Web-Based Learning: Relationships Among Student Motivation, Attitude, Learning Styles, And Achievement

Abstract

This study analyzed the relationships between student achievement and the following variables: attitude, motivation, learning styles, and selected demographics. This population study included 99 students taking two web-based courses offered by the college of agriculture at a land grant university. Seventy-four (75%) students completed a learning style test, an on-line questionnaire, and received a grade by the end of the semester. The learning style test was the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), which classified students as either field-dependent or field-independent. The on-line questionnaire consisted of two scales (motivation and attitude), whose pilot-test reliabilities were .71 and .91, respectively. Over two-thirds of the students taking the web-based courses were field-independent learners; however, there were no significant differences (.05 level) in achievement between field-dependent and field-independent students. Also, students with different learning styles and backgrounds learned equally well in web-based courses. The students enjoyed the convenience and self-controlled learning pace and were motivated by competition and high expectations in web-based learning. Motivation was the only significant factor that explained more than one-fourth of student achievement measured by class grade.