Research Summary for Russell (2025). Exploring Online Students' Multiple Goals, Academic and Beyond.

This is the Participant Research Summary from Lily Russell's (2025) dissertation study, Exploring Online Students' Multiple Goals, Academic and Beyond. This summary was shared with study participants in December 2024 and with other key stakeholders throughout spring 2025.

Research Summary Abstract: This study explored the multiple goals of online students who are working professionals and/or caregivers. The analysis revealed that participants held multiple goals spanning various domains, including academic, professional, financial, health and wellness, family, social, location-related, and self-improvement goals. Participants described their goals as interconnected, with both facilitative and conflicting relationships. They also emphasized the dynamic nature of their goals, noting changes over time, and the hierarchical relationships between goals, describing how they prioritize goals based on dimensions like urgency, importance, and feasibility. Finally, participants' strategies for working towards their goals, such as self-regulatory strategies, maintaining health and engaging self-care, and utilizing social support networks, are discussed.