Student Engagement in Online Discussions and Its Association With Social-Emotional Competencies: Insights From Learning Analytics

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Learning Analytics and Student Engagement (Table 1)

Abstract

Despite the growing interest and use of discussion-based social-emotional learning (SEL) programs in K-12 settings, engaging students in these interventions remains challenging due to a lack of understanding of how students engage in these activities and how this engagement associates with SEL outcomes. This study employs learning analytics to address this issue. Using engagement indicators created from learning traces of middle school students, we identified two clusters with distinct engagement patterns: the active and expressive commenters. The active commenter group demonstrated higher scores in social skills. The engagement indicators showed significant relationships with social-emotional competencies, varying across the entire sample and within each cluster. Based on the results, we discuss the implications of this study for research and practice.

Authors

• Jeongwon Lee, The Ohio State University

• Tzu-Jung Lin, The Ohio State University

• Haeun Park, The Ohio State University

• Manisha Naresh Nagpal, Duquesne University

• Thomas Bihari, The Ohio State University

• Leon Madrid, The Ohio State University

• Eric M. Anderman, The Ohio State University