Self regulation and sense of community in online learning. An analysis of reciprocal interactions

Self regulation and sense of community in online learning. An analysis of reciprocal interactions Barbara Girani De Marco, University of Milano Bicocca, Italy; Ottavia Albanese, universita milano Bicocca, Italy; Stefano Cacciamani, University of Valle d'Aosta, Italy; Giulia Balboni, University of Valle d'Aosta, Italy; Nicoletta Businaro, University of Milano Bicocca, Italy; Stefano Castelli, University of Milano Bicocca, Italy; Alessandra Coscarelli, University of Turin, Italy; Eleonora Farina, University of Milano Bicocca, Italy; Vittore Perrucci, University of Valle d'Aosta, Italy; Luca Vanin, University of Milano Bicocca, Italy; Giovanna Conenna, University of Milano Bicocca, Italy The development of a sense of community in an online course could increase the level of satisfaction and the academic success (Rovai e Wighting, 2005). Contemporaneously, the participation in a virtual community promotes self-regulation and the reflection on knowledge, motivating the e-learner to assume an active role (Rovai, 2002). In our research we analyze the relationship between the two variables. We hypothesized that more self-regulated students are facilitated to develop an early sense of community. At the same time the early development of the sense of community can offer the optimal conditions for the application in the online courses: that will allow students to enrich their SRL competencies. We asked university e-learners to fill in the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich et Al, 1993; Italian version by Bordin et Al, 2009) at the very beginning and at the end of the course. A week after the beginning of the course we asked the students to fill in the sense of community in online course scale, developed by Perrucci, Balboni, Cacciamani, (2008). A preliminary sample was composed by 29 e-learners. We analyze correlations between the two variables. Results show an association between early sense of community and incoming SRL, this association increase at the end of the course. The results lead us to verify more in depth the existence of a circular relation between the two constructs with and enlarged sample. Theoretical framework The relevance and the variety that distance learning is assuming today, requires a notable effort to plan activities that promote in the students the activation of self-regulative, motivational and relational processes, in order to use effectively the instruments and the contents offered (Albanese, De Marco, Fiorilli, 2008; Perrucci, Cacciamani, Balboni, 2007).The research on the success of the on-line activity meant as an active knowledge building has brought to light the crucial role of two interconnected factors: the self-regulative components of learning and the sense of community among the participants in the lowering of the risk of drop out of the courses, (Rovai, 2002). The theoretical construct of self-regulation is described by Zimmerman (2008) as a group of pro-active self-directive processes and beliefs about self that are used by the student to acquire competences in order to improve personal academic results and to reach fixed goals. Therefore, to evaluate the individual level of self-regulation in learning, it is necessary to consider its multiple components: cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, behavioural and environmental. The concept of "sense of community" is defined, by McMillan and Chavis (1986), as the sense of belonging and hard interdependence of a person within a group, in terms of the perception of being part of a very reliable and stable group, and in terms of being available to offer and to do for the other members whatever one expects from them, and the expectation of seeing one's needs satisfied thanks to the mutual commitment.The online learning at the university is a significant context to study both the sense of community and SRL. Various investigations have revealed that the development of a sense of community in an online course could increase the level of satisfaction and the academic success and could reduce the drop-out (e.g. Rovai e Wighting, 2005). Contemporaneously, the participation in a virtual community promotes an activation of epistemic processes that promote the self-regulation and the reflection on knowledge, enhancing the e-learner's motivation to assume an active role (Rovai, 2002; Albanese, De Marco, Fiorilli, 2008). Aims and hypotheses Although the literature shows that blended courses adopting a collaborative and/or co-constructive approach promote the development of self-regulative abilities, assuring at the same time the development and the preservation of an adequate sense of community (Bruckman, 1998), the interrelation between the two variables has not yet been considered and analyzed in depth. In our research we want to identify the relationship between the two variables. We hypothesized that more self-regulated students are facilitated to develop an early sense of community. At the same time the early development of the sense of community can offer the optimal conditions for the application in the online courses: that will allow students to enrich their SRL competencies even more. Method and data analyses Participants of our research are university students who attend e-learning courses at Milano Bicocca University. All the courses we take into account in our research are based on collaborative learning or collaborative knowledge building models. A preliminary sample was composed by 29 e-learners. At the beginning and at the end of the online course students were asked to fill in the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ; Pintrich, Smith, Garcia e McKeachie, 1993; Italian version developed by Bordin, Bastianelli e Fluperi, 2009). The questionnaire analyses two different components: the motivational and the strategic one. The motivational scale involves three components (value, expectancy and affect) and the strategic scale involves two components (cognitive and metacognitive strategies and resource management strategies). Each component involves one or more indexes. A week after the beginning of the course we asked the students to fill in another questionnaire, the "Scala del Senso di Comunità nei corsi online" (The sense of community in online course scale), developed by Perrucci, Balboni, Cacciamani, (2008; Perrucci, Cacciamani, Coscarelli, Balboni, 2009) on the model of McMillan e Chavis (1986). Assessing the sense of community after just a week of activity allow us to assess the early sense of community. We correlated the early sense of community general index with all MSLQ components at the beginning and at the and of the course (non parametric correlation index, Spearman's Rho). Results Our preliminary data show significant correlations between three SRL competencies and early sense of communty: 1) value (r=.60, pResults show an association between early sense of community and incoming SRL competencies. This association increased at the end of the course. The results lead us to verify more in depth the existence of a circular relation between the two constructs (SRL and the sense of community). Our sample will be enriched by 90 or more questionnaires in few months; structural equation models will be used to analyse the new sample to identify causal relations between the two constructs. Conclusion Our sample do not allow us to make causal inference from data, but our results suggest the necessity to develop among students inner self regulation competencies and to support the development of the sense of community since the beginning of the course. If further analyses confirm preliminary results, we could suggest the necessity to plan specific activities to allow students to understand the importance of collaboration and sense of community development. The promotion of the sense of community in fact could allow them to get more benefits from the course, not only about discipline's contents, like literature has already showed, but also on transversal competencies like SRL.