What do the numbers say? The influence of motivation and peer feedback on students' behaviour in online discussions

Students' non-posting behaviour in online discussions is often neglected in educational research. However, it can be a potential indicator of student learning. This study examined the relationships between motivation, peer feedback and students' posting and non-posting behaviours in online discussions in a distance learning class. Fifty-seven college students participated in collaborative learning activities through online discussions. Their posting and non-posting behavioural data were tracked automatically in the discussion system. Results show that students spent a significant amount of time participating in non-posting activities. Motivation and peer feedback predicted both posting and non-posting behaviours in online discussions. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic Content analysis has been widely accepted as a common approach for analysing student interaction in online discussions, but this analytical method has limitations., Students' behaviour in online discussions including both posting and non-posting behaviour. However, non-posting behaviour is often neglected in investigating student online learning., Students' motivation and peer feedback have been proven as critical factors that influence students' behaviour in online discussions. However, most empirical studies documented the significant effects of motivation and peer feedback only on posting behaviour., What this paper adds This study provides empirical evidence that the numeric data collected from an online system can be used as an important data source for analysing students' posting and non-posting behaviour in online discussions., This study provides empirical evidence that demonstrates the significance of non-posting behaviour in online discussions., This study provides empirical evidence that demonstrates the significant effects of motivation on both posting and non-posting behaviour in online discussions., Implications for practice and/or policy System designers should consider adding system features to capture both posting and non-posting behaviour and mirror them back to teachers and students., Teachers should design interventions to promote students' feeling of self-competence and autonomy in online discussions., Teachers should encourage peer feedback and peer evaluation in online learning activities., System designers may incorporate peer evaluation mechanism (eg., peer rating) in online learning systems to enable an additional channel for peer feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[1]  Jim Hewitt.  Toward an Understanding of How Threads Die in Asynchronous Computer Conferences , 2005 .

[2]  Luc G. Pelletier,et al.  Why do high school students lack motivation in the classroom? Toward an understanding of academic amotivation and the role of social support , 2006 .

[3]  Teresa K. Debacker,et al.  Extending the Traditional Classroom Through Online Discussion: The Role of Student Motivation , 2006 .

[4]  Thomas V Chacko,et al.  Improving competencies through peer feedback in primary care settings , 2006, Medical education.

[5]  Teresa M. Amabile,et al.  Effects of externally imposed deadlines on subsequent intrinsic motivation. , 1976 .

[6]  James Daniel Lehman,et al.  Peer Feedback in a Large Undergraduate Blended Course: Perceptions of Value and Learning , 2010 .

[7]  Hans Spada,et al.  Barriers, Biases and Opportunities of Communication and Cooperation with Computers: Introduction and Overview , 2005 .

[8]  Khe Foon Hew,et al.  Attracting student participation in asynchronous online discussions: A case study of peer facilitation , 2008, Comput. Educ..

[9]  Khe Foon Hew,et al.  Toward an Understanding of Why Students Contribute in Asynchronous Online Discussions , 2008 .

[10]  James Laffey,et al.  Exploring the relationships between students' academic motivation and social ability in online learning environments , 2006, Internet High. Educ..

[11]  Vanessa Paz Dennen,et al.  Pedagogical lurking: Student engagement in non-posting discussion behavior , 2008, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[12]  Alejandra Martínez-Monés,et al.  From Mirroring to Guiding: A Review of State of the Art Technology for Supporting Collaborative Learning , 2005, Int. J. Artif. Intell. Educ..

[13]  E. Deci,et al.  Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. , 2000, The American psychologist.

[14]  D. Garrison,et al.  Methodological Issues in the Content Analysis of Computer Conference Transcripts , 2007 .

[15]  Xun Ge,et al.  Prompting in Web-Based Environments: Supporting Self-Monitoring and Problem Solving Skills in College Students , 2008 .

[16]  Fengfeng Ke,et al.  The role of students' motivation in peer-moderated asynchronous online discussions , 2011, Br. J. Educ. Technol..

[17]  Daniel Solomon,et al.  Caring school communities , 1997 .

[18]  F. Paas,et al.  Effects of elicited reflections combined with tutor or peer feedback on self-regulated learning and learning outcomes , 2007 .

[19]  Vance A. Durrington,et al.  Relationship between Students' Motivation and their Participation in Asynchronous Online Discussions , 2011 .

[20]  D. Schunk.  SELF-EFFICACY FOR READING AND WRITING: INFLUENCE OF MODELING, GOAL SETTING, AND SELF-EVALUATION , 2003 .

[21]  Carol Sansone,et al.  Rewarding pinball wizardry: Effects of evaluation and cue value on intrinsic interest , 1984 .

[22]  Amelia M. Lee,et al.  Relationships Among Dispositional Ability Conceptions, Intrinsic Motivation, Perceived Competence, Experience, Persistence, and Performance , 2005 .

[23]  Helmut Fritsch.  Host Contacted, Waiting for Reply. , 1997 .

[24]  Vanessa Paz Dennen,et al.  Looking for evidence of learning: Assessment and analysis methods for online discourse , 2008, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[25]  M. Boekaerts,et al.  Being Concerned With Well-Being and With Learning , 1993 .

[26]  N. Reese-Durham,et al.  Peer Evaluation as an Active Learning Technique , 2005 .

[27]  Sanna Järvelä,et al.  Understanding the dynamics of motivation in socially shared learning , 2008 .

[28]  Tammy Schellens,et al.  Content analysis schemes to analyze transcripts of online asynchronous discussion groups: A review , 2006, Comput. Educ..

[29]  Amy C. Bradshaw,et al.  Using Question Prompts to Support Ill-Structured Problem Solving in Online Peer Collaborations , 2008 .

[30]  Paul R. Pintrich,et al.  THE ROLE OF SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS INSTUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND LEARNING INTHECLASSROOM , 2003 .

[31]  Patricia L. Hardré,et al.  Production and data management issues for digital questionnaire administration , 2005 .

[32]  Robin Mason.  Computer conferencing: a contribution to self‐directed learning , 1988 .

[33]  Fengfeng Ke,et al.  Toward deep learning for adult students in online courses , 2009, Internet High. Educ..

[34]  C. Tu,et al.  The Relationship of Social Presence and Interaction in Online Classes , 2002 .

[35]  Annemarie S. Palincsar,et al.  Motivating Project-Based Learning: Sustaining the Doing, Supporting the Learning , 1991 .

[36]  Beryl C. McEwen,et al.  Effective Online Instructional and Assessment Strategies , 2007 .

[37]  Carolyn Penstein Rosé,et al.  Analyzing collaborative learning processes automatically: Exploiting the advances of computational linguistics in computer-supported collaborative learning , 2008, Int. J. Comput. Support. Collab. Learn..

[38]  M. Lombard,et al.  Content Analysis in Mass Communication: Assessment and Reporting of Intercoder Reliability , 2002 .

[39]  S. Hanrahan,et al.  Assessing Self- and Peer-assessment: The students' views , 2001 .

[40]  Avner Caspi,et al.  Social presence in online discussion groups: testing three conceptions and their relations to perceived learning , 2008 .

[41]  R. Vallerand,et al.  On the causal effects of perceived competence on intrinsic motivation: A test of cognitive evaluation theory. , 1984 .

[42]  Michael F. Beaudoin.  Learning or lurking?: Tracking the "invisible" online student , 2002, Internet High. Educ..

[43]  Hyungshim Jang.  Supporting Students' Motivation, Engagement, and Learning During an Uninteresting Activity , 2008 .

[44]  K. Topping.  Peer Assessment Between Students in Colleges and Universities , 1998 .