There is increasing research on strategies for fostering students’ motivation online. However, a focus is lacking on the role of teacher caring and connectedness and how these motivational constructs develop in the online environment. Mixed methods were used to assess students’ perceptions of connectedness and teacher caring and how the teacher’s behavior related to these factors. Participants were 173 students in an asynchronous, online graduate course in public administration. A survey included a validated caring scale from the MUSIC Model of Motivation Inventory and single items. Students’ perceptions of teacher caring were very strong. Data from focus groups, open questions, and a teacher interview cast a deeper light on the results. Course structures with quality material, clear directions, positive communication, support, and personal presence were influential. Students’ sense of peer connectedness varied. Instructional strategies should be planned so that students perceive teacher caring, as this factor improves student motivation and learning.
Höfundar: Ásta B. Schram og Sigurbjörg Jóhannesdóttir
Keywords: connectedness, relatedness, caring, motivation, online studies, higher
education
Kristinn Ingvarsson