Investigating MOOC users’ persistence in completing MOOCs from network externalities and human motivation

Abstract

This study investigated how network externalities affect users’ persistence in completing massive online open courses (MOOCs) through the mediation of human motivation. A theoretical model was built utilizing network externalities and self-determined theory, and was validated with the responses from 346 students in a public university in China via partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that network externalities constituted essential social contexts that directly and indirectly impacted the development of learners’ self-determined motivation. Learners’ persistence in completing MOOCs was significantly predicted by learners’ competence, followed by relatedness, autonomy, and network benefit; network benefit, which was predicted by network size (direct network externalities) and perceived complementarity (indirect network externalities) also had greater indirect influence on learners’ persistence in completing MOOCs. As to gender differences, relatedness showed stronger influence on female learners’ persistence in completing MOOCs than males. Network benefit had stronger prediction on female learners’ perceived relatedness; but it exerted greater direct influence on male learners’ persistence in completing MOOCs.