Community of inquiry framework: employing instructor-driven measures in search of a relationship among presences and student learning outcomes

Abstract

The community of inquiry (CoI) framework is generally regarded as the most influential learning process model available to support a constructivist orientation in computer-mediated higher education distance learning environments. The framework is not without criticism - the central assertion is a lack of empirical evidence to support the claim that a CoI leads to deep and meaningful learning outcomes. A recent study, therefore, examined the relationship between student perceptions of a CoI and instructor-assessed learning outcomes. In reporting a lack of correlation, the results appear supportive of the criticism levelled. The current study takes this approach further by removing student perception measures, and investigates the relationship between instructor-driven measures of the CoI and learning achievement outcomes. Whereas a small sample size (n = 24) prevents the study from claiming full evidence of a relationship, significant positive relationships found between learning outcomes and most of the CoI presences and its dimensions suggest that instructor-driven measures may provide a way forward in the search for proof that a CoI leads to deep and meaningful learning outcomes.