A Mixed-Methods Approach to Online Graduate Student Engagement

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Abstract

This study examined the nature of student engagement, as reported by students enrolled in online graduate programs in an academic unit at a U.S. university. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design, a Web-based questionnaire was administered (n = 83) and follow-up interviews were conducted (n = 14). The result of an exploratory factor analysis of the survey data uncovered three factors in student engagement: emotional, social, and academic engagement. To gain a nuanced understanding of the identified factors, a content analysis of the interview data was conducted. Students’ feelings of being supported from faculty and other students through connectivity and interactivity constituted emotional engagement while their relationships through immediate faculty feedback and technology-mediated peer interactions covered social engagement.

Authors

• Hyun-Sook Kang, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Yoon K. Pak, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign