Understanding the determinants of learner engagement in MOOCs: An adaptive structuration perspective

As an innovative educational paradigm, the massive open online course (MOOC) has received extensive attention from both academia and industry. Extant literature has made much effort to investigate the technological supports of MOOCs but how learners understand and master these technologies is still...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computers and education Vol. 157; p. 103963
Main Authors: Sun, Yongqiang, Guo, Yanping, Zhao, Yiming
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2020
Subjects:
Adaptive structuration theory
Consensus of appropriation
Learner engagement
MOOC
Consensus of appropriation
MOOC
Learner engagement
Adaptive structuration theory
ISSN:0360-1315, 1873-782X
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:As an innovative educational paradigm, the massive open online course (MOOC) has received extensive attention from both academia and industry. Extant literature has made much effort to investigate the technological supports of MOOCs but how learners understand and master these technologies is still unclear. Moreover, given the collaborative features (e.g. discussion forum and peer assessment) of MOOCs, it is vital to ascertain the mechanism through which group learners reach a consensus on the technology usage and thereby engage in MOOCs. To advance this line of research, the study proposes a theoretical model leveraging adaptive structuration theory. Specifically, we identify three contextualized factors (i.e., collaborative spirit, task interdependence, and social interaction ties) as the antecedents of consensus of appropriation. Through an online survey recruiting 374 Chinese University MOOC learners, this study demonstrates that collaborative spirit, task interdependence and social interaction ties are positively related to consensus of appropriation, which will facilitate commitment and learner engagement. In addition, commitment is also confirmed to enhance learner engagement. Implications and limitations are further discussed. •Viewing learner engagement in MOOCs from an adaptive structuration perspective.•Consensus of appropriation plays an important role in MOOCs.•Identifying three contextualized features related to consensus of appropriation.
ISSN:0360-1315
1873-782X
DOI:10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103963