Relationship between Learners' Motivation and Course Engagement in an Astronomy Massive Open Online Course

Autor/inn/en	Formanek, Martin; Buxner, Sanlyn; Impey, Chris; Wenger, Matthew
Titel	Relationship between Learners' Motivation and Course Engagement in an Astronomy Massive Open Online Course
Quelle	In: Physical Review Physics Education Research, 15 (2019) 2, Artikel 020140 (15 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Formanek, Martin)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2469-9896
Schlagwörter	Physics; Science Instruction; Learner Engagement; Correlation; Student Motivation; Learning; Online Courses; Astronomy; Mass Instruction; Student Attitudes; Video Technology; Self Determination; Computer Mediated Communication; Self Efficacy; Peer Evaluation; Age Differences; Writing Assignments; Grades (Scholastic); Social Influences + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Physik; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Korrelation; Schulische Motivation; Lernen; Online course; Online-Kurs; Astronomie; Schülerverhalten; Selbstbestimmung; Computerkonferenz; Self-efficacy; Selbstwirksamkeit; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Notenspiegel; Sozialer Einfluss
Abstract	In this work we study how different motivations of learners relate to their engagement in a massive open online course (MOOC). The research was conducted in a cohort-based astronomy MOOC "Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space" provided through the Coursera platform. In order to discern motivations of course participants, the Science Motivation Questionnaire II was administered as a first assignment of the course. The survey data were collected from December 2016 until December 2018 and responses from 3701 learners were acquired. In order to determine the relationship of motivation to course performance, four course engagement indicators are defined: course completion, use of video lectures, participation in the discussion forums, and participation in peer-grading assignments. Self-determination and self-efficacy are identified as the main motivational factors influencing all aspects of the course engagement except for the video usage. We show that both of these decrease with age, but increase with the number of previously taken science courses. The main reasons for signing up for the course which had an effect on course engagement were the goal of getting a certificate and perceived importance of the reputation of the instructor. There was no statistically significant difference in motivations between people who dropped after the first peer graded writing assignment and those who successfully completed the course, suggesting that after the first writing assignment learners quit from other reasons than lack of motivation. Unexpectedly, learners with high career, grade, and social motivation watched statistically significantly fewer instructional videos, and social motivation did not play a role in the forum usage. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01