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Abstract

The need to understand contemporary adult learners and the methods that promote continual, sustained learning is of paramount importance particularly for doctoral programs, but more specifically for online doctoral programs. The online format is viewed as an alternative way to learn in a technologically driven society that focuses on time, opportunity, and convenience as critical considerations for learning endeavors. An examination of the factors associated with attrition in doctoral programs includes understanding and confronting personal and institutional barriers to successful matriculation.

Researchers have identified general characteristics of effective graduate students such as motivation, attitude, collegiality, writing/communication skills, values and integrity (Walpole, Burton, Kanyi, & Jackenthal, 2002) but have not established a clear understanding of the specific characteristics that facilitate or obstruct enduring and sustained learning.

This paper proposes a conceptual model that includes attributes of learner autonomy (desire, resourcefulness, initiative, and persistence in learning) as influential mediators of self‐efficacy and motivation for learning and may improve retention and completion rates in higher education.

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Enhancing and Facilitating Self‐Efficacious Behaviors in Distance Learning Environments

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