Factors Affecting Student Attrition and Success

in Distance Education
(Case of Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia)

Research Team

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 Student Attrition
in DE
Why is student attrition
important?

Who and Why?

How to address those

issues?
Why student attrition
is important!
 Multiple Equity
causes of principles to
student attrition guarantee
(Simpson, equal
2002) opportunity

ODL is a new
Indonesia’s HE
education
quality
system to open
standard
up HE access Increased
Completion
Rate
(Tinto (1977); Belawati (1995); Kember (1995);
Kristanti and Islam (2003))

(Keller (1987); Visser (1998);

Sedyaningsih at all (2003)

Miltiadou, M. & Savenye, W.C (2003), Tri Darmayanti and

Belawati (2002)
 Study Program Attrition Rate 2006(1) 2009(2)
Management (S2) 0.4 0.2 0.2
Public Administration (S2) 0.4 0.2 0.2
Food Technology 0.2 0.8 0.1
Mathematics 0.2 0.5 0.6
Biology 0.3 0.6 0.2
Statistics 0.3 0.3 0.5
Agribusiness 0.3 0.2 0.3
Management 0.2 0.4 0.4
Accountancy 0.2 0.3 0.4
Business Administration 0.2 0.3 0.3
Public Administration 0.2 0.3 0.3
Government Studies 0.2 0.3 0.3
Sociology 0.2 0.3 0.4
Communication 0.2 0.3 0.4
Mathematics Education 0.2 0.2 0.4
Physic Education 0.1 0.2 0.2
Taxation 0.2 0.5 0.4
Library science 0.2 0.1 0.1
Basic Education 0.3 0 0.1
Who did withdraw from the
program ?
 Semester and GPA

45

40
diatas 3.0 1
35

30
2.0 - 3.0 14
25

20
1.0 - 2.0 62
15

10
dibawah 1.0 23
5

0 0 20 40 60 80
kurang 2 Sem 2 - 4 Sem 4 - 6 sem 6-8 lebih 8
 Gender and Age

50
70
62 45
60
40
50 35
38 30
40
25
30
20
20 15
10
10
5
0
Male
1
Female 0
dibawah 20 U 21-25 U 26 - 30 diatas 30
 Educational Background

4%
9%

High School
Diploma
26% Bachelor
61% Post Gaduate
 Parent Educational Background

1= High School; 2= Diploma; 3= Bachelor; 4= Post Graduate

 Employment Status

3.2
5.2
14.8
Self employment

15.5
Permanent employment

Part time employment

unemployment

others
56.1
 Type of Employment

6%
23%
31%

40%

N/A Pemerintah Swasta BUMN

Why did they withdraw from the
program?
 illness
no longger required degree/certificate
Lack of social support
Lack of family support
Frequent alteration of domicile
exhausted
Lack of required skill and competence
The program is out of student expectation
Trasfer to other University
lack of motivation
The program is unfitted with the demand
xamination venue is difficult to be reached
Isolated domicile
Limited information about examination
Tutorial venue is unreacheble
Limited course feedback
No internet access
Limited student advisory and counseling…
Regional office is unreacheable
Course is dificult to be understood
financial mater
Being isolated
Limited informaion about the program
Busy with the own work
Limited information about student…
Limited student advisory and counseling…
Lack of sufficient information about the…
0 5 10 15 20 25

INDIVIDUAL
INSTITUTION
• Busy with the own work
(24)
• financial mater (18)
• No internet access (14)
• Isolated domicile (8)
• The program is unfitted
with the demand (6)
• lack of motivation (6)
• The program is out of
student expectation (5)
• Frequent changes of
domicile (3)
• exhausted (3)
• Illness (1)
• Lack of sufficient
SOCIO-CULTURAL
information about the
course (27)
• Limited student advisory
and counseling (face to
face) (26) • Being isolated (27)
• Limited information about • Unfamiliar with self
student registration (25) directed learning (16)
• Limited information about • Lack of family support
the program (22) (2)
• Course is difficult to be • Lack of social support
understood (17) (2)
• Regional office is • no longer required
unreachable(15) degree/certificate (1)
• Limited student advisory
and counseling (online)
(15)
• Limited course feedback
(14)
• Examination and Tutorial
locations are difficult to be
reached (11)
 • Being isolated (27)

