BARCELONA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Research Proposal

In

Inquiries, Investigation and Immersion (3I’s)

Online Learning:
A Qualitative Analysis of Student Perceptions

Submitted By:

KRISLORLYN ENUTAN
ROMIL VINCENT ALVERO
ROBIN DELOS SANTOS
JOHN MARK BARRIOS
 INTRODUCTION

In the modern world computers are a way of life. Commonly

accepted and

frequently used, computers help us with things from planning our

meals to booking

airline tickets to communicating instantaneously with people all

around the globe. We

see computers as a benefit to society and, clearly, they are in many

respects. More and

more, computers are being used for the purposes of education.

Students of all ages

learn content material and earn high school and college credit in front
of computers.

Online learning occurs in a variety of formats. Some classes are

taught exclusively

online while others are more of a blend of some face-to-face

instruction and some

online learning.

As a high school educator I am very interested in the concept of

online learning

and how it affects students. Not only am I interested in the concept of

introducing more
online learning into my own classroom, the process that the students
experience

intrigues me. I have always felt that the dialogue that occurs in a
classroom is crucial.

This dialogue takes place between students and teachers and also
between students

and students. Oftentimes, conversations take the form of “teachable

moments” which

are neither planned nor scripted. I have learned and experienced the
fact that this type

of interaction can take place on a discussion board yet many online

instruction formats

do not have discussion boards nor do they have any type of interaction
with any other

people. Many online classes are solely a presentation of material and

assessment of

students’ learning that same material.

Many school districts are implementing teacher-moderated

(supervised) online

learning classrooms. Students sit in a classroom together yet interact

with each other

very infrequently and, ideally, interact with the teacher infrequently as

well. Students

are encouraged to work independently and progress through their

goals and coursework

at their own pace. The teacher is in the room to address technical

questions, to set up
and monitor course progress and to answer questions as a “last-
resort.” A qualitative

research study would allow the researcher (who, in this case is a

certified teacher) to

blend into this environment as both an observer and a member of the

classroom staff so

that they could interact with, and assist if necessary, the students in
the learning

environment.

As the process of online learning is still relatively new, the body

of research

regarding this topic continues to grow. Quantitative studies focus on

such questions as

“Which learning environment (online vs. traditional) do you learn best

in?” and “Which

learning environment facilitates more learning in terms of content

(achievement)?”

Although these questions are quite valid, I believe that there are
deeper questions

which should be approached. Qualitative research allows for

exploration and

consideration of observations of student behavior. We all do different

things when we

sit in front of a computer. Some are easily distracted while others are
intently focused.
Some seek additional resources while others experience “blocks” and
seem unable to

proceed. Qualitative research allows for observation of students as

they work as the

researcher immerses into the field and makes meaning from the
experience of

observation and interaction with students. It then allows the

researcher to present

information in a richly descriptive style which can make meaning and

present

interpretation.

The vastly different ways in which students approach online

learning and

instruction leads to the rationale of this study which seeks to explore

how students

experience online learning, and if a presentation of those experiences

and perceptions

can make the online learning experience more productive both in

terms of achievement

and in terms of attitude of students. The more educators and program

designers can

learn about student experiences and perceptions, the more effective

online learning will

become to all types of learners in the future. As the trend is moving

towards more

students learning more types of material in an online format, having

knowledge
regarding students’ attitudes and experiences will hopefully allow
educators to help

direct the online learning experience to be as beneficial to students as

is possible.

PURPOSE STATEMENT AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The purpose of my study is to examine students’ perceptions of

and reactions

to online learning. In this study I will use interviews and observations

to explore the

following research questions: 1.) What are students’ experiences of

course material

being taught in an online format? 2.) What are students’ perception of

course material

being taught in an online format? 3.) How do students describe their

motivation as to

why they enrolled in a course being taught in an online format? and 4.)
What are

students’ perceptions of their own learning and retention and

application of course

material?

LITERATURE REVIEW

The literature presents a variety of conflicting information and

research regarding
online learning. Some of the research seems to point to online
learning becoming more

widely used and more effective, while some seems to indicate that
many students

struggle with it. The literature also indicates that there are many
reasons for these

discrepancies ranging from students becoming more familiar with the

process of online

learning (Graff, 2003) to students taking online classes for the sole
reason of

convenience without really considering how they would best learn the
material.

Kerimidas (2012) states that students taking classes online have

difficulties with many

aspects of the course work including “deadlines and time management

skills” (p. 25).

McFarland and Hamilton (2005-2006) also describe many negative

aspects of online

learning including a generally lower level of satisfaction level of

students.

Much of the research regarding online learning is focused upon

college learners.

The practice of high school students taking courses for credit is

relatively new and is

causing concern from multiple standpoints. In the 2007-2008 school

year, there were
over one million high school students taking some form of content
instruction online

(Picciano, 2007). It is interesting to consider the possibility that high

school students

who take courses online for high school credit will be the “next
generation” of students

taking online classes at the college level. The question has been
raised as to whether

high school online classes are meeting up to currently recognized

academic standards

and expectations. Watson (2004) cites the National Association of

State Boards of

Education as stating "In the absence of firm policy guidance, the

nation is rushing pell-

mell toward an ad hoc system of education that exacerbates existing

disparities and

cannot assure a high standard of education across new models of

instruction” (p. 109).

Researchers describe multiple variables which can affect online

learning either

positively or negatively. Technology must be in working order and up-

to-date and if

students are participating in online learning in a classroom (as is

frequently the case in

high schools) proper and courteous classroom management must be

enforced (Collins,
1997). It will be interesting to explore these variables from a
qualitative research

perspective because interviews offer multiple opportunities for

allowing the student to

reflect upon what and to what extent extraneous variables affect the
learning

experience. The researcher will have participated in observations that

will allow a richly

descriptive perspective as to variables that affect and influence

learning.

Cavanaugh (2009) states that much of the early writing about the
subject of

online learning was qualitative in nature. Before online learning

became widely used

there was justification written as to why this type of learning would be

positive. The

literature “largely focused upon descriptive work that often precedes

experimentation in

most new fields” Cavanaugh goes on to explain that this descriptive

literature often

focused on what various professionals in the field felt was needed in

order for students

to be successful in an online learning environment and identifying

these characteristics

by observing students actually participating in online learning. My

qualitative study will
look closely at student attitudes regarding their own participation in
online learning.

Feeling connected in a learning environment, both to teachers

and other

students, is often cited in the literature as important to students and

frequently lacking.

It is interesting how the literature mentions face-to-face interactions,

meaningful

dialogue and the physical presence of the instructor as aspects of

traditional classroom
l
earning which many students cite as important (Richardson, p. 69).
These types of

interactions are often referred to as “social presence.” A qualitative

research study in a

teacher-monitored class can observe how a student initiates any type

of interaction with

a moderator and other students.

METHODS

Aproach

An online learning classroom is a social world. Students enter

the classroom,

work on assigned coursework to earn high school credit and interact

with other students

and a teacher moderator (or not) and then move out of that social
world. Observing this
type of classroom environment lends itself to basic interpretive
qualitative research.

The researcher becomes part of the social world and, through

interviews, observation

and document analysis is able to collect data. This data will be used
to create a rich

description of students’ perceptions of and reactions to their online

learning experience

through a naturalistic process of inquiry.

Creswell (1998) points out that qualitative researchers must

“participate in a form

of social and human science research that does not have firm
guidelines or specific

procedures and is evolving and changing constantly” (p. 17). A

classroom changes and

evolves daily. Students enter the classroom with their own particular
issues and

approach the coursework with their own biases and thoughts. A

qualitative researcher

has the ability to, over a long period of time, document and reflect
upon observations

which occur in the natural setting of a classroom. As the researcher

begins to blend into

the classroom over time and become accepted by the members of the
social world,

authentic data will be collected.

