Browsing by Subject "Learning experience"

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Exploring the construct of teacher self-disclosure and its connection to situational interest, intended effort, and the learning experience in a foreign language learning context
(2014-05) Sanders, Anke Julia; Schallert, Diane L.
Educators are commonly concerned about how to trigger students' interest in the classroom, as well as how to create a learning experience in which students are engaged and motivated to invest effort and time. Similarly, researchers have explored these variables and aimed to establish a better understanding of how students' interest is developed. Yet, less attention has been paid to teacher self-disclosure as a factor in students' learning experiences and interest development. Although teacher self-disclosure has commonly been addressed in connection with the teacher-student relationship it has not been linked to interest development. Therefore, with the goal of exploring the construct of teacher self-disclosure, this study explored associations and interactions of perceptions of teacher self-disclosure and of students' individual and situational interest in a language learning context. In addition, students' ratings of the learning experience and intended effort were added to investigate associations between these student variables and their perceptions of teacher self-disclosure and interest. Data were collected in language classes of 16 different instructors. In total, 185 students participated in the qualitative part of the study, Phase 1, by filling out surveys at the beginning and end of the semester. For the main analysis, correlation and regression analyses were used in order to explore the relations between students' perceptions of teacher self-disclosure and initial individual interest, situational interest, the learning experience, and intended effort. Further, a total of nine instructors and eight students participated in the qualitative part, Phase 2, by agreeing to be observed and interviewed. Here, the focus was on describing and assessing the use of teacher self-disclosure in language classes. Results indicated that teachers were rated as varying in their self-disclosure, but that self-disclosure did not account for much of the variance in students' situational interest. Qualitative results showed that students perceived teacher self-disclosure to be an important communication strategy and one of the influential variables an instructor can bring into the learning experience. Overall, this study makes a contribution to understanding the complexity and interactions of student and teacher variables that are crucial to establish a functioning student-teacher relationship and subsequently healthy learning experience.
Inclusive learning with assistant chatbot in massive open online courses : examining students’ perceptions, utilizations, and expectations
(2024-05) Han, Songhee; Liu, Min, Ed. D.; Min Kyung Lee; Grace MyHyun Kim; Xiaofen Hamilton
This study examines students’ learning experiences with an assistant chatbot in professional development MOOCs designed for journalists. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, it focuses on the students’ learning experience’s sub-domains, such as social presence, teaching and cognitive presence, self-regulation, ease of use, and behavioral intention. Employing the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study first assesses the impact of demographics like age, gender, region, and native language on these learning experiences. The study revealed that age and gender had no significant influence on learning experiences, while geo-cultural regions showed variations, particularly in social presence and, teaching and cognitive presence. Socioeconomic regions demonstrated more notable differences, especially between lower-middle and high-income areas. However, the native language did not significantly influence learning experiences. Second, structural equation modeling (SEM) validated several hypothesized relationships, highlighting the positive impact of self-regulation on various other learning domains. Interestingly, teaching and cognitive presence did not significantly influence behavioral intention, nor was there a significant relationship between behavioral intention and use time. Age and socioeconomic region factors were identified as full moderators, while gender was a partial moderator from multigroup SEM results. Third, an extensive analysis of student interactions with the chatbot was conducted using various data sources. This analysis revealed eight key topics of chatbot interactions and showed predominantly neutral sentiments in the chatbot text logs. However, survey and interview data indicated a generally positive perception of the chatbot, especially noting its operational effectiveness and ease of use. Sentiments varied across socioeconomic regions, with more positive feedback from lower-income regions, while those from higher-income regions had higher expectations. The study also observed differences in navigational patterns between chatbot users and non-users in the course. Chatbot users exhibited more diverse navigations, indicating deeper engagement with course materials and a higher completion rate. In contrast, non-users followed a more structured progression, mainly relying on the predefined course path. Finally, the study highlighted students’ expectations for the chatbot, emphasizing the need for improvements in response accuracy, diversity, and additional capabilities like multi-language support. The findings emphasize the role of demographic variables in shaping student interactions with chatbots in MOOCs and suggest that modifying chatbot responses for inclusiveness could be key in meeting diverse student needs. The implications include that adhering to Universal Design for Learning principles, empowered by current advancements in AI-based chatbot technology, and informed by the CoI and TAM, could better address the diverse needs in MOOCs, especially in chatbot-enhanced learning environments.