The Influence of National Culture Toward Learners’ Interaction in the Online Learning Environment

Abstract

The authors conducted a comparative analysis to examine learners’ interaction in the Web-based learning environment of 2 distance education institutions. The interaction was critically analyzed based on social, procedural, expository, explanatory, and cognitive dimensions, across 7 categories of exchanges between course coordinator to groups, tutor to group, tutor to student, student to group, student to course coordinator, student to tutor, and student to student. The authors discuss the influence of national culture toward learners’ interaction. Strategies to enhance the quality of online interaction toward effective teaching and learning in Web-based and blended distance education are also proposed.