Abstract
Abstract
Background
While laboratory practices have traditionally been conducted in-person, online asynchronous laboratory learning has been growing in popularity due to increased enrollments and the recent pandemic, creating opportunities for accessibility. In remote asynchronous learning environments, students have more autonomy to choose how they participate with other students in their laboratory classes. Communities of practice and self-efficacy may provide insights into why students are making their participation choices and how they are interacting with peers in asynchronous physics laboratory courses.
Results
In this mixed methods, explanatory sequential study, students in an introductory physics remote asynchronous laboratory (N = 272) were surveyed about their social learning perceptions and their physics laboratory self-efficacy. Three groups of students were identified based upon their self-reported participation level of communication with peers in asynchronous courses: (1) contributors, who communicated with peers via instant messaging software and posted comments; (2) lurkers, who read discussions on instant messaging software without posting comments; and (3) outsiders, who neither read nor posted comments to peer discussions. Analysis of variance with post hoc Tukey tests showed significant differences in social learning perceptions among contributors, lurkers, and outsiders, with a large effect size, and differences between contributing and lurking students’ self-efficacy, with a small effect size. Qualitative findings from open-ended survey responses indicated contributors felt the structure of the learning environment, or their feeling of connectedness with other students, facilitated their desire to contribute. Many lurkers felt they could get what they needed through vicarious learning, and many expressed their lack of confidence to post relevant, accurate comments. Outsiders felt they did not have to, did not want to, or could not connect with other students.
Conclusions
While the classroom laboratory traditionally requires all students to participate in the learning process through active socialization with other students, students in a remote asynchronous laboratory may still gain the benefits of participation through lurking. Instructors may consider lurking in an online or remote science laboratory as a legitimate form of participation and engagement.
Funder
Stony Brook University
National Science Foundation
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference125 articles.
1. Adams, A. M., Wilson, H., Money, J., Palmer-Conn, S., & Fearn, J. (2020). Student engagement with feedback and attainment: The role of academic self-efficacy. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 45(2), 317–329. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2019.1640184
2. American Association of Physics Teachers Committee on Laboratories. (2014). AAPT recommendations for the undergraduate physics laboratory curriculum. American Association of Physics Teachers. https://www.aapt.org/resources/upload/labguidlinesdocument_ebendorsed_nov10.pdf.
3. Amichai-Hamburger, Y., Gazit, T., Bar-Ilan, J., Perez, O., Aharony, N., Bronstein, J., & Dyne, T. S. (2016). Psychological factors behind the lack of participation in online discussions. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, 268–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.009
4. Ardichvili, A., Page, V., & Wentling, T. (2003). Motivation and barriers to participation in online knowledge–sharing communities of practice. Journal of Knowledge Management, 7(1), 64–77. https://doi.org/10.1108/13673270310463626
5. Arnold, N., & Paulus, T. (2010). Using a social networking site for experiential learning: Appropriating, lurking, modeling, and community building. The Internet and Higher Education, 13(4), 188–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.04.002