Effects of Different Types of Interaction on Learning Achievement, Satisfaction and Participation in Web-Based Instruction

TLDR

Collaborative interaction occurs when learners work together on a topic or share ideas to solve problems, while social interaction involves instructors promoting interpersonal encouragement or integration. The study aimed to examine how academic, collaborative, and social interactions affect learning achievement, satisfaction, participation, and attitudes in web-based instruction. Researchers defined academic interaction as learner–resource and task-oriented learner–instructor exchanges and compared the three interaction types within a web-based instruction environment. Results showed that the social interaction group outperformed others, the collaborative group reported the highest satisfaction, both collaborative and social groups posted more actively, and overall attitudes toward web learning improved, underscoring the importance of instructor-led social and peer collaborative interactions for enhancing learning and participation.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of three types of interaction (academic, collaborative and social interaction)on learning, satisfaction, participation and attitude towards online learning in a Web-based instruction (WBI)environment.Academic interaction includes interaction between learners and online resources as well as task-oriented interaction between learners and instructor. Collaborative interaction among learners becomes possible when a group of learners work collaboratively on a specific topic or share ideas and materials to solve a given problem. Social interaction between learners and instructors occurs when instructors adopt strategies to promote interpersonal encouragement or social integration. The results indicate that: the social interaction group outperformed the other groups; the collaborative interaction group expressed the highest level of satisfaction with their learning experience; the collaborative and social interaction groups participated more actively in posting their opinions than the academic interaction group; and Web-based learning experiences brought positive attitude changes with respect to the use of the Web in learning - regardless of the type of interaction. It is concluded that even for adult learners, social interaction with instructors and collaborative interaction with peer students are important in enhancing learning and active participation in online discussion.