Digital Immigrants’ Goal Structures in Online Learning

Abstract

Research Purpose Advances in digital technology have facilitated the widespread adoption of online learning, which has become a substantial way of learning. Although digital immigrants have become a main group of users of learning online, there is a lack of understanding of their online learning. This study aims to explore digital immigrants’ adoption of online learning from the goal-pursuit perspective to gain insight into how they use online learning.

Research Method A laddering interview was conducted with 22 Korean adults to elicit their goals in online learning. Then, a means–end chain analysis was used to derive their hierarchical goal structure.

Findings The results reveal digital immigrants’ goal structure of online learning, consisting of four attributes of online learning (e.g., accessibility, diversity, up-to-dateness, and repeatability) and six goals (e.g., self-esteem, enjoyment, recognition, productivity, gaining insights, and positive relations). This study contributes to the literature by providing a rich picture of their use of online learning.