Korean and foreign students' perceptions of the teacher's role in a multicultural online learning environment in Korea

Abstract

This study investigated Korean and foreign students' perception of the teacher's role in multicultural online learning environments in Korea. On the basis of a literature review, a survey questionnaire was developed and piloted with 248 university students in Korea. The questionnaire was subsequently modified on the basis of the results of the pilot study, and a final 20-item questionnaire was constructed. Three hundred and eighty-four university students participated in the main study. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used for statistical analyses. The results indicated that students have a particular perception of the teacher's role in a multicultural online learning environment. Five different types of teacher's roles-pedagogical, managerial, technical, affective, and differentiating-were identified. The teacher's affective and differentiating roles, which were not identified as crucial in previous research, were found to be significant roles for both Korean and foreign students. © 2011 Association for Educational Communications and Technology.