Event Title
Understanding Student Attrition in an Online Doctoral Program: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study
Date of Publication
2-3-2021
Document Type
Presentation
Abstract
Attrition in online doctoral programs is a significant concern with only 40% graduating. This convergent parallel mixed methods study examined characteristics of former Ed.D. graduate students and their reasons for discontinuing. Descriptive statistics are used to examine demographic characteristics associated with individuals who have discontinued and compared to those who have retained. Qualitative data gathered from exit interviews explores reasons for quitting. The quantitative data and qualitative data analyzed separately and converged to provide greater illumination. Results and implications may be relevant to other potential and current graduate students as well as administrators and faculty of online graduate programs.
Keywords
Online Doctoral Program, Student Attrition
Persistent Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/2935
Understanding Student Attrition in an Online Doctoral Program: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study
Attrition in online doctoral programs is a significant concern with only 40% graduating. This convergent parallel mixed methods study examined characteristics of former Ed.D. graduate students and their reasons for discontinuing. Descriptive statistics are used to examine demographic characteristics associated with individuals who have discontinued and compared to those who have retained. Qualitative data gathered from exit interviews explores reasons for quitting. The quantitative data and qualitative data analyzed separately and converged to provide greater illumination. Results and implications may be relevant to other potential and current graduate students as well as administrators and faculty of online graduate programs.