ERIC Number: EJ1207475
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Feb
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1492-3831
EISSN: N/A
Mid-Career Adult Learners in an Online Doctoral Program and the Drivers of Their Academic Self-Regulation: The Importance of Social Support and Parent Education Level
Williams, Peter E.; Wall, Natalie; Fish, Wade W.
International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, v20 n1 p63-78 Feb 2019
Adult professionals enroll in online graduate programs and rely on social support and on their ability to self-regulate to be successful. The literature on academic self-regulation among emerging adults (traditional college age) is ample, but we do not know how social support interacts with academic self-regulation among adult graduate students at mid-career, particularly among those students who are first generation college goers. This study addressed the following questions: (1) To what degree do parental education level and cohort progression predict academic self-regulation? and (2) What sources of social support -- family, friends, loved one (significant other), and classmates -- are predictive of academic self-regulation for adult students in an online doctoral program? Findings include evidence that the influence of parental educational level on academic self-regulation persists through midlife. Also, that perceived social support from family, friends, and peers predicts academic self-regulation. We conclude with implications for the design of online programs.
Descriptors: Adult Students, Social Support Groups, Doctoral Programs, Online Courses, Career Change, Midlife Transitions, Educational Attainment, Parent Background, Graduate Students, First Generation College Students, Self Management, Undergraduate Students, Electronic Learning, Predictor Variables
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A