A Comparison of the Predictability of Final Scores for Freshmen and Upper-Level Students in Blended Learning Courses

Abstract

This study investigates final scores predictability based on students’ longitudinally reported motivation belief and the use of learning strategies in blended learning (BL) courses for freshmen and upper-level students. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire was administered three times to measure students’ motivation belief and use of learning strategies (N=314) and collected 850 viable surveys. Firstly, an investigation of the dynamics of the factors involved with students’ motivational belief and use of learning strategies was completed. It was found that freshmen students’ motivation dropped until the mid-term and it increased again as the course progressed towards the end, whereas, upper-level students’ motivation continued to drop throughout the course. In terms of the predictability of final scores, at construct level, stepwise regression chose motivation as predictors of freshmen’s final score and strategy used as a predictor for upper-level students. The paper also discusses the implications of the study related to self-regulation learning theory, learning analytics, and instructional design.