Three interaction patterns on asynchronous online discussion behaviours: A methodological comparison

Abstract

An asynchronous online discussion (AOD) is one format of instructional methods that facilitate student-centered learning. In the wealth of AOD research, this study evaluated how students' behavior on AOD influences their academic outcomes. This case study compared the differential analytic methods including web log mining, social network analysis and content analysis which were selected by three interaction patterns: person to system (P2S), person to person (P2P) and person to content (P2C) interaction. Forty-three undergraduate students participated in an online discussion forum for 12 weeks. Multiple regression analyses with the predictor variables from P2S, P2P and P2C and with a criterion variable of a final grade indicated several interesting findings. For P2S analysis, visits on board (VOB) had a significant variable to predict final grades. Also, the result of P2P analysis proved that in-degree and out-degree centrality predicted final grades. The P2C results based on cognitive presence represent that students' messages were mostly affiliated to the exploration and integration levels and also predicted the final grades. This study ultimately demonstrated the effectiveness of using multiple analytic methodologies to address and facilitate students' participation at AOD.

It is about timing: Network prestige in asynchronous online discussions

“…Second, the multifaceted depiction of varied prestige has provided a rich picture of the participation gap that merits further investigation. Earlier research has found social participation in online forums predictive of learning performance (Jo et al, 2017;Joksimović, Gašević, Kovanović, Riecke, & Hatala, 2015;Russo & Koesten, 2005) and low-performing students more likely to connect with similarly low-performing peers (Dawson, 2010;Hu & Zhao, 2016). This study provides detailed depiction of the participation gap.…”

“…Studies of learner participation in online discussions have benefited from multiple methodologies (Jo et al, 2017). A wide range of methodological approaches, such as Social Network Analysis, Content Analysis, and Regression Analysis, have been applied to studying student participation and its contributing factors.…”

“…For instance, both social network visualizations and indices are widely adopted to depict and/or to measure social participation (Chen, Chang, Ouyang, & Zhou, 2018;Wise & Cui, 2018). Measures of discussion behaviors-both writing and reading-are derived from system log files to describe learner participation and to predict learning performance (Jo et al, 2017;. Content analysis is also widely used to assess the quality of post content (e.g., Chen, Chang, Ouyang, & Zhou, 2018;.…”

“…Many pedagogical strategies have been proposed to mitigate these challenges, such as engaging students to take different roles (Wise & Chiu, 2011), incorporating different questioning strategies (Wang, 2005), and scaffolding students' socio-metacognitive skills (Borge & White, 2016). Studies probing the efficacy of online discussions found participation intensity predictive of learning performance (Jo et al, 2017;Joksimović, Gašević, Kovanović, Riecke, & Hatala, 2015;Russo & Koesten, 2005), pointing towards the potential benefits of scaffolding learner participation in online discussions.…”

“…Social interaction in asynchronous online discussions has attracted substantial research attention, leading to empirical findings that have theoretical, pedagogical, and technological implications. Prior research of asynchronous online discussions has studied the instructor's role (Mazzolini & Maddison, 2007), peer facilitation strategies (Chan, Hew, & Cheung, 2009), technological design of discussion environments (Guzdial & Turns, 2000;Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2003), interaction patterns (Dringus & Ellis, 2010;Jo, Park, & Lee, 2017;Wise & Chiu, 2011), and community structures (So, 2009;Wise & Cui, 2018), leading to various strategies for facilitating effective asynchronous online discussions.…”