FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY FRAMEWORK: AN EXAMINATION OF FACEBOOK USES BY PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS AS A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

 

ABSTRACT

Online and blended learning, developed with advances in technology, have gained relative importance in modern communities. In recent years, the concept of creating learning communities has been coined to increase effectiveness of these learning environments. Based on this concept, Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000) developed the Community of Inquiry Framework (CoI), which intends to create learning communities for students in online and blended learning environments to collaborate and interact with one another, and learning is based on educational experiences. CoI framework is based on three fundamental dimensions: social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence.

 

The purpose of this study is to examine the development of a CoI in face-to-face and blended learning contexts in relationship to students’ academic success, satisfaction, and motivation. The study is conducted in an undergraduate course delivered in both face-to-face (control group) and blended (experimental group) formats. A pretest and posttest research model is used in the study. Additionally, content analysis is used to analyze students’ postings on Facebook. The research group for this study consists of 109 students in the Department of Computer and Instructional Technology Education. According to the results of this study, there is no significant difference between academic success of students in control and experimental groups. Also, there is a significant difference in some categories of motivation, satisfaction, and CoI.