A systematic Review of Research on Intersubjectivity in Online Learning: Illuminating Opportunities for Cohesion and Mutual Understanding in the Research Conversation

Abstract

Many online learning experiences integrate some form of dialogic interaction among instructors and learners. However, the degree to which these individuals come to a mutual understanding of their task and topic, a phenomenon called intersubjectivity, often remains a question. This systematic review of online learning research examines 48 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2004 and 2021, looking at the overall trajectory of the research conversation across time, disciplines, modality and learning activities; major trends in methods, and focus; and interconnectedness. Findings suggest a dispersed body of literature, with some small groups of interconnected work but little cohesion or traction as a research field. This review has implications for future researchers in this area, who are encouraged to synthesize across this body of research and work together to establish and pursue an agenda for the field that will not only further inquiry in this area but also lead to practical knowledge about learning activity design and facilitation that is useful to online instructors.

Instructional Strategies for Engaging Online Learners

“…Finally, in the survey, instructors were only asked about indicators related to individual student actions rather than collaborative or interdependent ones. Active engagement through the posting is a baseline action needed to support discursive learning processes such as intersubjectivity, which remains somewhat elusive as a construct but is established when learners engage to develop mutual understanding (Dennen et al, 2023). Through interviews, instructors acknowledged the importance of peer engagement from a structural perspective but did not go so far as to delve into ideas like collaborative knowledge instruction.…”

Lasting Effects: What the Post Pandemic Return to In-person Teaching Tells Us About the State of e-Learning and its Future Trajectory

“…Calls for more post pandemic research into teachers and their practices is a common theme in these reviews. Gaps cited in these reviews call, for example, more research connected to teachers' professional development opportunities to teach in online spaces (Wright et al, 2023;Doo et al, 2023), to the roles teachers assume when it comes to developing successful course designs, measuring outcomes and dealing with discord (Ahlf and McNeil, 2023), research into teacher agency (Dennen, 2022), into teachers' practices in the areas of assessment (Heil and Ifenthaler, 2023), into their innovative practices in the use of technologies (Zhang et al, 2022) to promote intersubjectivity and engagement (Dennen et al, 2023).…”