Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to contribute to the body of literature regarding occupationally based career and technical education (CTE) teachers’ perceived need for student-to-student interaction in distance education coursework. The study was based on a previous study by Moore, Warner, and Jones (2016). Student perceptions on the topic of student-to-student interaction were gathered. Participants in the study were CTE teachers who had entered the teaching profession from industry. Participants were pursuing or had previously pursued coursework in online/distance education formats. Findings of the study indicated that, overall, survey respondents did not have high expectations or particularly positive feelings regarding student-to-student interaction in online/distance education courses. Specific groups of respondents had varied feelings about student-to-student interaction in online courses. Full-time students taking more than nine credit hours per semester seemed to place higher importance on student-to-student interaction than part-time students. Respondents that were members of Generation X (ages 38-57) felt that it was slightly more important to belong to one’s classroom community than the younger Millennials (ages 18-37). More experienced students, who had completed five or more online courses, did not seem to perceive that there was a link between interaction and enhanced learning, while respondents who had taken fewer online courses (3-4) seemed to believe that student-to-student interaction helped them learn course content. There are implications of this research for CTE teacher certification programs. The data can be analyzed to determine best practices in CTE teacher preparation and online/distance instruction.

Year manuscript completed

2017

Year degree awarded

2017

Author's Keywords

distance education, online instruction, student-to-student interaction, career and technical education teacher preparation, CTE teacher preparation

Degree Awarded

Doctor of Education

Department

Educational Studies, Leadership and Counseling

College/School

College of Education & Human Services

Dissertation Committee Chair

Kemaly S. Parr

Committee Member

Randal H. Wilson

Committee Member

Barbara Washington

Document Type

Dissertation

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