Examination of online group discussions in terms of intrinsic motivation, social presence, and perceived learning

Abstract

This experimental study within the scope of Anadolu University Open Education Faculty in Turkey aims to examine the effect of online group discussion techniques. In this context, the online group discussion technique, which is applied by dividing the learners into manageable groups in online learning environments, has been examined within the scope of intrinsic motivation, social presence, and perceived learning variables. Sequential explanatory mixed method design was used to conduct this study. The online group discussion process was applied in the study’s experimental group by dividing the learners into manageable groups. In this process, a field expert accompanied each group. In the control group, the discussion process was left to its natural state, and all learners who took the relevant course were included in a single group. Before and after the experimental process, data were collected from 250 learners through the study scales, and then five learners were interviewed. The findings obtained within the study’s scope show that the design to be applied in the online group discussion technique used in online learning environments is important in increasing the efficiency to be obtained from the process. In this context, it has been observed that to manage online learning processes effectively, attention should be paid to the fact that the groups must be less than 150 learners to not show mass features. Online group discussions in groups that do not show mass features positively affected the learners’ intrinsic motivation, social presence, and perceived learning levels. However, acting in line with the principles of social constructivism theory and the community of inquiry theory in learning processes has increased the discussions’ efficiency. Besides, it has been observed that the increase in the social presence and intrinsic motivation of the learners positively affects their perceived learning levels.

Interventions for the Development of Intrinsic Motivation in University Online Education: Systematic Review—Enhancing the 4th Sustainable Development Goal

“…Thus, we consider that a correct design of group discussion techniques is essential to encourage student interactions and make them productive. To this end, one study [30] shows that discussions in the course online forum should have less than 150 students to be effective since this avoids "mass features". Therefore, a basis can be found in self-determination theory that supports the importance of the basic psychological need for relatedness where students feel connected to each other [17].…”

“…Since they are in themselves online programs, so digital tool is present. Thus, some use interactive elements such as quizzes (some of them with badges), multimedia applications and videos, collaborative platforms, mobile applications, gamification, and augmented reality-supported educational escape activity [29,31,[35][36][37][39][40][41][42][43]45]; other interventions are based on encouraging discussion forums or peer feedback mechanisms, or use Chatbot [15,30,38]; other studies have explored more thoroughly the role of the teacher who is committed to giving special importance to teacher support and flexibility, and emphasize the importance of communication and a professional appearance on the part of the instructor [28,44]; other research gives importance to the use of personalized learning activities [34].…”

“…With respect to the results of the studies, it can be seen how most of them find that IM has been fostered after the interventions. Studies have concluded that interventions that have been based on encouraging mobile use [29,39,45], cooperation and communication [28,30,31] using online forums, personalized learning [34], integrating certain educational tools [35,38,42] such as quizzes [36,41,43] and in which the teacher supports the students [44] in a meaningful way, have been valuable in fostering IM. On the other hand, strategies such as educational escape rooms based on augmented reality or badges do not seem helpful in encouraging IM [37,40].…”

“…Finally, as a consequence, numerous studies can be found that work on interventions for the development of IM in university education and specifically in online education [28][29][30][31].…”

Problems of Student Communication in Online Learning

“…In continuation of this topic, N. Kilinc and K. Buyuk draw attention to the fact that increasing the efficiency of communication processes in the context of digitalization of education can be achieved by reducing the number of students in groups, overcoming the "mass character" in the course of training. Researchers conclude that the "presence effect" has a positive effect on learning satisfaction (Kilinc, Buyuk, 2022). Therefore, according to experts, preference should be given to such pedagogical forms, in which the personal aspect is paid more attention than the technological one (Davidovitch, Yossel-Eisenbach, 2019).…”