Physiological Interface in Online Learning Environments: Vocal Expression as an Anxiety Indicator

This study is rooted in Human Resource Development (HRD), and it was designed to gather evidence and support for the discussion about the use of physiological input in the online learning process, filling an existing void in the literature. Although studies on online learning and on physiological metrics exist, few initiatives covering the intersection of these topics, under circumstances explored here, are readily available. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of students' vocal cues, from naturalistic utterances, as proxies for emotion recognition in online learning settings. This exploratory research was designed under the ex post facto, nonexperimental, correlational framework to investigate and discuss the relationship between vocal cues and anxiety levels. A meticulous sampling approach was used, aiming at specific participants from a set of students of the first online course of a fully online master's program. The sample consisted of 52 participants, geographically dispersed and balanced in terms of gender. Beyond input from the related literature, a comprehensive set of statistical procedures and analyses of three main sources of data for this study (audio segments from regular participation in synchronous sessions, audio segments from final presentation of the course project, and STAI scores) yielded relevant evidence to support the central claim of the study: vocal expression, to a sound extent, accurately indicates anxiety levels of students in online learning environments. Implications for both education and practice are discussed, as well as recommendations for future research in this area.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Human Resources and Family Studies

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Cornachione, Edgard Bruno, Jr

Contributors dc:contributor

• Johnson, Scott D.

• Speech Communication

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3347586

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/87800