Searching for predictors of presence, academic achievement and satisfaction in online adult education

Bibliographic Data

ID21538083
AuthorsStefan Hrastinski (0000-0002-9984-6561, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, corresponding author), Stefan Stenbom (0000-0002-8200-6021, KTH Royal Institute of Technology), Helena Colliander (0000-0001-8475-9572, Linköping University), Andreas Fejes (0000-0002-9916-8705, Linköping University)
Year2026
Volume253
Pages105705
Publication date2026-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueComputers & Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0360-1315 • E-ISSN: 1873-782X
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.compedu.2026.105705
OpenAlexW7166066842
LanguageEN
References cited40

Little attention has been paid to adults pursuing online education at the upper secondary level. The aim of this article is to identify and describe predictors of presence, academic achievement, and satisfaction in online upper secondary education for adults. The study is grounded in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, which is based on three types of presence: teaching presence (TP), social presence (SP), and cognitive presence (CP). A survey was administered to adults who had completed, or were close to completing, an online upper secondary-level course in Sweden, yielding 672 responses. An exploratory factor analysis showed that items from the CP and TP constructs related to peer interaction and teacher guidance loaded onto the SP construct instead. Accordingly, the factors were labeled as individual TP (iTP), extended SP (eSP), and individual CP (iCP) to describe how the CoI framework is manifested in this context, characterized by substantial individual study and varying opportunities for social interaction. Multiple regression models explained a substantial proportion of the variance in iTP (adjusted R 2 = .58), eSP (adjusted R 2 = .68), and satisfaction (adjusted R 2 = .53), a more moderate proportion in iCP (adjusted R 2 = .36) and only a small proportion for academic achievement (adjusted R 2 = .13). Academic achievement was primarily associated with iCP ( β = .38), whereas student satisfaction was primarily associated with iTP ( β = .58). Key predictors included course introductions related to studying and technology, tutoring, synchronous online teaching, and collaborative course design

Academic achievement · Exploratory factor analysis · Exploratory research · Higher education · Multilevel model · Regression analysis · Social cognitive theory · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods · Online and Blended Learning

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