Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Education

Advisor

Gladys Arome

Abstract

Enrollment in full-time, virtual, K-12 schools is increasing while mathematics performance in these institutions is lacking compared to national averages. Scholarly literature lacks research studies using learning analytics to better predict student outcomes via student learning management system (LMS) interactions, specifically in the low performing area of middle school mathematics. The theoretical framework for this study was a combination of Hrastinski's theory of online learning as online participation and Moore's 3 types of interactions model of online student behavior. The purpose of this study was to address the current research gap in the full-time, K-12 eLearning field and determine whether 2 types of student LMS interactions could predict mathematics course performance. The research questions were developed to determine whether student clicks navigating course content page(s) or the number of times a student accessed resources predicted student performance in a full-time, virtual, mathematics course after student demographic variables were controlled for. This quantitative study used archived data from 238 seventh grade Math 7B students enrolled from January 8th-10th to May 22nd-25th in two Midwestern, virtual, K-12 schools. Hierarchical regressions were used to test the 2 research questions. Student clicks navigating the course content pages were found to predict student performance after the effects of student demographic covariates were controlled for. Similarly, the number of times a student accessed resources also predicted student performance. The findings from this study can be used to advise actionable changes in student support, build informative student activity dashboards, and predict student outcomes for a more insightful, data-driven, learning experience in the future.

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