The Factors Predicting Students' Participation in Online English Courses

Purpose: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted face to face instruction, most of the educational institutions have been obliged to continue their education through distance education without examining the conditions necessary for effective online learning. The researcher who offered more than 100 class hours of English instruction realized that the students did not participate in online courses as much as expected. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the level of students' online learning readiness (OLR) and the factors predicting their participation in online English courses. Method: The study employed a correlational research design to discover the relationship between variables. The sample included 177 students selected from the Departments of Civil Aviation and Translation and Interpreting. Data were collected using a validated and reliable OLR scale. This instrument was conducted as an online form, which included an additional part to obtain information about some characteristics of the sample, which were used to examine relationships. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. Findings: The findings revealed that the students had an average level of OLR. The results of logistic regression analysis indicated that students' department type, previous experience in online courses, computer ownership, computer/internet self-efficacy (CIS) and motivation for learning (ML) influenced students' participation in online courses, while internet limit, self-directed learning (SDL), learner control (LC) and online communication self-efficacy (OCS) were not significant variables influencing their participation frequency. Implications for Research and Practice: Further research was suggested to examine the relationship between different predictors and the outcome variable. It was suggested to take actions to maximize students' participation for more learning gains. (C) 2021 Ani Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved