| Factor 1. Independent learning style |
|
| 18―I prefer to work by myself on assignments in my courses. | 0.645 |
| 22―I learn a lot of the content in my classes on my own. | 0.591 |
| 23―I feel very confident about my ability to learn on my own. | 0.600 |
| 27―I prefer to work on class projects and assignments by myself. | 0.613 |
| 28―When I do not understand something, I first try to figure it out for myself. | 0.601 |
| Factor 2. External locus of control |
|
| 13―If I study hard enough, I can succeed any exam. | 0.631 |
| 14―A person is responsible for her/his own actions, good or bad. | 0.686 |
| 16―A person can change his/her personality and behaviour patterns. | 0.603 |
| Factor 3. Believe in the advantage and value of DL |
|
| 02―I prefer the AOU because I have not enough time to spend in the regular university classes. | 0.746 |
| 4―Flexibility is the main advantage of the study in AOU. | 0.664 |
| 29―I really believe in the value of distance learning. | 0.580 |
| Factor 4. Doubt in the advantage and value of DL |
|
| 30―I feel confident using the computer. | −0.700 |
| 34―I do not appreciate the value of distance learning. | 0.550 |
| 36―I believe I am a good user of the computer. | 0.731 |
| 70―I intend to leave the AOU. | 0.609 |
| Factor 5. sharing skills |
|
| 24―I like to develop my own ideas about course content. | 0.749 |
| 25―I have my own ideas about how classes should be run. | 0.596 |
| Factor 6. Writing skills |
|
| 33―I find difficulty in expressing myself in writing. | −0.809 |
| 41―It is easy for me to communicate through writing. | 0.823 |
| Factor 7. Internal Locus of control |
|
| 6―Heredity determines most of a person's personality. | 0.693 |
| 08―Intelligence is a given and cannot be trained. | 0.598 |
| 11―Bad or good luck can really follow you around. | 0.572 |
| Factor 8. Reading skills |
|
| 31―I enjoy reading books and magazines. | 0.823 |
| 35―In general, I do not like reading. | −0.638 |
| Factor 9. Self-confidence |
|
| 10―If you set realistic goals, you can succeed no matter what. | 0.662 |
| 20―My ideas about the content often are as good as those in the textbook. | 0.703 |
| Factor 10. Socio-economic effect |
|
| 09―School success is mostly a result of one's socio-economic background. | 0.750 |
| Factor 11. Cost effect |
|
| 05―I prefer AOU because of its low fees. | 0.764 |
| Factor 12. Last resort |
|
| 03―The AOU is the only access to finish my university study. | 0.750 |
| Factor 13. Believe in chance |
|
| 07―Chance has nothing to do with being successful. | 0.845 |