Factors Affecting Online Group Work Interest: A Multilevel Analysis

• In Event: Roundtable Session 24
  In Roundtable Session: Beyond Technology Integration: What Other Variables Matter?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the personal and contextual factors that may affect students’ online groupwork interest. Using the data obtained from graduate students in an online course, both student- and group-level predictors for online groupwork interest were analyzed within the framework of hierarchical linear modeling analysis. The findings show that most of the variance in the outcome variable of online groupwork interest was at the student level, with online groupwork interest being positively associated with learning-oriented reasons, but negatively associated with student attitude toward online individual work. At the group level, peer-oriented reasons, learning-oriented reasons, and monitoring motivation were shown to be significant predictors for online groupwork interest.

Authors

• Jianxia Du, University of Macau

• Jianzhong Xu, Mississippi State University

• Xitao Fan, University of Macau