 Ten key characterisitics are presented by Hatch (2002) to
describe qualitative

research and several of these characteristics are particularly

important for the

justfication of this study. Participant perspectives will be particularly

important as the

researcher explores the research questions. Perceptions of one’s

individual learning

can be a complicated question and isn’t necessarily correlated with

academic

achievement. Another important characteristic is inductive data

analysis. Because the

literature regarding online learning is murky at best, qualitative

research will paint a

picture of a particular group of student’ experiences as they approach

and deal with

problems they might encounter in an online learning situation.

Participants

The partcipants in this study will be from a high school online

learning class. The

10 students will meet in the same classroom every day for one hour
time periods. Each

student will have their own small work area and computer. The
instructor also has a
desk at the front of the room and the researcher will have a small area
in the corner of

the room from which to make observations in an unobtrusive manner.

Students enrolled

in the online learning program are participating due to a credit

remediation need.

Students have either previously failed a class or been involved in the

criminal justice

system and have changed placements thereby losing credits. A

student might be

enrolled in an online English class and also an English class in a

traditional clasroom

setting if they are behind in credits.

DATA COLLECTION

Students will be observed during the hour that they are attending
the online class

every day for an academic semester. The researcher will attend every
session of the

class including the first class so that the students do not experience
any change with

the entry of the researcher. The researcher will spend time observing,
taking field notes

and interacting with the students. The document analysis part of the
data collection will

take place when the students are not present by analyziing course
lesson completion
information and additional lessons and supplementary course
exercises from the online

learning assignments.

Permission was granted by the school system, principal as well

as classroom

teacher for the researcher to be present in the classroom. As the

researcher is a

current employee of the district and a licensed English teacher,

consent was given for

the researcher to be present in the online learning clasroom to serve

in the dual role as

a participant and an observer. Parents were notified in writing that a

qualitative

research study was going to take place in their child’s classroom.

Along with the

notification was a detailed explanation of the rationale of the study

along with the

research questions. A consent form was included with the

information. If a parent had

refused to have their child participate in the study then the student
would be moved to

another online learning classroom. All data gathered over the course
of the semester

would be kept in the principal’s office. Each student would be

assigned a number and
that number would be the method in which the student would be
identified.

Confidentiality would be guaranteed and guarded to the fullest

possible extent.

Observation

The primary observation that the researcher will be conducting is

what Hatch

refers to as “participant observation” (p. 72). The researcher will be a

presence in the

room and take careful field notes recording observations and recording
what students

say and do. The researcher will also participate in the enviornment by
interacting with

the students taking on, to some extent, the role of assistant teacher.
The term “teacher”

in this context is not the typcial teacher as we might think of in a

traditional classroom.

In this online learning environment, the teacher assists students as

necessary by

answering direct questions or helping the student find the answer in

supplementary

material. The researcher will take careful note of what students say in
the environment.

If students approach either the teacher or the researcher with a

question the question

will be noted.
 An advantage to participant observation over a long period of
time is that the

students will become accustomed to having the researcher present

and will begin to

take little note of her presence. This will allow the researcher to gain
information and

insight that might not be available in a direct interview. The

researcher will ask the

teacher in the classroom to serve as a co-observer and take field

notes when the

researcher is interacting with students. Hatch points out that

important field notes can

be overlooked when the researcher is participating and interacting

with students (p. 74).

Interview

Three interviews will be conducted with each student over the

course of the

semester. The first interview will take place early on in the semester,
the second

interview in the middle of the semester and the third and final
interview will take place

towards the end of the semester. Each student will be informed again
that the interview

is voluntary and that there will be no no consequences of any kind for

not participating.
 The qualitative research interview “seeks to describe the meaning
of central themes

in the life world of the subject” (Valenzuela, p. 4). The interviews will
be conducted in a

separate room apart from the rest of the class. The researcher will
begin with the

research questions initially presented in this study focussing on

student perceptions of

online learning and their reactions to online learning. They will be

asked to describe

their experiences with online learning and what their motivation was
for enrolling in the

class. Using Hatch’s suggestions for successful interviews (p. 115)

the researcher will

be a good listener and allow certain questions to flow from student

comments.

