Students' motivations and their contributions to virtual learning

In recent years, increasing attention has been devoted to virtual learning. Individual characteristics are known to play a crucial role in learning processes but only limited research has been conducted in the context of virtual settings. Therefore, we used an integrated multimethod approach in order to examine the impact of types of academic motivation (intrinsic vs. extrinsic) on virtual learning. This study of 100 online summer course participants indicates that the willingness to contribute to discourse depends on the type of motivation. Intrinsically motivated learners became central and prominent contributors to cognitive discourse. In contrast, extrinsically motivated learners contributed less and were positioned on the outer fringe of the social network.