Influence of Learner Motivational Dispositions on MOOC Completion

This study examined the role motivational dispositions had on completing a massive open online course (MOOC) using identifiable data from 10,726 students who enrolled in an iteration of the HarvardX MOOC, "Super Earths and Life." As part of the course registration process, learners had the option to complete a pre-course survey and self-report information including their level of education, gender and registration motivations. Using these pre-course survey responses, latent profiles linked to learners' course performance were created. Results showed education background, gender, and motivation were all significantly related to students' performance. Furthermore, students with intrinsic motivational dispositions performed better than students with extrinsic dispositions, and females performed better than males.