REVISITING SELF-REGULATION SKILLS AND DISTANCE LEARNERS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, NIGERIA - PLANNING IMPLICATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE STUDY

Q: What problem does the study address in distance learning?

It addresses how distance learners’ self-regulation affects their ability to balance competing responsibilities and sustain academic progress, which can influence academic performance.

Q: How was the study conducted?

The study used a descriptive ex-post facto design, with simple random sampling of 1,500 participants and purposive selection of the University of Ibadan’s Distance Learning Centre. Data were collected via a questionnaire during the 2009 contact session.

Q: What were the key findings about self-regulation and academic performance?

Students’ self-regulation skills and academic performance were positively and significantly correlated, indicating that stronger self-regulation is associated with better academic outcomes.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw

Learning in distance education is highly personal and places greater responsibility on students, who often juggle home demands, social commitments, and religious obligations alongside coursework. When learners lack self-regulation, balancing these competing roles can undermine academic progress and performance. The study examines the causal relationship between distance learners’ self-regulation skills and academic performance at the University of Ibadan using an ex-post facto design and questionnaire data from the 2009 contact session.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Constraints of Conventional Higher Education

Emergence of Distance Learning (ODL)

Distance Learning Outcomes and Challenges

Enrolment Figures at the Distance Learning Centre

REVISITInG SELf-REGULATIOn SKILLS AnD DISTAnCE LEARnERS’ACADEmIC PERfORmAnCE AT THE UnIVERSITY Of IBADAn, nIGERIA: PLAnnInG ImPLICATIOnS fOR EffECTIVE STUDY By Maruff Akinwale Oladejo ABSTRACT Learning is more personal and the responsibility rests more squarelyon the shoulders of students in distance learning systems.Also, many distance learners have several other equally important commitments such as home demands, social engagements, and religious obligations that compete with their academic work. Balancing these responsibilities with academic pursuit in such away that one does not affect the other may become problematic for the students, especially those who are not self-regulated. This may subsequently impact student academic performance. In view of this scenario, it is expected that distance learners will have good self-regulation skills in order to perform better in their academic endeavours. This study sought to discern a causal explanation of distance learners’ academic performance vis-àvis their self-regulation skills. The study utilized a descriptive,‘ex-post facto’ research design. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 1,500 participants while the University of Ibadan’s Distance Learning Centre was purposively selected. Data were collected through a questionnaire during the 2009 contact session. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested at the 0.05 level of significance. Pearson correlation, regression analysis, and t-tests were employed for data analysis. Students’ selfregulation skills and academic performance are positively and significantly correlated. (R2=016;P<0. 5) . The study however, revealed no significant difference in students’ self-regulations skills on a gender basis. The need for students to have good self-regulationskills and monitor their academic progress was recommended. InTRODUCTIOn Until recently, the primary mode of educational delivery of most African Universities has beenthe conventional system that is, residential or on-campus teaching. Unfortunately, due to limited financial, human, and physical resources, conventional methods of providing higher education have not been able to admit the large number of people seeking University education. The conventional system is hindered by two major constraints. One is spatial, whereby education takes place within classrooms. This constraint limits access to higher education due to inadequate physical facilities. The other constraint is temporal, in which education is confined to the earlier period of one’s life, specifically from 6-25 years of age. This constraint precludes adults from attending school at a later stage in their lives. Oladejo (2010) however remarked that in the modern era of continuing and lifelong education, there emerged a new class of learners, mostly adult workers who had previously missed out on conventional, formal education probably because they could not afford to enroll on a full-time basis due to their work schedule, family responsibilities, religious obligations, social activities, and business commitments. Many adult workers also have children to feed, clothe, and send to school (Dlamini, 1998) . Working adult learners need to coordinate these different areas of their lives– family, jobs, sparetime, and studies – which also influence one other. Nevertheless, education according to these working adults does not terminate at the end of formal schooling, but rather, it is a lifelong, and sometimes episodic process, which covers the entire life span of an individual. Contemporary learners need a system that will not only help transcend the shortcomings of the formal, conventional education system but also satisfy the learners’ immediate and long-term educational needs. Distance education, now globally known as Open and Distance Learning (ODL) by the International Conference on Distance Education (ICDE), provides an answer to the needs of working adult learners (Aderinoye, 2002; Ojokheta, 2000; Olad

FAQs

What problem does the study address in distance learning?

It addresses how distance learners’ self-regulation affects their ability to balance competing responsibilities and sustain academic progress, which can influence academic performance.

How was the study conducted?

The study used a descriptive ex-post facto design, with simple random sampling of 1,500 participants and purposive selection of the University of Ibadan’s Distance Learning Centre. Data were collected via a questionnaire during the 2009 contact session.

What were the key findings about self-regulation and academic performance?

Students’ self-regulation skills and academic performance were positively and significantly correlated, indicating that stronger self-regulation is associated with better academic outcomes.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw