Why So Negative? Exploring the Negative Relationship Between Clout and Cognitive Processing in MOOC Forums

• In Event: Learning Language and Literacy Online

Abstract

In this study, we further explore the negative relationship between clout and cognitive processing first reported by Author (2019). Our variable of interest, clout, is a summary variable calculated by the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) tool and is used to understand the level of confidence in writing (Abe, 2020; Jordan, Sterling, Pennebaker, & Boyd, 2019). A series of linear mixed models were fitted to evaluate, after controlling for gender, degree, and type of post, if the focal relationship between each sub-score of cognitive processing (insight, causation, discrepancy, differentiation, certainty, and tentativeness) and clout changed across courses with different pacing (self-paced or instructor-paced). We found that insight, discrepancy, certainty and differentiation were negatively associated with clout scores.

Authors

• Rob Moore, University of Florida

• Cherng-Jyh Yen, Old Dominion University

• Francis Eamonn Powers, Old Dominion University