwest Baptist University, Springfield, MO

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to state the variables which contribute to persistence in the online student upon review of the poster

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to discuss the role of persistence in student attrition upon review of the poster

Previous research, published by the U.S. Department of Education, has demonstrated that on-line courses are ‘equal’ in effectiveness of traditional courses. Yet numerous studies reveal that there is an increase in attrition rate for online courses, particularly within RN-to-BSN educational programs (Bowden 2008; Kreideweis, 2005). The concept of persistence has been identified as a variable that contributes to successful completion of an online degree program. Persistence, a term that evolved from the antonym of attrition, encompasses a variety of variables necessary for educational success (Atack & Rankin, 2002; Frith & Kee, 2003; Kreideweis, 2005; Menchaca & Bekele, 2008; Sandler, 2000; Wood, Saylor, & Cohen, 2009). A review of literature has failed to identify a means of determining those who are most likely to persist in an online educational program.

The Persistence Scale in Online Education (PSOE) purports to assess the presence and level of persistence. The goal of the PSOE is to predict persistence in an online course. Being aware of high-risk students at the beginning of a course would provide meaningful information to the instructor and allow early intervention, which will ultimately increase student success.

The PSOE is a 26-item survey consisting of 4 subscales: (1) social connectiveness, (2) perceived stress and support, (3) self-determination, and (4) goal attachment. Response options include strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, and don't know. Initial research results indicate the PSOE accurately differentiates between the student who will persist and successfully complete a program from the student who is at risk of failure for reasons other than knowledge deficit. This information can be used to provide an intervention which will enhance the ability of the at-risk student to persist.

See more of: Poster Session II
See more of: Oral Paper & Poster: Evidence-Based Practice Contest