Interaction And Continuance Intention In Online Language Learning

Convenience in interaction, availability of various supports, richness in globalonline resources, and multiplicity of learning management systems, all give a boost tothe thriving growth of online education. Given all these benefits, it is dramatic butunderstandable that institutes and institutions have made substantial investment inonline education. During the fall2008term, in the United States over4.6millionstudents were taking at least one online course (Allen&Seaman,2010); In China, thedomestic market reached35.2billion yuan in2008,44billion in2009, and expects toreach72.3billion in2012(Modern Distance Education Institute,2009).However, although online learning has been promoted to various levels of users,the intention to continue using learning information systems is still very low (Chiu etal.,2007:1224-1245), and the acceptance–discontinuance anomaly phenomenonfrequently occurs (Roca et al.,2006:683–696). Online language learning amonguniversity students is no exception. Therefore, it is important to study students’continuance intention toward online language learning, and the discovery of thefactors affecting their continuance intention toward online language learning will notonly provide scientific theoretical reference for online language learning organizationand management, but also facilitate preventing students from dropping out andpromoting the development of online language education.In spite of many studies about the continuance intention toward online education,there are few concerning the employment of both TAM and ECM in studyinginteraction construction in online language learning, in exploring the impact ofaccordingly-constructed interaction on university students’ continuance intentiontoward online language learning and in testifying the efficiency of interactionconstruction in online language learning. Therefore, this study will explore theconstruction of interaction in online language learning, and examine the effects ofinteraction on university students’ continuance intention toward their online languagelearning. This study intends to answer the following two research questions:Question (1): How can we construct effective interaction in online languagelearning?Question (2): Does the interaction accordingly constructed have any impact oncontemporary Chinese university students’ continuance intention toward onlinelanguage learning, and how?In order to construct successful interaction in online language learning, to testifythe efficiency of interaction construction, to see whether the accordingly-constructedonline interaction will contribute to contemporary Chinese university students’continuance intention, this study carries out an empirical study among tree types ofuniversity students learning English online, designing a survey instrument, conductinga pilot test, electing university student participants according to the categories set byDepartment of Education, Science and Training (DEST), and carrying out theprocedure of the instrument survey in an appropriate way so as to ensure the studentparticipants have taken part in the online language learning for a significant period oftime. The results of hypothesis testing (see Table3-3) indicate that the interactionconstructed for these university students’ online language learning is feasible, and thatit plays a partially mediating role in influencing their continuance intention towardonline language learning in different aspects.The major contributions of the study can be summarized as follows:1) This study has defined ten scaffolding features:“contingency”,“granularity”,“goal-orientation”,“continuity”,“contextual support”,“collaboration”,“modeling”,“channeling and focusing”,“flow”, and “recruitment and frustration control”.2) This study has set up the dimensions of scaffolding for construction, mainly onthe basis of the scaffolding features that this study has concluded and the previousrelevant research studies. This study indicates that an ideal scaffolding strategy oran idealized set of scaffolding strategies for the fulfillment of a particular learningtask should be set with the dimensions of “continuity”,“contextualization”,“modeling”,“focusing and outlining”,“collaboration” and “multiplicity”. 3) This study has put forward suggestions as to the interaction construction inonline language learning. In line with Wagner’s definition of online interaction, andaccording to the result of hypothesis testing (see Table3-3), this study advocates thatinteraction in online language learning should be composed of instructionalinteraction and system interactivity, that instructional interaction should consist inscaffolding, and that system interactivity should attach importance to convenientaccess to information and responsiveness.4) This study has explored contemporary Chinese university students’continuance intention toward online language learning from the perspective of theOrganizational Framework of Online Learning Community, and discovered thefactors affecting their continuance intention. These university students take part inonline language learning for social satisfaction, learning task fulfillment andtechnological convenience; what’s more, according to the results of hypothesis testing(see Table3-3), their needs for learning task fulfillment play a more significant role indetermining their continuance intention, than their needs for social satisfaction andtechnological convenience.5) This study has examined the correlation between accordingly-constructedonline interaction and students’ continuance intention toward online languagelearning in the context of the first-and second-year university students’ onlinelanguage learning in three universities in China, and found theaccordingly-constructed online interaction plays a partially mediating role in affectingthe university students’ continuance intention.This research study casts light on interaction construction in online languagelearning, exposes the impact of the online interaction on contemporary Chineseuniversity students’ continuance intention, and highlights the factors influencing theuniversity students’ continuance intention. Furthermore, it provides instructors andinformation system designers with suggestions as to the construction of interaction inonline language learning, assists relevant institutes and institutions in sustaininguniversity students’ continuance intention, preventing them from dropping out, andmaintaining and developing online language learning.