Identifying Learners’ Interaction Patterns in an Online Learning Community

Abstract

The interactions among all members of an online learning community significantly impact collaborative reflection (co-reflection). Although the relationship between learners’ roles and co-reflection levels has been explored by previous researchers, it remains unclear when and with whom learners at different co-reflection levels tend to interact. This study adopted multiple methods to examine the interaction patterns of diverse roles among learners with different co-reflection levels based on 11,912 posts. First, the deep learning technique was applied to assess learners’ co-reflection levels. Then, a social network analysis (SNA) was conducted to identify the emergent roles of learners. Furthermore, a lag sequence analysis (LSA) was employed to reveal the interaction patterns of the emergent roles among learners with different co-reflection levels. The results showed that most learners in an online learning community reached an upper-middle co-reflection level while playing an inactive role in the co-reflection process. Moreover, higher-level learners were superior in dialog with various roles and were more involved in self-rethinking during the co-reflection process. In particular, they habitually began communication with peers and then with the teacher. Based on these findings, some implications for facilitating online co-reflection from the perspective of roles is also discussed.

Exploring the role of learner characteristics in learners' learning environment preferences

“…learning guidance, instructor presence, learning support) (Kang and Im, 2013); learner-learner interaction (Luo et al. , 2019; Wu et al. , 2022); learning management system (e.g.…”

“…Examples of these variables include attitude toward technology use (Lee and Choi, 2017); self-efficacy (Han et al, 2021;Heckel and Ringeisen, 2019); motivation (Ferrer et al, 2022;Yang and Pu, 2022); learning anxiety (Zhao, 2022); learner-instructor interaction (e.g. learning guidance, instructor presence, learning support) (Kang and Im, 2013); learner-learner interaction (Luo et al, 2019;Wu et al, 2022); learning management system (e.g. system quality, system features) (Sahin and Yurdugul, 2022;Thongsri et al, 2019); physical and social aspects of physical environment (Ng, 2021); and self-directed learning (Adinda and Mohib, 2020).…”

Formative Evaluation of Digital Learning Materials

“…Learning does not only utilize information sourced from books, but from various sources in the form of digital learning materials through elearning. Through e-learning students learn comfortably by communicating with each other on-line (Avando Bastari et al, 2021;Carvalho et al, 2020;X. .…”

A Data-Driven Optimized Mechanism for Improving Online Collaborative Learning: Taking Cognitive Load into Account

“…However, it also encounters an increased number of challenges. Compared with traditional collaboration, the virtual and changeful online environment obstructs contiguous interaction [ 5 , 6 ]. Additionally, a lack of direct guidance and communication increases the complexity of online collaboration.…”