UNAVOIDABLE
• Lack of sufficient
VOLUNTARY

INVOLUNTARY
information about the • Financial mater (18) • Busy with the own
course (27) • No internet access (14) work (24)
• Limited student advisory • Isolated domicile (8) • Illness (1)
and counseling (face to
face) (26) • Frequent changes of • no longer required
domicile (3) degree/certificate
• Limited information about
student registration (25) • Regional office is (1)
unreachable (15)
• Limited information about
the program (22) • Examination location is
difficult to be reached (11)
• Course is difficult to be
understood (17) • Tutorial location is difficult
to be reached (6%)
• Unfamiliar with self
directed learning
• Limited student advisory
and counseling (online)
(15)
• Limited feedback (14)
• The program is unfitted
with the demand (6)
• lack of motivation (6)
• The program is out of
student expectation (5)
• exhausted (3)
 Reasons Individual Institution Socio Cultural

Voluntary  The program is unfitted with
the demand (6)
 lack of motivation (6)
 The program is out of student
expectation (5)
 Limited knowledge about the
program (2)
 Lack of sufficient information about the  Being isolated
course (27) (27)
 Limited student advisory and counseling  Unfamiliar with
(face to face) (26) self directed
 Limited information about student learning (16)
registration (25)
 Limited information about the program
(22)
 Course is difficult to be understood (17)
 Limited student advisory and counseling
(online) (15)
 Limited feedback (14)

Involuntary  Financial mater (18)  Regional office is unreachable(15)  Lack of family

 No internet access (14)  Examination and Tutorial locations are support (2)
 Isolated domicile (8) difficult to be reached (11)  Lack of social
 Frequent changes of domicile support (2)
(3)

Unavoidable  Busy with the own work (24)  Program ceased  No longer
 exhausted (3) required
 Illness (1) degree/certificate
(1)
 MAIN ISSUES

Reason Individual Institution Socio-Cultural

Voluntary Motivation Communication Adaptation

Involuntary Communication Adaptation Motivation

Unavoidable Adaptation Communication Motivation

STUDENT – INSTITUTION
EXPECTATION GAP
 RATIONAL CHOICE MODEL

Individual
 Motivation
 Latar Belakang
 Integration/ Institution factor
Adaptation  Communication
 Kesulitan belajar PUSH PULL
 Academic Supports
Factors Factors  Learning Supports
Socio-Cultural
 Value added of the
awareness
program
family supports
social supports

Drop Out Decision Line

 RETENTIONERING

Pre During Post

Admission Admission Admission

Re- Admission
 Effectiveness

Sources: Ormond Simpson (2003) Student retention in online, open and distance learning.
 References

Belawati , T(2003) Increasing Persistence in Indonesia Post-Secondary Distance Education, University of British
Columbia: Unpublished Dissertation.
Damayanti, T and T. Belawati (2002) Kemauan Belajar (Learning Volition) Mahasiswa Pendidikan Jarak Jauh,
Universitas Terbuka.
Keller, j m (1987b) Strategies for Stimulating the Motivation to Learn, Performance and Instruction Journal, 26 (8),
Miltiadou, M. & Savenye, W.C. (2003). Applying Social Cognitive Constructs of Motivation to Enhance
Student Success in Online Distance Education. AACE Journal, 11(1)
Puspitasari , K and Samsul, I (2003) Kesiapan Belajar Mandiri Mahasiswa dan calon potensial mahasiwa pada PTJJ
di Indonesia. Universitas Terbuka
Sediyaningsih, S. et all (2003) Konsep diri dan interaksi sosial studi mengenai komunikasi interpersonal dalam I
nteraksi sosial jaak jauh terhadap pembentukan konsep diri mahasiswa Universitas Terbuka. Universitas
Terbuka
Simpson O. (2003) Student Retention in Online, Open and Distence Learning. London: Kogan Page Ltd.
Scott L. Howell, (2003) Thirty-two Trends Affecting Distance Education: An Informed Foundation for Strategic
Planning, Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, Volume VI(3),
Tinto,v (1975) dropout from higher education: a synthesis of recent research, Review of Educational Research, 45
(1),
Visser L. (1998) The Development of motivational Communication in Distance Education Support, University of
Twente, Enschede, Netherlands