A team of researchers from the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FSEGA) at Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB) in Cluj-Napoca recently published an article titled: “To Be (Online) or Not to Be? Determinants of Propensity for Online Learning and Dropout Intentions Due to Digitalized Education in Higher Education.” This study was featured in the prestigious journal Technological Forecasting and Social Change, published by Elsevier. The journal is renowned for its critical studies on social changes influenced by technology and the anticipation of future digitalization trends.
The research captures a delicate moment in the new reality post-COVID-19 pandemic waves. This period was marked by a transition to a seeming “normality” where in-person and online activities alternated and became common for both students and educators. Student satisfaction, particularly in the context of distance learning, has been widely investigated since the pandemic’s onset. However, previous studies have either neglected or superficially examined the interaction between satisfaction with e-learning, students’ inclination towards online study, and their intention to drop out when distance learning is no longer feasible. To fill this gap in the literature, the present study analyzes the factors determining satisfaction with online learning and explores its direct and indirect consequences.
This paper introduces an innovative theoretical approach that clarifies the role of e-learning satisfaction and the inclination towards online study in predicting students’ dropout intentions, offering managerial implications for higher education institutions. Supported by the faculty’s leadership, all FSEGA students were surveyed, with 18% responding to the researchers’ questions. To avoid bias, incomplete or desirable responses and those from students who were also employed were excluded, resulting in 953 validated responses. For broader applicability, Romania was used as a case study, a country with a higher education system similar to the European Bologna model and where online learning has rapidly developed, partly due to high internet speeds. Pandemic measures in Romania were also comparable to those in developed countries.
This study enhances our understanding of dropout intentions caused by the potential disappearance of online learning, highlighting the crucial role of satisfaction and the propensity for online study after two years of COVID-19. Our findings revealed that student satisfaction is positively influenced by perceived usefulness, ease of use, health safety, and the fit between task and technology, while negatively affected by perceived social and professional isolation. However, convenience, adversity to well-being, technostress, or privacy risks do not significantly impact students’ satisfaction with online study. Additionally, satisfaction, lack of sociability, and social norms affect the propensity for online study and the intention to drop out. In summary, our results confirm that satisfaction is a major contributor to the propensity for online study, which in turn slightly influences dropout intentions dependent on e-learning.
This study goes beyond theoretical implications, offering practical insights for various stakeholders, including authorities, university/faculty managers, administrative and teaching staff, students, and their families. We suggest that fostering a propensity for online study will prepare today’s students to adapt to the ever-changing demands of the labor market. However, despite the researchers’ efforts to generalize and replicate the study, some limitations exist. Due to unique temporal circumstances, it is important to note that no research can be completely reproducible. Furthermore, each moment can witness multiple, sometimes overlapping crises (heatwaves, droughts, energy crises, war threats, etc.). To fully leverage the benefits of this moment, parallel research was conducted to capture another popular remote activity, telework. However, it is crucial to note that telework and distance learning are not equivalent. While the directive to “work from anywhere” still applies to highly skilled professionals in the labor market, for learners without professional experience, even if the opportunity to “learn from anywhere and from anyone” is available, based on the study’s results, we suggest that the motto characterizing the current generation of students from universities with a strong sense of community is “learn from anywhere, but not from just anyone.”
For more details on this study, please access it for free at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123566.
