Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Teachers College Educational ...

Designing Instruction for Affect: The Need for Feelings of Belonging
in Distance Education
Sara Behani Zaker,
University of Southern California, University of Southern California, Los Angels, CA
Email: sbzaker@gmail.com
The widespread implementation of distance education (DE) programs has changed the face of k-12 and
higher education. The number of students enrolled in DE programs has increased an average of 35%
annually since 2002 (Allen & Seaman, 2006). However, overall student attrition in distance education is
also reported to be higher than in traditional face-to-face programs (Kreijns, Kirschner & Jochems, 2003).
A lack of motivation to persist in online programs has become a significant concern for administrators
(Clark, 2003). Unfortunately, there is a profound lack of research focusing on motivation in distance and
web-based programs (Chen & Jang, 2010; Jones & Issroff, 2005). According to Chen and Jang (2010),
this may be a result of the cognitive and instruction-based past of distance education. In their review,
Miltiadou and Savenye (2003) discuss the importance of studying motivation with online education
programs in order to better ensure achievement and persistence. Attending to the affective and sociocultural
aspects of DE allows for a holistic view of the field. Furthermore, examining the socio-emotional
factors that influence academic success may shed light on the concerns in the field such as high student
attrition rates (Chen & Jang, 2010).
The construct of belonging is a highly relevant socio-affective factor with regard to motivation. Within
academic contexts, feelings of belonging and a sense of community are associated with positive
emotions such as happiness, satisfaction, and tranquility (Osterman, 2000). For many students a sense
of belonging to the campus community is essential for academic success (Osterman, 2000). Students
that lack feelings of school belonging may develop problems with motivation, social interactions, and
achievement. According to Tinto (1993), in the context of higher education, there is a positive correlation
between students’ degree completion and their feeling of involvement in higher education. Conversely,
feelings of incongruence or isolation within an academic setting increase the likelihood of student attrition.
Study Design & Results
The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a difference in the affect of belonging across
methods of instructional delivery. This study specifically examines an online and an oncampus Masters
of Social Work program at a top tier research university in a large urban city. This study sought to answer
the following research questions: 1) Is there a difference in student sense of belonging between
oncampus and online program delivery contexts?; 2) Does involvement in out-of-class networking
activities predict student feelings of belonging?
Participants in this study were asked to complete a self-report to determine feelings of belonging to the
campus community and program in which they are enrolled. In order to determine whether there is a
difference in feelings of belonging to the campus community across program delivery methods an
Oneway ANOVA was conducted. The independent variable of program delivery method was compared
across three groups: students enrolled at the university’s main campus (n=129), a satellite campus
(n=66), and the online version of the program (n=292). Due to unequal sample sizes across groups, a
Scheffe post-hoc was performed. Significant pair-wise differences were found between groups in face-toface
and online program delivery methods. A linear regression was performed to determine whether
student involvement in the oncampus program predicts students’ feelings of belonging. Student
involvement in the oncampus program is defined as frequency of out-of-class peer interactions. Results
were found to be significant with a 9.5% rate of prediction.
Implications of these results are great for the field of educational technology. Currently, instructional
methodologies used in online courses mirror those applied in face-to-face contexts. This approach may
be detrimental to students enrolled in online programs, as affective needs are often not considered in the
development of course design. As educational methodology and program delivery evolves so must
relevant instructional design processes.
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