A dramaturgical perspective of online university student behaviours in a second year psychology class

Dawn Marie Gilmore

doi:10.24059/olj.v24i1.1988

Abstract

This study applies dramaturgical sociology, specifically Goffman’s approach to region behaviour, to explore where students spend their time doing class related tasks in spaces other than the LMS. The context for this research is a case study of a second year psychology class at an Australian university. Data was collected about students’ front stage setting (the LMS) and backstage setting (students’ experiences on Facebook). Over a 12-week semester 126 students were observed in the LMS. During the semester, 21 students completed fortnightly questionnaires about where they spent their time and with whom. At the end of the semester, 14 students participated in online interviews. The findings that emerged from the data illustrated how the characteristics of the audience in each setting, as well as the timing of communication and duration of each setting, may have impacted a student’s social learning experience. This knowledge can help online teachers to understand the characteristics of a setting that might determine where students prefer to situate their learning experience. While this paper uses a dramaturgical perspective of online university students in a second year psychology class, the students’ experiences can generally be used to understand how LMS’s, social networking tools, and collaborative technologies support and impede social learning experiences in higher education.

Highlights

This study employs dramaturgical analysis, the study of social interaction in terms of theatrical performance, in examining online student interactions
Goffman (1959) uses theatrical metaphors, the stage: front stage and backstage
This study considers the learning management system (LMS) as the front stage and Facebook as the backstage and examines how and why online students use backstage online settings, such as Facebook, instead of front stage settings, such as the LMS, to support their university learning

Summary

Introduction

This study employs dramaturgical analysis, the study of social interaction in terms of theatrical performance, in examining online student interactions. Findings suggest that the audience in each setting, as well as the timing of communication and duration within each setting, appear to have contributed to shaping students’ learning experiences Awareness of these contributing factors may aid online teachers in understanding students’ learning preferences, and the roles of social networking tools in supporting learning collaborations. As one study suggested, learning backstage on Facebook was the result of a student’s inability to find information and not understand content, assessments, or course administration (Cuesta, Eklund, Rydin, & Witt, 2016). This suggests that information seeking performed by a novice and information sharing performed by an expert or more knowledgeable other occurred. This suggests that more knowledgeable others were present and willing to share their experiences and knowledge

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion