LITERATURE REVIEW
Notably Rovai (2002) argues that student sense of community refers to the feeling of belonging among people who are brought together by common goals and interests. The research undertaken by the various authors as expostulated in this paper takes a bias in assessing the role played by sense of community in the student fraternity and its overall effect on education and academic achievement. Drovin & Vartanian (2010) challenge the traditional view that direct face to face educational interaction is limited in terms of building a community of relations. Direct face to face educational set up is seen to be more profound in boosting sense of community levels rather than the online or virtual communication styles adopted in educational set ups. Drovin & Vartanian (2010) are however quick to point out that the virtual systems have the potential of developing the same levels of sense of community among learners who are separated from the physical relations through design and proper approaches that facilitate dialogue and reduce the psychological distance.
Rovai, (2002) on the other hand notes that dropout rates are in continuous skyrocketing pace due factors like personal preferences by learners where some feel they are alienated from the learning process and the emotional detachment that is reminiscent of the virtual courses taken. Trust, spirit, interactions, common expectation and learning at a distance are dimensions that have been shared among the four writers for proper reduction in the psychological distance between learners, thus enhancing
Dawson (2008) adopts a different review of the student’s level of interaction in a classroom and the overall standing in the terms of sense of community. For instance, the approaches and methods in finding out the relationship between different factors of relations (which in advertently affect the sense of community among learners) are both quantitative and qualitative. Here different students and learners were interviewed and content forum analyses taken in order to establish the link between the relationships, in the qualitative system of approach. The quantitative approach involved classroom community scale and network centrality measures which were analyzed to determine the individual’s sense of community in the wider spectrum.
Dawson (2008) on the other hand adopts case study methods of interactions and involvement of students in educational set ups, which have more profound effects in terms of learner knowledge acquisition and social interactions. The more socially interactive one is (especially in terms of educational relations, academic discussions and affiliations) the more they are likely to achieve higher educational levels as compared to learners or students with low social interactions. Osterman (2000) observes that learners in online educational systems are expected to build trust on the various activities that they undertake in the electronic or online systems of interaction. Similar sentiments are shared by Xiaojing et al. (2010) who observe that increase in the quality of interactions is pertinent in ensuring that proper sense of community is fostered. Common expectations will also go a long way in fostering the sense of community in the learners since all of them have similar or common goals therefore they are brought together by the commonality in duty (Rovai, 2002).
Other common factors that have discussed in these papers include; the group size, transactional distance, teaching strategy and style and facilitation for the methods adopted. Facilitation will include the use of the best available mechanisms in boosting the learning process. Community levels will also determine the sense of community. Rovai (2002) notes that small groups are better placed in reaching group sense of community, but the virtual systems adopts a more cost friendly method to reach many learners and at the same time ensuring groups sense of community.
Dawson (2008) reports that there exists a strong and weak social interaction tie among the individuals. Strong ties include those of close friendships which dictate a more frequent relationship while those of weak tie involve mere linkages through face to face interaction and interact less frequently as compared to those of strong ties. Research results by Dawson (2008) adopts that students who portray close relationship with many members of the learning fraternity have a higher rate of sense of community as compared to those with weaker sense of interactions. Those of greater interactions (the strong tied) manifest the qualities of more community sense as compared to their counterparts who are speculated to contain less sense of community. Factors such as spirit, social capital, the role of facilitators and social ties have been observed to play very big roles in establishing sense of community (Drovin & Vartanian, 2010). The researches therefore fully establish that the role that an individual occupies in a social network determines their overall standing in the level of sense of community and the actual rate of success in the academic field they are undertaking.
Further prognosis by Osterman (2000) notes, students own level of interactions with fellow will influence others through emotional attachments, academics references and discussion advanced thus resulting to an overall or fully fledged sense of community through indulgence in factors of similar interests. Unlike Xiaojing et al (2010), he advances that individuals’ psychological needs of satisfaction have to be satisfied. The characteristics of self context in relation to interactions are also seen to affect how the sense of community is reached. Schools and other social organizations have been found to contain mechanisms that either hinders of foster the interactions, thus group sense or community sense may be directly influenced by the organizations set up. The research also notes that students experience determines their interactions, and the school may have mechanisms that either boost of demean the levels of interaction thus inhibiting the levels of academic performances exhibited by these students.
