“I took physical lessons for granted”: a case study exploring students’ interpersonal interactions in online synchronous lessons during the outbreak of COVID-19
Mari Alger & June Eyckmans (Ghent University, Belgium)
Abstract
The coronavirus pandemic presented a unique opportunity to explore how students interact when faced with a dramatic change to unknown modes and practices. This exploratory case study examines students’ interpersonal interactions in online classes during the initial stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. Our focus is on the relational and emotional side of interaction; that is, how students used language to maintain and transform relationships in online classes during this time of social isolation, and how these interactions helped to build an environment conducive to learning.
The analysis of synchronous chat data and questionnaires collected from 40 students enrolled on an EFL university course in Belgium is guided by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) theoretical framework (Garrison et al., 2000), then further complemented by a qualitative linguistic approach drawing on
‘relational work’ (Locher & Watts, 2005). Preliminary results show that interactions helped to create an emotionally satisfying learning experience for students, which in turn helped strengthen learning persistence.
References
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000) Critical inquiry in a text-based environment:
Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105.
Locher, M. A., & Watts, R. J. (2005). Politeness theory and relational work. Journal of politeness research, 1(1), 9-33.
