Developing a community of inquiry instrument: Testing a measure of the Community of Inquiry framework using a multi-institutional sample

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Abstract

This article reports on the multi-institutional development and validation of an instrument that attempts to operationalize Garrison, Anderson and Archer's Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (2000). The results of the study suggest that the instrument is a valid, reliable, and efficient measure of the dimensions of social presence and cognitive presence, thereby providing additional support for the validity of the CoI as a framework for constructing effective online learning environments. While factor analysis supported the idea of teaching presence as a construct, it also suggested that the construct consisted of two factors—one related to course design and organization and the other related to instructor behavior during the course. The article concludes with a discussion of potential implications of further refinement of the CoI measures for researchers, designers, administrators, and instructors.

Introduction

With at least 356 citations to date (Google Scholar, May 2008), Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2000) Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework is becoming increasingly influential for explaining and prescribing the effective conduct of online learning. However, as long as there are no valid and reliable measures to test the framework, its impact to influence online learning theory will be limited. While the CoI framework has been examined extensively in qualitative studies (Anagnostopoulos et al., 2005, Garrison and Cleveland-Innes, 2005, Oriogun et al., 2005, Schrire, 2004), and individual components of the framework have been examined empirically (Richardson and Swan, 2003, Shea et al., 2003, Wise et al., 2004), the number of studies that simultaneously examine all components of the framework empirically is extremely limited (Arbaugh, 2007, Garrison et al., 2004). This concern has been noted recently by several scholars (Arbaugh, 2007, Garrison, 2007, Garrison and Arbaugh, 2007, Ho and Swan, 2007), and work to develop measures of the framework is underway. However, the fact that these initial verification studies were conducted using single-institution samples limits their generalizability.

This article attempts to address these concerns by reporting on the development and testing of an instrument to measure the CoI framework using a multi-institutional sample. In addressing calls for a more quantitative orientation to research on the CoI and for more efficient measures of the framework (Arbaugh, 2007, Garrison, 2007, Ho and Swan, 2007), it is hoped that the measure of this framework that emerged from this study subsequently can be used to help researchers examine the relationship of the CoI to variables such as course outcomes (Shea, Li, & Pickett, 2006).

The rest of the article is organized as follows. Because The Internet and Higher Education has given extensive coverage to the CoI framework in previous articles (i.e. Arbaugh and Hwang, 2006, Garrison et al., 2000, Goertzen and Kristjansson, 2007, Shea et al., 2006, Vaughan and Garrison, 2005), the first section provides a brief overview of the framework. The second section of the article discusses the methods and results of testing a thirty-four item instrument. The article's final section discusses these findings and identifies potential implications for future research.

Section snippets

The Community of Inquiry framework—an overview

The CoI framework was first proposed to guide research into online learning (Garrison et al., 2000). It provided a collaborative-constructivist perspective to understanding the dynamics of an online learning experience. This is consistent with the traditional values of higher education to support discourse and reflection in a community of inquiry.

The catalyst for the generation of the CoI Framework was the focus on social presence in the early days of exploring computer conferencing. The

Method and results

The 34-item Community of Inquiry framework survey instrument was administered at four institutions in the Summer of 2007. Participating institutions were located in the United States and Canada. Participants in the study were enrolled in graduate-level courses in either Education or Business. 287 students volunteered to complete the survey, yielding a response rate of 43%.

Ordinal responses were scored using the scale (0 = Strongly Disagree) to (4 = Strongly Agree). Mean responses for the 34 items

Discussion

The Principal Components Analysis of the data supports the construct validity of Teaching Presence, Social Presence and Cognitive Presence as measured by the CoI. However, when allowing for any possible number of factors in the analysis, eigenvalues indicate a potential fourth factor, while the scree plot yields inconclusive results.

The factor loadings are consistent with recent studies that suggest a two-dimensional orientation of items used to measure teaching presence. Studies by both

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