The Role of Positive Psychological States in Online Learning

Abstract

A majority of business schools and universities incorporate online pedagogy into curricula, yet scholars strive to understand the elements that influence student learning in these online communities. One framework that conceptualizes the elements of the online learning environment is the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. The CoI suggests teaching, social, and cognitive presences exist in the online learning environment; however, the framework does not fully conceptualize how individual-level motivational factors influence student learning. Using positive psychology theory, we suggest the CoI framework include psychological capital (PsyCap) to capture positive student-level motivational states. Our analysis of students in online business courses finds that PsyCap is a distinct online presence. Specifically, we find that teaching presence significantly relates to PsyCap and that PsyCap significantly relates to both social and cognitive presences within the CoI. We offer implications for researchers and instructors interested in enhancing student-level PsyCap and learning outcomes in the online learning environment.