The role of learners’ epistemic beliefs in an online Community of Inquiry

Abstract

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) model provides a lens to examine online learning through three elements: teaching presence (the design and facilitation of learning experiences), social presence (the extent to which learners project themselves as real people) and cognitive presence (the extent to which learners are able to construct meaning through inquiry and reflection activities). While research to date has established the importance of these essential presences in online learning environments, recent research on the CoI model calls for the need to explore the role of learner characteristics. The current study responded to the call by examining the role of learners’ epistemic beliefs (EB) (ie, individuals’ fundamental beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowing) in an online CoI. Multiple linear regressions analyses revealed that EB moderated the relationship between learners’ perceived teaching presence and cognitive presences. Future studies on CoI should take learners’ epistemic beliefs into consideration, especially in the case of low teaching presences. Theoretical and practical implications for designing and investigating online learning are discussed.

Community of Inquiry in Web Conferencing: Relationships between Cognitive Presence and Academic Achievements

“…Lee and Huang (2018) also reported that providing more interaction opportunities helped students develop higher social presence; however, there was no relationship between social presence and learning outcomes. In another study; a multiple linear regression analyses revealed moderate relationship between learners' perceived teaching presence and cognitive presences (Huang, Law & Lee, 2018).…”

Effects of community of inquiry, learning presence and mentor presence on K‐12 online learning outcomes

“…Somewhat surprisingly, given that teaching presence has been reported to positively predict perceived progress in online learning (Akyol & Garrison, 2014), we found that it had a negative effect on perceived progress. Huang et al (2018) found that students' epistemic beliefs moderated the relationship between perceived teaching presence and cognitive presence: with epistemologically more mature learners able to establish much higher standards of knowledge construction. We therefore would like to see further testing of such correlations in K‐12 online‐learning settings, as well as further research that takes account of the need to triangulate data when measuring students' learning progress by adopting both self‐rated measures and actual course grades.…”

“…Teaching presence, the first and most fundamental of the CoI framework's original three presences includes the design of learning content and learning activities, the facilitation of learning and directly content‐related instruction (Anderson et al, 2001; Garrison et al, 2010). Teaching presence has been identified as a significant predictor of self‐efficacy (Shea & Bidjerano, 2010), SRL strategy use (Akyol & Garrison, 2011a; Crippen & Earl, 2007; Ebner & Ehri, 2016), cognitive presence (Celentin, 2007; Garrison, 2007; Garrison et al, 2001; Huang et al, 2018; Meyer, 2004; Rockinson‐Szapkiw et al, 2016; Shea & Bidjerano, 2010, 2012) and learning outcomes such as satisfaction and perceived progress (Akyol & Garrison, 2008, 2014; Arbaugh, 2013; Garrison et al, 2010; Oliver et al, 2009; Rockinson‐Szapkiw et al, 2016). It also orchestrates social presence and cognitive presence in a manner that enables learners to generate learning outcomes that are meaningful (Anderson et al, 2001).…”

“…It has been found to positively predict self‐efficacy (Shea & Bidjerano, 2010; Wighting et al, 2013) by serving as a source of social persuasion (Shea & Bidjerano, 2010, p. 1724). Several studies also reported that it positively predicted cognitive presence (Huang et al, 2018; Shea & Bidjerano, 2008, 2010, 2012), and one, that it played a mediating role between teaching presence and cognitive presence (Garrison et al, 2010). Numerous examinations of social presence's relationship to affective and/or cognitive learning outcomes have found it to be positively correlated with both (Akyol & Garrison, 2008; Arbaugh, 2013; Cobb, 2011; Hawkins et al, 2013; Kang et al, 2014; Rockinson‐Szapkiw et al, 2016; Zhan & Mei, 2013).…”

Design and investigation of cooperative, scaffolded wiki learning activities in an online graduate-level course

“…To this end, Garrison et al (2000) advanced a Community of Inquiry (CoI) model, which delineates three key aspects of online learning: teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence. While the ultimate goal of online learning is to achieve a high cognitive presence, indicated by higher-order cognitive activities such as analysis and synthesis, successful achievement of a high cognitive presence relies heavily on optimal teaching and social presences (Arbaugh et al, 2008;Garrison, Cleveland-Innes, & Fung, 2010;Huang, Law, & Lee, 2018). As such, teaching presence, demonstrated in careful design and strategic facilitation of online learning, becomes essential.…”