The relationship between offline social capital and online learning interactions

Carmel Kent, Amit Rechavi, Sheizaf Rafaeli

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This article examines the interplay between offline social capital and online interactivity in higher education's online learning discussions. In a field study, we examine networks of interactions extracted from the online discussions and offline acquittance questionnaire of four classes. Two classes belong to a traditional brick-and-mortar university, where an offline acquaintance is a common resource, and two classes belong to a distance-learning university with a loose offline acquaintance. We analyzed the offline and online networks of interactions at the individual, dyadic, and community levels. We found that there is a positive association between offline social capital and online learning interactions across all classes at the individual and dyadic levels. Using network analysis, we found evidence for a substitutional relationship between the offline and online networks at the community level, thus suggesting that online interactions may be encouraged as a complementing dimension of offline social capital.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1186-1211
Number of pages26
JournalInternational Journal of Communication
Volume13
StatePublished - 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 (Carmel Kent, Amit Rechavi, and Sheizaf Rafaeli).

Keywords

  • Online interactivity
  • Online learning communities
  • Social capital

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Communication

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