Abstract
As more female and first generation college students (FGN) embrace higher-education – business in particular, and also as online learning gains more traction there is a need to explore the factors that drive the academic success of these learners. Online learners, female students and FGN all share a common bond, i.e. reduced social support. This study examines whether reduced social support – caused by technical (Internet/Online), cultural (females) and social (FGN) factors could have a parallel dampening, or other, influence on the impact of learning processes on learning outcomes for these students. The study relies on the 3P model of student learning to integrate diverse theories which substantiate reduced social support for these demographics, such as Media Richness for online learners, Stereotypes for females, and Social and Cultural Capital theories for FGN students. Data were collected from students enrolled in various business courses in a Midwestern University and analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling approach.
Recommended Citation
Bansal, Gaurav, "Social Support (or lack thereof) and Internal Drive: Factors that Connect Online Learners, Females, and First Generation College Students" (2014). MWAIS 2014 Proceedings. 20.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/mwais2014/20