Perceptions of classroom dynamics and identification with academics in online and face-to-face remedial classrooms in two year colleges

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory research study was to determine the influence of student characteristics (age, gender, race) and students’ “identification with academics” on perceptions of classroom dynamics in an online or face-to-face remedial education course. The study used two survey instruments: the recently redesigned Classroom Dynamics Questionnaire and the Identification with Academics Scale. The participants included adult learners enrolled in a face-to-face or online remedial education course offered by a two-year technical college in Georgia. Bivariate, omnibus, and multiple regression analyses were conducted in order to determine the best explanation for observed variances in the four dimensions of classroom dynamics: teacher respect for students, student confidence in the teacher’s ability, learner voice, and learner cohesion in the classroom. However, due to high multicollinearity discovered in the predictor variables, a multiple regression analyses was performed in order to create the CDQ- Composite variable. Analyses revealed that age, ethnicity, and online instruction accounted for a small percentage of variances in the four dimensions of classroom dynamics. According to the findings, instructional delivery methods and demographic variables had no predictive power in face-to-face or online students’ classroom perceptions. These variables were modest predictors of student perceptions of classroom dynamics. Identification with academics was a significant predictor for two dimensions of classroom dynamics— teacher ability and teacher respect—and the CDQ-Composite.