دانلود رایگان مقاله مداخله در آموزش نوشتن آنلاین: چشم انداز اقدام نظری

Abstract

This analysis argues for an interwoven perspective of motivation, engagement, agency, and action in Online Writing Instruction (OWI) compiled from shared elements of empirical research in online education, writing instruction, and especially student academic engagement in traditional classrooms, where the research domain is comparatively mature. Engagement is the common element shared by these domains. In online education research, engagement is sometimes understood through intentional student actions. In writing instruction, engagement is commonly understood through human agency. In academic settings, engagement can be seen as a foundational part of Self-Determination Theory, which is comprised of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional engagement ( Deci and Ryan, 1985). Educators often find measures of engagement valuable because they are reliable predictors of student outcomes, and they suggest a reasonable point of intervention for struggling students. A measure of agentic engagement, which describes the extent to which a student exerts agency to personalize a learning experience, could add value to measures of engagement, especially in OWI where actions and agency are integral to student success. In addition, a focus on engagement and intervention/remediation may offer an opportunity for students to succeed in learning online, not just in OWI, which is a valued skill in the workplace.

6. Conclusion

Academic engagement from an action perspective can be a responsive and malleable construct that creates an environment where all students can be successful, not just students with particular contexts and abilities (Klem & Connell, 2004; Skinner et al., 2008; Pintrich, 2003). Indeed, where online learning was once recommended especially for students who were independent learners, intrinsically motivated, or self-starters, we now find education technology ubiquitous in society, and all students should have an equal opportunity to learn how to use it. In fact, Susan Lowes (2013) observed that online education research may be turning away from screening out students without particular personality/success traits or motivational styles and increasingly toward growing all students into successful online learners through experience. At any rate, with the rapid growth of online learning, it is likely students of all abilities will try online education at some point. Instead of requiring particular learner traits or contexts, online instructors and course designers could focus instead on engagement factors (cognitive, behavioral, emotional/affective, and agentic) that may be independent of learner traits or contexts. This focus is a way of using online learning to “meet them where they are” and provide intervention,support, and remediation to ensure studentsuccess. Perhaps a focus on engagement, and especially agentic engagement, may provide insight to online learning in general. Online writing instruction, where student agency is inherently high, may particularly benefit from the action perspective as an early warning system for interventions or as a guide for effective interventions and “learning to learn” in online education. Although much is still unknown about the role of agentic engagement in OWI, a model of engagement that includes agentic engagement is a possible approach.