Engagement, motivation and persistence of xMOOC participants

Abstract

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) are presented as an innovative, affordable and easily accessible educational modality, offering the opportunity to democratize education in our time. While interest in these courses is on the rise, the participation rate of students decreases significantly as they progress through activities, so terminal efficiency is often low. This qualitative study with multiple case design studied the engagement, motivation and persistence of xMOOC participants through detailed voice analysis and in-depth description of participants' perspectives, to better understand the ways in which they participate in this educational modality. The findings revealed differences between the high, medium and low performance groups in the different dimensions of engagement and persistence, as well as similarities in the basic psychological needs of competence, autonomy and relationship. Although the sample was considered small, it was possible to make recommendations for specific actions regarding design, policy, practice, theory, and subsequent research in massive open online courses.