Narratives from the online frontier: A K-12 student's experience in an online learning environment

Abstract

Despite a large increase in the number of students enrolled in online courses, published research on student experiences in these environments is minimal. This article reports the narrative analysis of a series of interviews conducted with a female student at a brick-and-mortar school enrolled in a single virtual school course. Her narratives describe a student who often struggled with the content in her online course and was reluctant to interact with her online teacher. When she interacted with people online, it was using text, because she was shy and the hardware often did not work. Darlene's experiences, likely typical of many K-12 online students, highlight a system in need of better strategies for the design and delivery of its educational opportunities. © 2012: Michael Barbour and Nova Southeastern University.