Examining the role of social connectedness and sense of humor on social presence in online learning environments

Abstract Social connectedness is the feeling of belonging to a network or engaging in social interactions and it pertains to the sense of community and interpersonal bonds that students establish in face-to-face or online learning environments. Social presence is one of the crucial components of online learning that describes how much users feel like they are interacting with actual people instead of just using digital interfaces. Sense of humor is a personal disposition that allows students to appreciate, produce, and use humor in social interactions and learning. This study aimed to investigate the role of social connectedness and sense of humor in social presence in online learning environments. Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey research model, students enrolled in Turkish higher education institutions who were recruited through convenience sampling were included in the study. Participants consisted of a total of 516 students between the ages of 18 and 52 with a mean age of 23.12 (SD = 5.30). Participants responded to an online survey consisting of demographic questions, Social Presence Scale (SPS), Sense of Humor Questionnaire 6 Revised (SHQ-6-R), and Social Connectedness Scale (SCS). Analyses showed that SPS was positively correlated with SHQ-6-R and SCS and they accounted for %9 of change in SPS along with some of the participant characteristics. Findings indicate that social connectedness and sense of humor are important in students’ feeling of social presence in online learning environments and social psychological characteristics of students need to be considered in the design of instructional experiences in online learning environments.