Abstract
This study explores the types of online interaction used and levels of reflection achieved by undergraduate students, including the influence of the former on the latter on Google Docs. A qualitative approach was employed by means of (i) content analysis of students’ comments and individual reflections based on the established coding schemes of online interaction and reflection and (ii) focus group interviews for triangulation purposes. The study involved two groups of six students. Analysis of data revealed that Group 1 and Group 2 used Clarification/Elaboration and Acknowledgement of Opinion the most while commenting on the platform, respectively. Though instances of Relating were reported most frequently in both groups’ individual reflections, most of the students actually reached the Low level of reflection. Group 2 had more students categorised as Medium-level reflectors than Group 1, suggesting that the use of more Question types for interaction by the former could have led them to have more Medium-level reflectors than Group 1.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the participants of both groups who sincerely contributed to the findings of the study, expert who validated the focus group interview questions as well as external auditor who helped in the inter-rater reliability test.
Funding
The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) for their support in making this project possible. This research was supported by Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) through Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS/1/2020/SSI0/USM/02/9).
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Appendix
Appendix
Focus Group Interview Protocol
Introduction
Thank you for taking your time to talk to me. I think our conversation will last about 30 to 45 min. Basically, I’m doing interviews to get a better understanding of your experience with online interaction and reflective writing instructional strategy.
If it’s okay with you, I’m going to audio record our interview so that I can refer to it later. After I have transcribed our interview session, I will share it with you for checking and modification in case you have more to share or add on. Our conversation will be completely confidential.
I am curious about your thoughts and perspectives. Please feel free to share your honest opinions. Apart from my guided questions, you can provide more of your ideas if you feel necessary to express your thoughts. There are no right or wrong answers. Please feel free to skip any questions that I ask you.
Interview questions
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1. What do you think about the usefulness of the online interaction guide provided in Google Docs? (*How can it be further improved?) (show participants the online interaction guide) (show participants the online interaction guide)
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2. The following questions will be based on the guide of online interaction:
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a. Which type of online interaction do you like most? Why?
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b. Which type of online interaction do you feel most useful or not useful? Why?
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c. Which type of online interaction do you prefer and/or not prefer to receive from your members? Why?
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1. How does it differ to learn about the topic with and without interacting with your members?
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2. Does reading from your members’ replies to your comment about the topic content affect your learning process? Please provide your reason for your answer.
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3. What do you think about your role when you replied to your members’ comments?
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4. Does the use of Google Docs affect a group's interaction?
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5. How do you think about reflective writing in Google Docs in understanding the content of this task?
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6. How do you perceive yourself in generating higher level reflective writing for this task?
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7. What do you think about the usefulness of the reflective writing guide provided in Google Docs? (*How can it be further improved?) (show participants the reflective writing guide)
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8. What do you think about the usefulness of online interaction with your group members in writing your individual reflection?
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9. Are there any moments that you enjoyed and/or struggled while completing this task?
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Lee, S.J.C., Abdul Rabu, S.N. Google docs for higher education: Evaluating online interaction and reflective writing using content analysis approach. Educ Inf Technol 27, 3651–3681 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10760-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10760-4