Date of Award
5-2007
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Legacy Department
Educational Leadership
Committee Chair/Advisor
Keels Williams, Frankie
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of four formats of distance education instructional delivery (Course-in-a-Bag, Instructional Television, Online, and Mixed Mode) on interaction and satisfaction. A second purpose was to determine if significant relationships existed between the four types of interaction and satisfaction in each of the four formats of instruction.
The setting of the study was a community college in the Southeastern United States. The majority of the participants in the study were women (81%), Caucasian (63%), above the age of 25 (64%) and most participants were enrolled in online courses (79%).
The methodology selected was the research survey design and included the development of a 38-item survey that measured four types of interaction and satisfaction. Each of the 5,536 students enrolled in distance education in the Fall 2006 semester were invited to take part in the study. Surveys were returned by 1,024 participants at an overall response rate of 18.2%.
The null research hypotheses that examined differences in learner-content and learner-technology interaction across the four formats of instructional delivery were accepted. The null research hypotheses that investigated differences in learner-learner, learner-instructor, overall interaction, and satisfaction across the four formats of instruction were not accepted.
The null research hypotheses that addressed the existence of relationships between interaction and satisfaction across the formats of instruction were not
accepted for the variables of learner-learner and learner-instructor interaction for all formats of instructional delivery. Learner-content interaction was significantly related to satisfaction in Course-in-a-Bag, online, and mixed mode formats. Learner-technology interaction was significantly related to satisfaction in the Instructional Television and online formats of instruction.
The study concluded that significant differences exist in learner-learner, learner-instructor, and overall interaction, and satisfaction across four modes of instructional delivery. The study also concluded that significant relationships exist between interaction and satisfaction in various formats of instruction in distance education. This study implied that building learner-learner, learner-instructor, and learner-content interaction into a distance course format can improve perceived student satisfaction.
Recommended Citation
Fladd, Laurie, "The Effect of Instructional Delivery Method on Interaction and Satisfaction in Distance Education Courses at a Community College" (2007). All Dissertations. 55.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/55