본 연구는 웹기반 원격학습자의 학업성취도에 영향을 미치는 요인들과 그것의 영향력의 정도를 알아보고, 학습자의 제반 특성(성별, 학년별, 전공영역별)에 따라 이들 요인들이 어떠한 영향을 미치는지를 밝히는 데 그 목적이 있었다. 연구대상자는 웹 기반 원격교육 강좌를 수강한 수도권지역(서울․경기․인천) 대학생 360명이었으며, 선행연구 결과들을 기초로 7개 범주, 53개 문항으로 구성된 설문조사를 통해 이루어졌다.
본 연구를 통해 얻은 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 원격학습자의 수행에 영향을 미치는 요인은 도구/자원, 물리적 환경, 기술/지식, 인센티브, 내재적 능력, 조직 체제의 여섯 가지이며, 원격학습자의 학업성취도에 직접적으로 영향을 미치는 요인은 인센티브, 기술/지식, 내재적 능력으로 나타났다. 둘째, 남학생 원격학습자는 인센티브, 조직체제, 내재적 능력, 기술/지식 순으로, 여학생 원격학습자는 인센티브, 기술/지식, 도구/자원 순으로 나타났으며, 요인별 영향력의 정도도 차이가 있어 성별로 학업성취도에 영향을 미치는 요인에 차이가 있었다. 셋째, 1학년 원격학습자는 내재적 능력만, 2학년은 인센티브, 내재적 능력, 기술/지식이, 3학년은 인센티브와 기술/지식이, 4학년은 인센티브와 도구/자원, 물리적 환경 순으로 나타났으며, 요인별 영향력의 정도에 차이가 있어 학년별로 학업성취도에 영향을 미치는 요인이 달랐다. 넷째, 인문계열 원격학습자의 경우 인센티브, 기술/지식, 내재적 능력, 물리적 환경 순으로, 자연계열 원격학습자는 인센티브, 기술/지식, 내재적 능력 순으로 나타났으며, 요인별 영향력의 정도도 차이가 있어 전공계열별로도 학업성취도에 영향을 미치는 요인이 달랐다. 즉, 다양한 요인들이 원격학습자의 제반 특성(성별, 학년별, 전공영역별)에 따라 다양한 정도로 학업성취도에 영향을 미쳤다.
The purpose of this study were 1) to identify the factors and their influences affecting the academic achievements of Web-based distance learners, and 2) to figure out which factors identified were influencing to the learners' achievements depending on learners' characteristics(gender, grade, and speciality areas). Three-hundred sixty undergraduate students who took at least one Web-based distance course and that the university were located in Capital region(Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon metropolitan city) were surveyed. Based on the results of literature reviews, the questionnaire which consisted of seven categories, 53 items was developed.
The results were as follows: First, six factors influencing distance learners' performance were tools/resources, physical environments, skills/knowledge, incentives, inherent ability, and organizational systems. In addition, incentives(β = .499), skills/knowledge(β = .256), and inherent ability(β = .181) were directly affecting to the learners' academic achievements. Second, there were statistically significant differences between male distance learners[incentives(β = .427), organizational systems(β = .250), inherent ability(β = .212), and skills/knowledge(β = .192)] and female ones[incentives(β = .546), skills/knowledge(β = .326), and tools/resources(β = .211)] on the factors influencing their academic achievements. Third, there were statistically significant differences by grade[freshmen: inherent ability(β = .305); sophomore: incentives(β = .473), inherent ability(β = .260), and skills/knowledge(β = .232); junior: incentives(β = .510) and skills/knowledge(β = .372); senior: incentives(β = .638), tools/resources(β = .280), and physical environments(β = .264)] in terms of the factors influencing their academic achievements. Fourth, there were also statistically significant differences by speciality areas[humane studies division including humane studies, social studies, and education: incentives(β = .413), skills/knowledge(β = .245), inherent ability(β = .186), and physical environments(β = .185); natural science division including natural science, engineering, and medical studies: incentives(β = .491), skills/knowledge(β = .219), and inherent ability(β = .200)] in terms of the factors influencing their academic achievements. In conclusion, this study found that various factors were differently affecting to the undergraduate distance learners' academic achievements depending on the learners' characteristics(gender, grade, and speciality areas) and the degrees of the influences were also differed by the characteristics.