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Social interaction in adult distance education
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore and analyze remote off-campus students' perceptions of social interaction in an adult distance graduate class delivered by satellite. In the development of a qualitative case study, seven students were interviewed in the spring of 1992 at two different remote sites. Additional data were obtained through multiple observations of the remote and on-site classroom environments and by an interview with the instructor. The data analysis strategy was guided by the concepts of program participation, learning, social integration and academic integration that emerged from the literature review. There were three phases of interpretative analysis. In phase one the data were analyzed following Strauss and Corbins (1990) procedures for open coding. After categories were collapsed and cases compared exploratory variables emerged under the categories of program participation, learning, social integration, and academic integration. In the second phase of analysis the data were reexamined across cases looking at both the initial and collapsed categories. A broader theme, the informalization of the classroom environment, was proposed through exploratory variables that identified a different classroom atmosphere at the remote sites as a function of the instructor's absence. In the third and final phase of analysis the data were again reexamined across the exploratory variables and themes identified in phase one and two. An underlying theme of "trade-offs" emerged. It reflected an aspect of this method of education, with face-to-face interaction being the "pawn" in the trade. The framework of trade-offs was used as a tool in the organization of the working hypotheses surrounding social interaction and in the development of a conceptual model. The study has identified and contributed to an understanding of adult students' perceptions of the cost/benefits associated with social interaction at the remote classroom site, between sites, and with the on-campus instructor in a satellite delivered class. It has also highlighted methods to reduce the costs associated with social interaction experienced by remote site students. Implications for Kembers (1989) dropout model and policy makers completed the discussion.
Subject Area
Adult education|Continuing education|Educational software|Educational sociology
Recommended Citation
Burkhart-Kriesel, Cheryl A, "Social interaction in adult distance education" (1992). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9314394.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9314394