Commonly, low completion rates in massive open online courses have called into question the quality of their learning materials and instruction. This paper attempts to identify crucial factors of engagement and retention in language massive open online courses (LMOOCs) in the context of the open online program of Icelandic Online, a self-guided course for second language learners of Icelandic. The study seeks to explore the impact of factors associated with the course’s instructional design on engagement and retention and reveal crucial determinants of attrition. The study depends on survey and tracking data from 400 learners and qualitative data from 62 informants in one course. It builds on previous studies on student engagement and retention in LMOOCs (Friðriksdóttir, 2018, 2019). The present study identified six content-specific factors that the majority of participants considered to be important for their motivation. Some factors, such as gradual and scaffolded presentation of input, had a positive impact on retention. Furthermore, statements from learners in the study who disengaged before completing show that non-course-related factors, such as time constraints, affect LMOOC retention. The study provides a new framework for how to promote student engagement and suggests specific strategies for other LMOOC developers.

中文翻译：

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LMOOCs中内容相关和外部因素对学生保留的影响

通常，大规模开放在线课程的低完成率已引起对其学习材料和教学质量的质疑。本文试图在冰岛语在线开放在线计划的背景下确定语言大规模开放在线课程 (LMOOCs) 的参与和保留的关键因素，该计划是针对冰岛语第二语言学习者的自学课程。该研究旨在探索与课程教学设计相关的因素对参与度和保留率的影响，并揭示减员的关键决定因素。该研究依赖于来自 400 名学习者的调查和跟踪数据以及来自一门课​​程中 62 名线人的定性数据。它建立在之前关于 LMOOC 中学生参与和保留的研究的基础上（Friðriksdóttir，2018 年，2019 年）。本研究确定了六个特定于内容的因素，大多数参与者认为这些因素对他们的动机很重要。一些因素，例如逐渐和支架式的输入呈现，对保留有积极影响。此外，研究中在完成前退出的学习者的陈述表明，与课程无关的因素，例如时间限制，会影响 LMOOC 的保留。该研究为如何促进学生参与提供了一个新框架，并为其他 LMOOC 开发者提出了具体策略。例如时间限制，影响 LMOOC 的留存率。该研究为如何促进学生参与提供了一个新框架，并为其他 LMOOC 开发者提出了具体策略。例如时间限制，影响 LMOOC 的留存率。该研究为如何促进学生参与提供了一个新框架，并为其他 LMOOC 开发者提出了具体策略。