Learner Characteristics’ Factors and their Relationship with Drop-Out in Distance Learning: The Case of the Arab Open University in Saudi Arabia Riyadh Branch

摘要

In this study, learner characteristics’ factors were examined to predict student withdrawal from, or completion of, university distance education programs. The research model was examined using face-to-face in-depth interviews followed by a pilot sample of 127 students, and then re-examined among a sample of 587 students. A quantitative approach was the dominant technique using factor analysis, followed by discriminant analysis aimed at testing the predictive validity of the distinguished factors in the light of withdrawal or completion. The outcomes of our empirical study indicate that having an independent learning style is the factor that significantly discriminates between students who leave and those who remain at the Arab Open University (AOU) in Saudi Arabia.