Online learning has been growing rapidly in recent years providing increased opportunities for tertiary institutes to reach out to learners who previously may have had limited access to a traditional university. Although students frequently use information technologies in their daily life online learning requires considerably more competencies than basic computer skills. Many students are unsuccessful in their learning without face-to-face contact and collaboration with lecturers and peers. They can feel isolated and doubt their ability to succeed in the online course. To increase online learner success support is needed especially to improve learner self-efficacy. Very few studies have focused on student self-efficacy in an online learning environment and especially those conducted in an authentic setting. Learner control is thought to facilitate students in online learning but the relationship between learner control and learner self-efficacy is still unclear. Therefore this study intends to examine this relationship using an embedded-correlational mixed method design to answer the research question what is the relationship between learner control and online learning self-efficacy? The quantitative approach was used to find the correlations among learner control online learning self-efficacy and related variables such as age gender prior online experience and computer skills. An online Learning Self-efficacy Scale (OLSES) was constructed and validated with an internal consistency of 0.895. Open-ended questions were added to the questionnaire to gain a greater level of insight of online learning experience in relation to self-efficacy and learner control. Seventy-five students in a four year teaching online programme at a New Zealand tertiary institute participated in the online survey. Data analyses revealed that the relationship between learner control and online learning self-efficacy was confirmed r = .526 p < .01. Age and gender had no effect on the relationship while prior online experience computer skills for social and academic purposes did. The multiple linear regression showed that learner control and computer skills for academic purpose are good predictors of online learning self-efficacy. Analyses of the qualitative data not only confirmed the quantitative findings but also provided insight into the nature of self-efficacy and importance of feedback in the online setting. As a result of this study the embedded framework for successful line learners (SUCCESS) was developed and is recommended as a set of guidelines for online learning developers.

The objective of this study was: to experiment the activity using the (P) SPC2PAS model for Business Administration Undergraduates in Rajamangala university of Technology Phra Nakhon in (1) a comparison of achievement test of post-scores with pre-test scores of the first phase; (2) a comparison of post-test scores with pre-test scores of the second phase; (3) the result of the activity’s self-reflection of knowledge attitude and performance of learners; and (4) learners’ attitude towards an (P) SPC 2 PAS model. The research procedure was comprised of two phases. In Phase 1 there was the adjusted (P) SPC2PAS Model which was applied to use with Business Administration Undergraduates in Business Finance at Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon. In Phase 2 there was the experimentation of (P) SPC2PAS Model with Business Administration Undergraduates in Business Finance at Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon. The experimental group was the forty first-year financial undergraduates in the 2nd Semester of Academic Year 2010. The research instruments were: the business finance achievement test the self-reflective learning checklist and the attitude questionnaire analyzed by percentage mean standard deviation and the t-test. The result of the study showed that: (1) the mean scores of the sample group in the first phase of business finance comprehension’s post-test was significantly higher than of the pre-test at the statistical level of 0.05; (2) the mean scores of the sample group in the second phase of business finance comprehension’s post-test was significantly higher than of the pre-test at the statistical level of 0.05; (3) The learners’ spiral-learning development of the all activities’ self-reflection of knowledge attitude and performance of learners was 100 percentage; and (4) learners’ attitude towards using (P) SPC2PAS Model of Business Finance for Business Administration Undergraduates at Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon in the areas of the activity model teacher’s role instrument and learning evaluation was in mean scores at good to very good level-positive attitude.