Hawkins, A., Barbour, M. K., & Graham, C. (2011, March). Strictly business: Teacher perceptions of interaction in virtual schooling. A paper presented at the annual conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, Nashville, TN. This study explored the nature of teacher-student interaction from the perspective of eight virtual school teachers in an asynchronous, self-paced, statewide, supplemental virtual high school. Teacher interviews revealed the majority of interactions were student-initiated and instructional in nature. The main procedural interactions focused on notifications sent to inactive students. Social interactions were minimal and viewed as having little pedagogical value. Institutional barriers such as class size and an absence of effective tracking mechanisms limited the amount and types of interaction teachers engaged in. Study implications and future research are discussed.

1. Strictly Business: Teacher Perceptions of Interaction in Virtual Schooling
Abigail Hawkins, Brigham Young; Michael Barbour, Wayne State; Charles Graham, Brigham Young
SITE 2011

2. K-12 online learning....Really?
States with virtual schools/online initiatives,
full-time programs, or both
2,000,000 students
Kindergarten > HS
1997: 3 States
2010: 48 States
Keeping Pace with K12 Online Learning, 2010
2

3. Background Literature
 Relative little research in K-12 virtual schooling
 Higher education research
 Interaction tied to satisfaction, perceived learning, academic performance
 Problematic to generalize
 K-12 virtual schooling research
 “Paucity” of research examining relationships
 Teacher role critical yet few studies examining what that role is precisely.
3

4. Interaction Types
Procedural
Instructional
Social
4

5. Research Question
1. How do teachers perceive
their interactions with
students?
5

6. The Case
Utah’s Electronic High School…
 Oldest and largest in U.S.
 Singular in nature
 Self-paced
 Supplemental (primarily)
 Open-entry/open-exit model
 High student-to-teacher ratios
 Diverse curriculum and student body
Webcam
6

7. Dimensions of EHS
None

8. Completion Rates: All enrollments
35
30 High attrition rates 31.1
25
% completion
20 19.8
15
10.5 11.3
10
5
0
2005 (n=802) 2006 (n=4493) 2007 (n=32,065) 2008 (n=47937)
years

9. Methods
Component Description
Participants… 8 teachers
4 disciplines (Math, Science, English, Social
Science)
Equal class sizes (62-985 students)
Avg. years teaching F2F: 18
Avg. years teaching online: 6.9
Part time (exception 1 full time EHS employee)
Data Collection… Case method
Intensity sampling (high and low completion
rates)
Semi-structured interviews
Data Analysis… Theme analysis
Constant comparative method
9

10. Findings: Instructional Interactions
 Majority of interactions
 Majority of teacher’s time
 Student initiated
 Class size = Reactive
If they ask for extra help. That’s not a
problem. If they do that, I’ll give them the
extra help that they need. But if they
don’t let me know that they are having a
problem, I treat them like any other
student.
Carl, Social Science
10

11. Findings: Instructional Interactions
Absence of Face-to Face Feedback
 One thing that I miss is the face-to-face
exchange because I see in their eyes or in
their facial expression or body language if
they have given up on this. . . . If a student
doesn’t get it [at EHS], I don’t see that. And
I’m not sure, or I just proceed on, or they
proceed on through the course, and I think
that they have understood it.
 Mark, U.S. History Teacher
11

12. Findings: Procedural Interactions
Notification
of inactivity
12

13. Findings: Social Interactions
Paradoxical view of value
They want to get through
it and not chit-chat with
the teacher. So I try to
keep it professional and
business approach to
their online education.
13

14. Findings: Social Interactions
Paradoxical view of value
• I care if they are passing. I care if
they are understanding. But I don’t
know them to care. So it’s not a
personal caring. It’s a
generalized, “I hope you do well.” …
I kind of feel hopeful that they make
it through and survive and
accomplish those goals. But I don’t
actually put a face to anybody. They
don’t know me and I don’t know
them. We’re just connecting through
a cyber space here.
14

15. Structural Barriers Make Interaction Difficult
1 : 233
Tracking System

16. Implications for Teachers
• Proactively reach out to
struggling students.
• Institute smaller class sizes to
give teachers time to interact
• Implement onsite mentors
• Self-disclose more as teachers—
humor, personal self, informal
tone
• Show students alternative forms
of communication to promote
more social interaction

17. Future Research
 Use ethnographic
methods
 Capture students’ voice
 Focus on experience of
non-completer
17

18. Questions
Abby Hawkins
Sr. Instructional Designer, Adobe Systems Inc
abbyhawkins7@gmail.com
Michael Barbour
Assistant Professor, Wayne State University
mkbarbour@gmail.com
Charles R Graham
Assistant Professor, Brigham Young University
charles.r.graham@gmail.com