Abstract:

This study investigates how highly successful distance education students leverage technology to achieve and maintain academic excellence. Drawing from the Uses and Gratifications Expectancy (UGE) framework, which combines Uses and Gratifications Theory with Expectancy-Value Theory, the research examines the complex interplay between students' technology utilisation patterns and their academic achievement. Through an explanatory mixed-methods design, the study analysed data from 260 final-year distance education students from Makerere University Kampala, Uganda, complemented by in-depth interviews with 30 high-achieving participants. Findings reveal that successful students exhibit sophisticated patterns of technology engagement characterised by strategic content curation, multi-modal learning approaches, and adaptive resource utilisation. The study identifies five key dimensions of technology-mediated success: cognitive gratification optimisation, affective need fulfilment, personal integrative development, social presence cultivation, and entertainment-learning balance. Results indicate that high achievers demonstrate what we term "strategic technology orchestration," the ability to align technological tools and resources with specific learning objectives while maintaining strong outcome expectations. The research contributes to our understanding of success factors in distance education by illuminating how students' active technology choices and gratification-seeking behaviours interact with their expectancy-value assessments to support academic achievement. These insights have significant implications for distance education practice, suggesting specific approaches for technology integration and student support that can foster academic success.

Keywords:

Distance education, academic achievement, Uses and Gratifications Expectancy, technology integration, student success, online learning.