Adult learners’ social connectedness and online participation: the importance of online interaction quality

ABSTRACT

Online interaction has been associated with positive outcomes, academically and psychologically. Regarding the latter, social connectedness has been recognised as an important outcome on the basis of its link to subjective well-being and course satisfaction. In adult educational settings, how online interaction can foster social connectedness has not been widely examined. The study investigates how (1) adult learners’ online participation operationalised as discussion contribution, collaborative facilitation, and social interaction, and (2) their perceived online interaction quality are related to their feeling of social connectedness. The role of online interaction quality related to the three types of online participation and social connectedness is also examined. A questionnaire was developed to collect data from adult learner participants in Belgium (N?=?170). Multiple regressions and mediation analysis were conducted. The result shows that collaborative facilitation and online interaction quality significantly contribute to adult learners’ perceptions of social connectedness. Furthermore, the finding reveals that online interaction quality fully mediates the relationship between discussion contribution, social interaction, and social connectedness. Thus, the implications for research and instructional design are discussed.     

Evaluation of the Meaning of Life Program in Israel

During the 2009–2010 academic year, 10 schools participated in the Meaning of Life educational program, an adaption of the popular U.S. Laws of Life program. The program sought to encourage each participant to develop a personal approach to finding meaning in life. To evaluate the success of the program, we conducted a study to compare measures of psychological health among participants in the program. We administered questionnaires to participants pre- and postintervention that dealt with the following topics: Meaning in Life, Perceived Hope, Self-Efficacy, Virtues and Values Enacted, and School Climate. We conducted an analysis on a sample of 256 Jewish children (91 boys, 165 girls) and 396 Arab children (155 boys, 241 girls) in 8 schools. Results yielded convergent and construct validity among the 5 measures. Differential results were found among the different schools in both Jewish and Arab samples. From this data we discuss implications for future research.     

Integration and Innovation Incorporating Blended Learning into ELT

I‘d like to begin this morning by drawing your attention tothe four main goals or priorities of IATEFL China.IATEFLChina‘s mission statement--as printed on the front of yourconference program-focuses on: Learning Adapting Communicating Creating     

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