Online Learning Engagement, Resistance, and Motivation: Scottish Rite Members and the Master Craftsman Online College and Leadership Academy

Abstract

This study examined how engagement, resistance, and motivation mediate the relationships between educational attainment, age, and course completion within the Master Craftsman Online College and Leadership Academy (MCOC), an educational platform offered by the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Recognizing the MCOC’s role in promoting lifelong learning in a civic and fraternal context, the research aimed to identify key factors contributing to online course completion among adult male learners. A quantitative survey design was used with a final sample of Scottish Rite members (N = 224) aged 18 and older. Participants completed validated measures of learning engagement, resistance, and motivation. The instrument combined the Learning Efficiency Inventory (LEI), and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Mediation analyses were conducted in SPSS and R to assess whether these constructs mediated the effects of educational attainment and age on course completion. Results indicated that motivation, but not engagement or resistance, indirectly mediated the relationship between educational attainment and course completion. Indirect significance was also indicated between age and motivation. These findings suggest that neither academic background nor age alone predicts success in non-traditional learning environments. Instead, motivation emerged as the most influential factor. Fraternal and civic educational programs should prioritize strategies that foster learner motivation to improve engagement and course completion outcomes.