Gender, age, ethnicity, and interest in taking an online course.

Abstract

Since an increasing number of students will be utilizing the Internet to learn, it is important for educators to understand the nature of students who are taking these classes. Understanding students' motivations for utilizing the online learning format can help the instructor better prepare for the courses to be taught online. This paper seeks to explore the types of students who prefer to utilize the online learning format in order to help instructors understand the needs and wants of their online students.

Introduction

Distance education affords many learning opportunities for non-traditional students to pursue their educational goals by allowing convenient access to classes, reduced travel time, flexible schedules and a score of other amenities. Although distance education has been available for many years in various forms such as correspondence studies, radio, television, and videoconferencing, the influx of the Internet and other technologies is providing a means for a rapid growth of distance learning prospects. In fact, it is believed that the Internet is taking center stage today as the preferred format for distance learning courses (Sankaran & Sankaran, 2000). In a report published by the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of distance learning courses offered by higher educational institutions doubled between the 1994-1995 and the 1997-1998 academic years (http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000013.pdf).

Since an increasing number of students will be utilizing the Internet to learn, it is important for the educator to understand the nature of students that are taking these classes in order to better prepare for a variety of learning styles that will come together into the course settings. "The issue for educators is how to harness effectively the benefits of the Internet in order to provide students with a fulfilling educational experience" (Carswell, 2000). Understanding students' motivations for utilizing the online learning format can help the instructor better prepare for the courses to be taught online. Although a substantial amount of literature exists regarding the characteristics of students engaged in distance learning, there is little research investigating the relationships of gender, age, or ethnicity on the interest in taking an online course. Previously, attention has been focused on gender issues while concerns such as minority access to computers and the scheduling issues for older adult students beg for future investigation. Current literature asks questions as to the characteristics of students more apt to enroll and be successful in online courses, and it is these questions that will be address in this paper.

Review of Literature

As Internet usage becomes more widespread, it is not surprising that the versatility of this technology provides exceptional opportunities for students to learn anytime, anywhere (Sankaran & Sankaran, 2000). Several facets have been researched to attempt to determine which types of students make better distance learners. Three of those aspects that relate to this study are gender, age, and ethnicity and these will be discussed in this review of literature.

Gender

"Repeatedly, research has shown that females have more negative attitudes toward computing than males," (Proost, Elen, Lowyck, 1997) but the articles reviewed here provide evidence that times are changing and females are leading the way in taking advantage of distance education courses. As noted by Proost, et al, females preferred the traditional formats of educational courses while males showed a preference for distance learning. The researchers concluded that this difference could be attributed to the females' previous lack of experience with technology.

However, contradictory evidence was cited in several other studies, and females were noted to predominate distance education courses. Because many distance learners are balancing other responsibilities such as family and employment, students in distance education courses compare to those enrolled in community colleges. "More than 60% of these (community college) students are female, and 80% are employed" (Easterday, 1997). In a study conducted by Inman and Kerwin to assess student attitudes towards distance learning, 75% of the participants, all distance learners, were female. In another study, conducted by Diaz and Cartnal to examine learning styles between traditional and online courses, 59% of the distance group was female.

Age

Research conducted regarding age of students in distance learning courses appeared to lean towards the conclusion that students who prefer online learning are older than traditional university students. While the traditional college student was 18-22 years old 20 years ago, student profiles have changed and working professionals must often attend classes on evenings or weekends (Phillips and Peters, 1999). Online students tend to compare with traditional community college students who are older, employed, and find it difficult to access regular on-campus classes (Easterday, 1997). Most of these students have other demands such as family and jobs with which to contend.

In a study assessing student and instructor attitudes of online learning at the community college level, the average age of participants was 28.4 years old (Inman & Kerwin, 1999). Demographic data from a study conducted by Diaz and Carnal showed that the typical online learner was above 26 years of age, which mirrored the traditional, distance student profile (Diaz & Cartnal, 1999). However, some studies have concluded that age is not a factor for distance learning students. In a study assessing students' experiences with online learning, the demographics reported that the average age of traditional students and online students was close to the same, resulting in what the researchers felt was encouraging evidence that there is no age bias in Internet learning (Carswell, Thomas, & Petre, 2000). Even though the majority of the online students so far have been older and employed, some researchers believe that as distance learning becomes more mainstream, especially at the post-secondary level, the typical distance learner may become more equivalent to the younger, traditional student (Roblyer, 1999).

Ethnicity

Although research addressing ethnicity of distance learners was not substantive, reports indicated that ethnicity does influence students' performance in online classes. According to a study published by the NTIA, race or ethnic origin plays a factor in who has access to computers and the Internet, and the digital divide between whites and other minorities is still widening (http://www.ntia.doc.gov). Another study noted that in one week twice as many whites as African Americans had used the Internet (Roblyer, 1999). In a study assessing the attitudes of 334 online students, 98.8% of the sample was white (Inman & Kerwin, 1999).

Proficiency in the English language is also a determining factor in students' success in distance learning. Studies have shown that ESL students prefer face-to-face interaction in a class in order to receive contextual and non-verbal cues. It has also been pointed out that minority and ESL students possess fewer technical skills and lag behind the national average in personal computer ownership (Sankaran & Sankaran, 2000).

Methodology

A survey was administered at a small community college in the southeastern United States. The survey addressed students' use of technology at home and on campus and gave respondents an opportunity to specify their interests in taking distance learning classes. The information was taken from this survey to compare gender, age, and ethnicity to the students' interest in taking a course completely online. At the time of survey distribution, this school did not offer online courses, so surveys were distributed to students on campus to determine interest and need. Instructors were chosen at random to distribute the surveys, and they handed them to the students at the beginning of their classes, allowing ample completion time. The surveys were then returned to a central location on the campus for analysis. A total of 270 participants responded to the surveys, with a return rate of 90%. Based on information obtained from these surveys and the literature that was reviewed, the following hypotheses were formulated and the corresponding null hypotheses were tested:

* h1: There is a relationship between gender and interest in taking an online class. This hypothesis was grounded in information gathered that showed, at present time, there is a greater interest among the female gender in taking online courses. Many researchers found in their studies that the majority of the participants were female. However, other researchers felt that trend might be changing as online courses are more widely accepted into the mainstream of education. This hypothesis was tested to seek to determine if the trend for females' preference of online learning is continuing, if males prefer the online format more, or if there is no relationship between gender and desire to seek online learning.

* h2: There is a relationship between age and interest in taking an online class. Since age did seem to be a determining factor in the literature examined, it is important to determine what age groups prefer the online learning format. Learning styles vary as students' maturity levels change, and age of the students will play a large factor for instructors when designing online courses.

* h3: There is a relationship between ethnicity and interest in taking an online class. The literature has alluded to possibilities that minority students have more difficulties when taking online courses. As mentioned previously, this could be due to non-whites' lack of access to computers and the Internet, and foreign students needing face-to-face interaction to overcome limited proficiency in the English language. It will be extremely important, both to the instructor and to the minority online learner, for the instructor to understand the needs of these, as well as all students, in distance learning courses. If the findings of this study conclude that minority students do have an interest in online learning, then instructors can begin to prepare for the challenges that these students face and seek ways to help them overcome those challenges in the online environment.

Results

To test these hypotheses, a chi-square test was run, and the data was analyzed with the use of contingency tables. Results of these tests are discussed in the next section.

* h1: There is a relationship between gender and interest in taking an online class. A Pearson Chi-Square Test of Statistical Significance was performed with an alpha of .05. A crosstabulation analysis was used with a 2 x 2 contingency table, which allowed for one degree of freedom. This set the alpha critical level at 3.841. In this study, 62% of the respondents were female. From this total, 60% of the females desire to take an online course, as opposed to 40% who do not. From the males sampled, 55% want an online course, and 45% do not. A Pearson Chi-Square value of .556 was noted, which was clearly in the "fail to reject" range. The residuals were small at 2.9. With results showing that 60% of females and 55% of males have an interest in an online course combined with this information, the null hypothesis could not be rejected. Therefore, it can be assumed for this study that there is no difference between gender and interest and taking an online class. Based on information noted in the literature, however, these findings should not be over generalized, and this issue should be explored further.

* h2: There is a relationship between age and interest in taking an online class. The ages of the respondents were classified into five categories: below 25, 26- 29, 3039, 40-49, and above 49. A Pearson Chi-Square test was again performed with an alpha of .05. Using a 2 x 5 contingency table allowed for four degrees of freedom, which set the alpha critical at 9.488. In the below 25 age group, 51% of the respondents desire an online course while 49% do not. This shows an even distribution of desire for this age group. However, the other age groups provide a significant difference in their desire to take or not take an online course. In the 25-29 age group, 79% do and 21% do not want the online course; in the 30-39 age group, 86% do and 14% do not want the online course; in the 40-49 age group, 73% do and 27% do not want the online course; and in the above 49 age group, 67% do and 33% do not want the online course. A Chi-Square value observed at 18.472 supports these significant differences and shows a trend towards students over the age of 25 having an interest in online courses. This allows for rejection of the null hypothesis, and it can be assumed that there is a relationship between age and interest in taking an online class.

* h3: There is a relationship between ethnicity and interest in taking an online class. Four ethnic groups were observed to compare a relationship between ethnicity and interest in taking an online class. The four groups were broken down as follows: white--75% of respondents, African American--20% of respondents, Hispanic--3% of respondents, and other--3% of respondents. While the numbers of Hispanic and others are not significant statistically, they do serve to shed light on issues for an increasing population of African American and Hispanic students. Of the white respondents, 60% desired an online course; 50% of the African Americans showed interest; 63% of the Hispanics had an interest; and 71% of the "other" category showed interest in an online course. There was a strong degree of interest in each of the ethnic groups. Three degrees of freedom were observed in a 2 x 4 contingency table with an alpha critical value of 7.815. A Pearson Chi-Square value of 2.480 was observed which does not provide for rejection of the null hypothesis. Therefore, it can be assumed for this study that there is no relationship between ethnicity and interest in taking an online class.

Conclusion

Although this study concluded there is no difference between gender and interest in taking an online course, this is an area that needs to be explored further. Much of the literature has been conflicting concerning this issue, with research proving that females had negative attitudes towards computing and technology in the past, current research indicating that females are now dominating the distance learning market, and recent researchers believing that males and females will soon be equal in sharing the advantages of this mode of education. It will be noteworthy to follow this issue and watch for future trends between the genders. Research tends to favor the notion that older learners prefer distance learning, and this idea was supported by this study. Because older learners must juggle obligations such as family and jobs, classes that provide flexibility in juggling schedules will allow more students an opportunity to receive an education.

The relationship between ethnic groups and interest in distance learning should be explored further since the literature indicated that minorities might not have access to technology, which could cause some students to miss valuable educational opportunities. Studies have proven that there is a difference in learning styles, whether learning takes place in a traditional classroom or an online setting. Understanding who the learners are is conducive to the educational environment and will help the instructor organize courses in a way to provide the most effective learning environment for all students. These results indicate the importance of monitoring students' characteristics and watching closely for trends that could be changing as the education and technology societies that we know today merge even more to become the learning environments of tomorrow.

References

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The author is a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction at Valdosta State University and currently teaches technology and education courses at North Florida Community College.