Xiaojing et al. (2010) on the other hand draws links and an investigation into the effects of community sense among students in study of an MBA program at the Indiana University. It adopts a case study method where submissions from different online student community tried to give their overview of the classes and tutor functionality in a virtual world of n educational set up unlike in most of the cases under scrutiny. The paper advances that there are a number of factors that are involved in this program-in terms of boosting the learning and academic achievement by the students. Xiaojing et al. (2010) notes that the learning conducted through the online system has faced some hindrances and collisions from the tutor and student related factors.
Xiaojing et al (2010) speculates that in cases where there were proper or more advanced human interactions (thus more sense of community), the learners established more educational satisfaction and learning achieved. The student-tutor interactions here have been identified to play a big influence in determining proper learner engagement. As advanced earlier in this essay, the role of the facilitator has once again been singled out as major factor that influences the expanse to which the sense of community can be achieved thus promoting the reduction of the psychological distance between distance learners.
Drovin & Vartanian (2010) support the argument by Xiaojing et al (2010) that tutors who harbor different ideas about online education (have not accepted it as a proper channel of learning, and thus ill informed) have been major hindrance in the development of the virtual sense of community in academics. The methodology (styles teaching) and technology are also some of the factors that are indicated from this research paper. Contrary to other authors Xiaojin et al (2010) conclude by stating the recommendations to be adopted to boost sense of community and thus the virtual education. These factors include adoption of proper structures and mechanisms that will support the direct proliferation of the online study, through finance, gadgetry and sensitization of tutors who have little IT background.
In his explication of the role of FTF (face to face) in determining full functional SOC (sense of community) Drovin & Vartanian (2010) discuss the roles and pertinence of students’ indulgence in FTF (face to face) and online educational systems. They attempt to establish the relationship between the students and the likely impact caused by their indulgence in the online or face to face interactions. Drovin & Vartanian (2010) notes that while the FTF students posted more SOC as compared to online students. Similar factors as those advanced by Rovai (2002) are observed to have led to this turn of events. Some of them include student preferences, tutor characteristics and the nature of the course being undertaken. The research paper adopts a method of speculation whereby a sampled seven students were chosen and data adopted from them pertaining to their desire and need for sense of community in the FTF methods. The results were then computed leading to conclusions after thorough analyses.
Deductions from the paper indicate that a very small percentage of students would like to shift to either mode of study. Drovin & Vartanian (2010) note that even though the SOC is pertinent in boosting online academic achievement and morale, it is not a necessity for learners to achieve great academic fulfillment. Unlike the other researches reviewed in this paper, it was found that the female gender is more likely to reach a SOC in classroom assignments than the male. Recommendations like facilitation, improved technology, tutor sensitization and approval of online courses by educational institutions are necessary as prerequisites to greater academic achievement.
Summary
The student sense of community as expostulated in this research papers is vital in boosting the academic achievement and learner satisfaction in the educational set up. While the FTF approach is seen to be more versatile in reaching the SOC, the online systems of educational can also be equally boosted to acquire the SOC status through proper facilitation, improved technology and adoption of appropriate methodology and styles of instruction. The research by the five different writers goes a long way in supporting the advent and pertinence of ensuring a sense of community among learners. This will therefore be a major breakthrough in ensuring sustained academic achievement through better satisfaction and trust build by both instructors and learners. Learn-ability is therefore enhanced.
Dawson, S. (2008). A study of the relationship between student social networks and sense of community. Educational Technology & Society, 11(3), 224-238. Available at: http://www.ifets.info/journals/11_3/16.pdf
Drovin, M., & Vartanian, L. (2010).Students Feelings of Desire for Sense of Community in Face to Face and Online Courses. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 11(3), 147-159
Rovai, A. (2002). Building sense of community at a distance. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 3, 1-16. Available at: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/79/153
Xiaojing Liu, Richard J. Magjuka, Curtis J. Bonk, and Seung-hee Lee (2010). Does sense of community matter? An Examination of Participants’ Perceptions of Building Learning Communities in Online Courses Indiana University. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=5e4218fb-8f1f-4a1c-a853-057df62c70a0%40sessionmgr4&vid=2&hid=1
