Teacher-student and student-student interactions in blended learning : a case study of an academic English communication course at a South China University

Abstract

Given that previous research on blended academic English courses in China has narrowly focused on student-student interaction, this study expands the examination to include both teacher-student and student-student interactions within this setting. The guiding framework adopted is the Community of Inquiry (CoI), consisting of Teaching Presence (TP), Social Presence (SP), and Cognitive Presence (CP). Notably, TP, which could be assumed by both teachers and students, has been primarily investigated in teacher-student interaction. This study addresses this research gap by using teacher’s TP to examine teacher-student interactions and employing both students’ TP and SP to investigate studentstudent interactions. Moreover, the influence of these interactions on students’ learning progress is explored from the lens of CP. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative content analysis of classroom recordings, online platform transcripts, and interviews with teachers and students, complemented by the CoI survey to gauge student perceptions. Results show that most student groups were able to reach high levels of CP, in contrast with findings in previous studies where students typically remained at low levels. It is concluded that while teacher’s TP laid the foundation for achieving high levels of CP, the development of students’ TP and SP within groups determined the chance of these groups reaching high levels of CP. The findings of the study provide practical implications for educators in designing and managing interactions in similar contexts. Furthermore, the CoI coding scheme developed in this study, the first adapted version for a blended English course in China, may offer methodological insights for researchers in this field.