The interview will follow the general interview guide approach

rather than a more

informal interview although it is the goal of the researcher that the

conversation will flow

from the interview questions. The researcher will pose all the
research questions to the

student during the interview but follow-up questions will be generated

based on the

student’s response. The questions will be open-ended to allow the

student to talk freely
about experiences in the online learning environment and reflect about
their experience.

Interviews will be recorded using a voice recorder.

Document Analysis

In an online learning environment there is still a great deal of

documentation.

Online learning offers a large amount of computerized information

such as knowing how

much time a student looks at a particular screen or how many times

they miss a

particular question. The computer generated information is endless.

Although much of

this information is quantative it is interesting to attempt to connect

the researcher’s

perspective and observation with what the numrical data is. At times,
a student can

appear disinterested and disengaged yet, in reality, he is very much

engaged in the task

at hand. Also, online learning presents supplemental activities which

are handwritten in

a separate notebook and the researcher will review these documents

as well.

Field Journal

The researcher will keep a detailed daily journal of observations.

The journal will
consist of two parts: one completed by the researcher and one
completed by the

teacher when the researcher is interacting with the students. The

journal will be a place

for thoughts and reflections of the researcher as well as a place to

record events which

take place in the classroom.

DATA ANALYSIS

Interpretive data analysis will consist of memoing and putting

data into

categories. Interviews will be transcribed and patterns will be

analyzed. Qualitative

data analysis looks for patterns and repetition. The process of coding
will be utilized to

tie together patterns. One sentence summaries will also be utilized

based on the idea of

generalizations. Hatch (p. 155) states the importance of looking for

common themes.

Are words repeated frequently? Do students come into the classroom

in much the

same way? How quickly do they get started with their work? These
are all questions

which the qualitative researcher might see as data is analyzed.

It is important to look for “nonexamples.” When data is grouped

together the
nonexamples are as important as the grouped data. The qualitative
researcher is

attempting to create a picture that is richly descriptive not to prove a

null hypothesis.

The research questions are important yet it is more important to

weave together the

entire tapestry for the research to be meaninful and interpretive.

Trustworthiness and Ethics

Researcher bias cannot enter the classroom. The researcher,

according to

Merriam (p. 120) must make observations very carefully. It is vitally

important for the

researcher to dismiss any preconceived ideas regarding the subject of

online learning

before the process begins. The first step is being aware of the
possible bias. In reality,

a research question cannot truly take shape without some sort of

preconceived idea as

to the topic at hand. The literature does, however, help to dispel bias
to some extent as

it is so diverse and contradicting.

Another method to ensure trustworthiness is to have frequent

“check-ins” with

other teachers and advisors. It is always helpful to have multple sets

of eyes to ensure
that the proper questions are being asked. These advisors, incuding
the other teacher

in the room, can offer valuable insight as to what is occuring in the

classroom.

It is important to always protect confidentiality and maintain the

highest ethics

when working with human subjects. A perceived attitude or an

incorrect word can

negatively affect a student. The researcher must do to the best of his

ability to ensure

that the highest ethical standards are maintained throughout the

study. If a student

becomes frustrated due to the inability to solve a problem, the

researcher must try to

help as much as possible.

CONCLUSION

Online learning is now the “hot topic” in education. As

Universities move towards

educating thousands of students in online formats and high schools

are also moving

towards this type of instruction researchers, parents and educators

are all asking many

similar questions. How can students be educated in the best possible

manner, utilizing

fewer resources and ensuring good outcomes in a variety of formats.

Will online
education, one day, be the primary method of instruction? Will it
eventually replace

traditional classroom instruction? Qualitative research reaches to

dimensions of these

questions that are impossible to answer through quantitative research.

Student

attitudes, motivations and feelings are vitally important to their

perception of their own

learning and their feelings about their own learning. This is an area of
study which

continues to need much evaluation and further study.

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