Online Learning and First-Generation College Student Persistence: A Mixed-Methods Study
Background of the Problem
Over the past decade, online and hybrid courses have moved from the margins of American higher education to its center. For many first-generation college students — those whose parents did not complete a bachelor’s degree — online formats promise flexibility that makes enrollment possible alongside work and family obligations. Yet flexibility can also mean isolation. First-generation students often have less access to informal guidance about navigating college systems, and online environments may reduce the chance encounters with faculty and peers through which that guidance is typically shared.
Statement of the Problem
Although institutions have expanded online offerings, little is known about how specific features of online course design — such as structured peer interaction, proactive instructor outreach and embedded academic advising — relate to term-to-term persistence among first-generation students at regional public universities. Without this understanding, institutions risk expanding access while leaving completion gaps unaddressed.
Purpose and Research Questions
The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study is to examine the relationship between online course design features and persistence among first-generation undergraduates, and to explore how students describe their experiences with those features. The study is guided by three research questions:
RQ1: To what extent do structured peer interaction, instructor outreach and embedded advising predict fall-to-spring persistence among first-generation students enrolled primarily in online courses?
RQ2: How do first-generation students describe the role of these course features in their decision to persist or withdraw?
RQ3: In what ways do the qualitative findings help explain the quantitative results?
[Sample chapter continues with theoretical framework, significance of the study, definitions of terms, assumptions, limitations and delimitations.]
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