Title: Determinants for success in online learning communities

Authors: Binshan Lin, John A. Vassar

Addresses: College of Business Administration, Louisiana State University in Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71115, USA. ' College of Business Administration, Louisiana State University in Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71115, USA

Abstract: Online learning communities offer learners social networks to effectively and easily acquire and share knowledge among themselves. As such, this study postulates that self-governance is a motivating force for enabling online learning communities. This paper seeks to develop a research framework of the determinants that identify the motivating forces required to build online learning communities. Self-governance can be measured in terms of self-efficacy, perceived behavioural control and personal outcome expectations regarding human-technology interactions. The pedagogical implications of this study are discussed and the future research directions are suggested as well.

Keywords: learner control; self-governance; social cognitive theory; SCT; theory of planned behaviour; TPB; online learning communities; online communities; virtual communities; web based communities; self-efficacy; behavioural control; personal outcome expectations; e-learning; electronic learning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2009.025210

International Journal of Web Based Communities, 2009 Vol.5 No.3, pp.340 - 350

Published online: 16 May 2009 *

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