Which Type of Interpersonal Interaction Better Facilitates College Student Learning and Development in China - Face-to-Face or Online?

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk

Purpose explores how Chinese college students engage in face-to-face synchronous and online asynchronous interactions, and how each interaction type relates to academic learning outcomes, research-skills development, satisfaction, and perceived learning-environment characteristics. Methods use a survey of 3,999 undergraduate students from a northern research university and apply cluster analysis, one-way ANOVA, and hierarchical multiple regression. Results identify four learner types and show face-to-face synchronous interaction generally supports more desirable learning and satisfaction, while asynchronous online interaction promotes autonomy and thesis completion.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

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Abstract

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Introduction

Which Type of Interpersonal Interaction Better Facilitates College Student Learning and Development in China: Face-toFace or Online? Hongbiao Yin (尹弘飚) and Lian Shi (史练) The Chinese University of Hong Kong ECNU Review of Education 2022, Vol. 5(1) 9–36 ª The Author(s) 2021 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/20965311211010818](DOI: 10.1177/20965311211010818)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/20965311211010818)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: This study attempts to explore how Chinese college students engage in face-to-face synchronous and online asynchronous interactions and examine how the two different interaction types are associated with their academic learning (learning achievement and the development of research skills), satisfaction, and their perceptions of learning environments. Design/Approach/Methods: A sample of 3,999 undergraduate students from a research university in Northern China participated in the survey. A series of cluster analysis, one-way analysis of variance, and hierarchical multiple regression were conducted. Findings: The cluster analysis results revealed that there were four types of learners among these students and that a large percentage of Chinese undergraduates were classified into either digital communicators (36.16%) or passive interactors (32.71%) . In general, the face-to-face synchronous interaction generated more desirable academic learning, perceptions of the learning environment, and higher satisfaction than the online asynchronous interaction in most aspects. However, the asynchronous online interaction fostered student autonomy and contributed to students’ completion of an in-depth thesis. Corresponding author: Hongbiao Yin, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. Email: [yinhb@cuhk.edu.hk](yinhb@cuhk.edu.hk) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). Originality/Value: By distinguishing face-to-face synchronous versus online asynchronous interactions, this study led to an enhanced knowledge of the interactive patterns of Chinese college students and uncovered the specific effects of the two types of interpersonal interactions in Chinese research universities. Keywords Face-to-face synchronous interaction, higher education, interpersonal interaction, online asynchronous interaction, student learning and development Date received: 15 October 2020; revised: 24 January 2021; accepted: 26 March 2021 Struck by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it is more urgent than ever for us to enrich our understanding of the online learning provided by higher education institutions (HEIs) . In the past decades, digital technologies have facilitated distance communication and education, which are particularly supportive for informal and lifelong learning, with little cost but high flexibility (De Freitas et al., 2015) . Ever since the outbreak ofCOVID-19 at the beginning of 2020, the ecology of global HEIs has been tremendously transformed by the Internet. In a review of the strategies adopted by a number of HEIs from 20 countries, universities and colleges across 19 countries, including China, rapidly closed their face-to-face operations and transferred to online education in diverse ways (Crawford et al., 2020) . Notably, amid the challenge

FAQs

What is the purpose of the study?

The study examines how Chinese college students engage in face-to-face synchronous versus online asynchronous interactions and how these relate to learning achievement, research-skills development, satisfaction, and perceptions of learning environments.

How was the research conducted?

A survey collected data from 3,999 undergraduate students at a research university in Northern China. Cluster analysis, one-way ANOVA, and hierarchical multiple regression were used to analyze the relationships.

What do the findings indicate about learning outcomes?

Cluster analysis revealed four types of learners, with many students classified as digital communicators or passive interactors. Overall, face-to-face synchronous interaction produced more desirable academic learning and satisfaction than online asynchronous interaction in most aspects.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk