ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
Learning persistence is recognized as a quality that positively influences academic achievement. The object of this study is to provide a complete overview of learning persistence, identify and examine hotspots and trends in the literature, and summarize the current state of research on student learning persistence for future research. This study used the PRISMA framework, VOSviewer and SCI Mago to conduct a bibliometric analysis to summarize research on student learning persistence from 2015-2025.Web of Science is one of the most authoritative academic citation databases in the world, covering academic literature in all scientific fields. A keyword search was utilized to obtain 431 publications. The results of the study documented the distribution of papers with information on learning persistence over the last 10 years and presented relevant journals, influential authors, relevant countries, research institutions and key themes. The study also contributes to the existing body of knowledge on learning persistence and provides future trends and insights.
Andrade, M. S., Miller, R. M., McArthur, D., & Ogden, M. (2020). The Impact of Learning on Student Persistence in Higher Education. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 24(2), 152102512091557. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025120915576
Carroll, J. B. (1963). A Model of School Learning. Teachers College Record, 64(8), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146816306400801 (Original work published 1963)
Carroll, J. B. (1985). The model of school learning: Progress of an idea. In C. W. Fisher, & D. C. Berliner,Perspectives on instructional time (pp. 29±58). New York: Longman.
Ci?ma?u, I.-D., Cibu, B. R., Cotfas, L.-A., & Delcea, C. (2025). The Persistence Puzzle: Bibliometric Insights into Dropout in MOOCs. Sustainability, 17(7), 2952. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17072952
Eblen-Zayas, M., Burson, K. M., & McDermott, D. (2022). Course Modifications to Promote Student Mental Health and Move toward Universal Design for Learning. The Physics Teacher, 60(8), 628–631. https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0051626
Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, L. (2012). Do Better Schools Lead to More growth? Cognitive skills, Economic outcomes, and Causation. Journal of Economic Growth, 17(4), 267–321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10887-012-9081-x
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. International Review of Education, 57(1-2), 219–221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-011-9198-8
Heckman, J. J. (2006). Skill Formation and the Economics of Investing in Disadvantaged Children. Science, 312(5782), 1900–1902. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1128898
Her, P., & Thompson, M. N. (2021). Examining the Persistence Intentions of College Students of Color. Journal of Career Assessment, 30(1), 106907272110103. https://doi.org/10.1177/10690727211010382
Huerta-Manzanilla, E., Ohland, M., & Long, R. (2020). The Impact of Social Integration on Engineering Students’ Persistence, Longitudinal, Interinstitutional Database Analysis. Papers on Engineering Education Repository (American Society for Engineering Education), 23.1211.1–23.1211.16. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--22596
Jung, Y., & Lee, J. (2018). Learning Engagement and Persistence in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS). Computers & Education, 122(122), 9–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.02.013
Kra¨mer, T., Momeni, F., Mayr, P., 2017. Coverage of Author Identiffers in Web of Science and Scopus. arXiv preprint arXiv:1703.01319. https://doi.org/10.48550/ arXiv.1703.01319.
Kurulgan, M. (2024). A Bibliometric analysis of research on dropout in open and distance learning . Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 25(4), 200–229. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.1355394
Mongeon, P., Paul-Hus, A. The journal coverage of Web of Science and Scopus: a comparative analysis. Scientometrics 106, 213–228 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1765-5
Nordhus, G. E. M., NaNongkhai, P., & Hofseth Almås, S. (2022). Self-efficacy beliefs among baccalaureate nursing students – A cross-sectional, comparative study. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1515/ijnes-2021-0157
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., & McGuinness, L. A. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.03.001
Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research (Vol. 2). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc.
Pelikan, E. R., Korlat, S., Reiter, J., Holzer, J., Mayerhofer, M., Schober, B., Spiel, C., Hamzallari, O., Uka, A., Chen, J., Välimäki, M., Puhari?, Z., Anusionwu, K. E., Okocha, A. N., Zabrodskaja, A., Salmela-Aro, K., Käser, U., Schultze-Krumbholz, A., Wachs, S., & Friðriksson, F. (2021). Distance learning in higher education during COVID-19: The role of basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation for persistence and procrastination–a multi-country study. PLOS ONE, 16(10), e0257346. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257346
Qayyum, A., Zipf, S., Gungor, R., & Dillon, J. M. (2018). Financial aid and student persistence in online education in the United States. Distance Education, 40(1), 20–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2018.1553561
Russell, M. B., Head, L. S.-W., Wolfe-Enslow, K., Holland, J., & Zimmerman, N. (2022). The COVID-19 Effect: How Student Financial Well-Being, Needs Satisfaction, and College Persistence Has Changed. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 26(4), 152102512211337. https://doi.org/10.1177/15210251221133767
Tang, D., Fan, W., Zou, Y., George, R. A., Arbona, C., & Olvera, N. E. (2021). Self-efficacy and achievement emotions as mediators between learning climate and learning persistence in college calculus: A sequential mediation analysis. Learning and Individual Differences, 92, 102094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.102094
Tang, X., Wang, M.-T., Parada, F., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2020). Putting the Goal Back into Grit: Academic Goal Commitment, Grit, and Academic Achievement. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50(50), 470–484. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01348-1
Tinto, V. (2023). Reflections: Rethinking Engagement and Student Persistence. Student Success, 14(2), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.3016
Van Rooij, E. C. M., Jansen, E. P. W. A., & van de Grift, W. J. C. M. (2018). First-year university students’ academic success: the importance of academic adjustment. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 33(4), 749–767. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-017-0347-8
Vanthournout, G., Gijbels, D., Coertjens, L., Donche, V., & Van Petegem, P. (2012). Students’ Persistence and Academic Success in a First-Year Professional Bachelor Program: The Influence of Students’ Learning Strategies and Academic Motivation. Education Research International, 2012(2012), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/152747
Wu, J. R., Kundu, M., Iwanaga, K., Chan, F., Chen, X., Rumrill, P., & Wehman, P. (2022). Social Cognitive Career Theory Predictors of Goal Persistence in African American College Students With Disabilities. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 67(2), 003435522211084. https://doi.org/10.1177/00343552221108407
Wu, X., Liu, H., Xiao, L., & Yao, M. (2024). Reciprocal Relationship Between Learning Interest and Learning Persistence: Roles of Strategies for Self-Regulated Learning Behaviors and Academic Performance. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-024-01994-9
You, J. W. (2018). Testing the three-way interaction effect of academic stress, academic self-efficacy, and task value on persistence in learning among Korean college students. Higher Education, 76(5), 921–935. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0255-0
Yu, J., Huang, C., Han, Z., He, T., & Li, M. (2020). Investigating the Influence of Interaction on Learning Persistence in Online Settings: Moderation or Mediation of Academic Emotions? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7), 2320. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072320
Yu, J., Huang, C., Wang, X., & Tu, Y. (2020). Exploring the Relationships Among Interaction, Emotional Engagement and Learning Persistence in Online Learning Environments. 2020 International Symposium on Educational Technology (ISET). https://doi.org/10.1109/iset49818.2020.00070
Zupic, I., & ?ater, T. (2014). Bibliometric Methods in Management and Organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429-472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629 (Original work published 2015)
Haiyan, L., & Ashari, Z. M. (2025). Learning Persistence Mapping: A Bibliometric Analysis (2015-2025). International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 14(3), 538–553.
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode