VOLUME 5 ISSUE 3
Special Issue ICEL New York 2007

The Impact of Learner Characteristics on Learning Performance in Hybrid Courses among Japanese Students

Minoru Nakayama¹, Hiroh Yamamoto² and Rowena Santiago^3
1CRADLE, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
²School of General Education, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Japan
³Teaching Resource Center, California State University, San Bernardino, USA

To improve the management of hybrid courses, the relationship between learner characteristics and learning performance was analyzed in two regular university courses. Undergraduate and graduate students participated in two 15-week hybrid courses which consisted of face-to-face, and the corresponding modules with online test. Subjects included 36 freshmen and 48 graduate students. Learner characteristics, consisting of motivation, personality, thinking styles and learners’ impression of their e-learning experiences were measured at the beginning and end of the term. Additional data was collected from the number of days attended, the number of modules completed, test scores and final grades for the course. Final assessment grades for the class were also analyzed. There was no significant difference in learner characteristics between bachelor and master students, but there were some differences in conscientiousness scores between masters and bachelor students and between those who received a final grade of A and B. Scores on “learning strategy” as a factor to indicate learning experience were in favour of master students. Master students’ evaluation of their e-learning experience increased significantly throughout the course. Conscientiousness correlated positively with the number of e-learning modules completed by master students (r=0.35). Students with high grades evaluated their e-learning experience positively and had significantly higher conscientiousness scores than master students who received lower grades (p<0.05). For bachelor students, the number of modules completed correlates with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The causal analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique, and the result indicated that learner characteristics had an effect on learning experience and learning performance. These results suggest that understanding the benefits of e-learning and learner characteristics, as well as knowing how to learn with e-learning content could provide important key for promoting student success in online learning.

Keywords: learner characteristics, blended learning, learning practice, learning performance, path analysis

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