Development and Validation of the Sense of Online Community Scale
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21729523 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Craig E Shepherd (0009-0009-7838-6795, University of Memphis), Doris U Bolliger (0000-0001-8104-6243, Texas Tech University), Courtney McKim (0000-0001-5252-9756, University of Wyoming) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 214-232 |
| Publication date | 2023-12-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1492-3831 • E-ISSN: 1492-3831 |
| Publisher | Athabasca University Press (PUBLISHER • CA) |
| DOI | 10.19173/irrodl.v24i4.7379 |
| OpenAlex | W4389369445 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
This study focused on the development and validation of the Sense of Online Community Scale (SOCS), which includes 28 Likert-type scale items across six subscales: (a) program community, (b) program academic activities, (c) program social activities, (d) institutional academic activities, (e) institutional social activities, and (f) affiliation. The validation process included an implementation with 293 learners enrolled in online programs at a higher education institution in the eastern United States. The model was evaluated with and without outliers, and results show that the model aligned well with the SOCS. The means of all items except one exceeded 3.5 on a 5.0 scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Time in an online program was not a statistically significant predictor of the validation model, though most of our participants were in the first or second year of their degree programs. Findings demonstrate that the SOCS is a reliable and valid instrument that other researchers may use to investigate community in online environments on both the program and the institutional level
Developmental psychology · Geography · Higher education · Institution · Likert scale · Mathematics education · Medical education · Online community · Political science · Sense of community · Social science · Sociology · World Wide Web · Applied Psychology · Community Health and Development · Computer Science · Medicine · Online and Blended Learning · Psychology · Service-Learning and Community Engagement · Social Psychology
A review of online course dropout research
Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis
Habits of the heart
Leaving College
Institutional, program, and professional community
Structural Model Evaluation and Modification
Development of a Three-Factor Psychological Sense of Community Scale
Comparative fit indexes in structural models
Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling
The Community Question
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |