The Effects of Learners’ Aptitude and Transformation of Social Web Activity Experiences on Online Learning: An Exploratory Study

One of the facts of online learning is when learners engage in such learning, the rest of the Web is merely a click away. While many studies have identified an association between learners’ personal attributes and online learning experiences, few have explored the linkages among learners’ aptitude, experiences of daily social web activities, and perception of online learning. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relative effects of learners’ personal aptitude and transformation of social web activity experiences on their perceptions of online learning. A total of 95 university-bound undergraduate students participated in the study by completing two sets of questionnaires administrated at the beginning and the end of semester respectively. The participants were divided into four groups based on the degree of experiential learning transformation and were compared across the variables of learner aptitude and perception of online learning. Data were analyzed using frequency analysis, correlation analysis, and multivariate and univariate analysis of variance. Result revealed the significant main effect of experiential learning transformation of social web activities on changes in learner perception of online learning. In addition, one significant interaction effect deriving from experiential learning transformation and learner autonomy pertaining to the variable of personal aptitude was further identified. Finally, our finding has implications for the inclusive instructional design of online social technology resources.