Date

11-13-2025

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Advanced Educational Studies (PhD)

Chair

JoAnna Oster

Keywords

Online Learning, Motivation, Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation, Online Learning, Growth Mindset, Distance Learning, Self-Determination Theory

Disciplines

Education | Online and Distance Education

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to understand the perceptions of how motivation influences success in online courses for students at a rural high school in the North Georgia. The theory guiding this study was motivation theory, including growth mindset theory, self-determination theory, and adult learning theory. The central research question for this study is, “What are high school students’ perceptions of the influence of motivation on success in an online course?” This study utilized a case study approach in a rural high school in Northeast Georgia to qualitatively analyze data. Data was collected through a letter-writing exercise, personal interviews, and observations. The data gathered was coded and emerging themes were identified. Four students participated in the online learning course for one class, four who are at least half-time, and two who were fully online shared their perspectives on how their motivation to participate in these online courses affect their success in these courses. The hope of this paper was to help school officials and online course creators understand student motivation better to create online courses that are more beneficial for students. The study found that there were a few major motivations that helped drive students to be successful. These motivations were autonomy and self-regulation, course design and structure, relevance and meaningfulness, instructional methods and engagement, and support and interaction. These themes helped shed light on the why that the participating students held to take online courses and what they felt helped them stay motivated in their courses.

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