Grit and Self-Efficacy in Using E-Learning Among Postgraduates in Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

The emergence of the fourth industrial revolution sparked a need for changes in higher education institutions in term of teaching and learning. E-learning can attract learners into the learning environment with its myriad of benefits. Despite its abundance of benefits, learners seem to not fully utilize the e-learning portal and later tend to discontinue using it. This article aims to explore the relationship between grit, self-efficacy, and self-perceived performance among postgraduates using an e-learning portal. A total of 441 data inputs were collected from postgraduate learners via an online survey and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings indicate that grit displayed a positive significant impact on self-efficacy and students’ self-perceived performance and that self-efficacy positively affects self-perceived performance. Theoretical and practical contributions are presented and discussed. The limitations of the research are explained, and suggestions for future research are also elaborated.

Keywords:

• Grit
• self-efficacy
• self-perceived performance
• learners
• e-learning

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Devisakti A.

Devisakti A. obtained her PhD in Technology Management from Universiti Sains Malaysia. Her research interests focus on e-learning, open distance learning, adult learners, higher education, and also quantitative and qualitative research methods. Currently she serves at the National Higher Education Research Institute as a researcher under Commonwealth Tertiary Education Facility (CTEF). At CTEF, she works and engages with researchers across diverse subjects under the field of higher education which involves desk research, writing, and methodological designing, including survey and empirical research designs. She has also reviewed papers for Scopus and ISI journals.

Ramayah T.

Ramayah T. is currently a Professor at the School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia; Visiting Professor at King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and Adjunct Professor at Sunway University, Multimedia University and Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia. His articles have been published in international journals such as Computers in Human Behavior, Technovation, Information & Management, Electronic Markets, Journal of Business Economics and Management, and Information Systems Management. He also serves on the editorial boards and program committees of several international journals and conferences of repute. His areas of interest include technology management and also the use of quantitative methods in management research.