What Motivates a Student to Participate in the Electronic Discussion Forum: A Survey Study of Students' Participation Intention

Electronic discussion forum has increasingly being utilized to complement the conventional ways of teaching by encouraging the students to take a more proactive approach towards learning. Despite the widespread application, antecedent evidence indicates that the forum may not be utilized to its full potential due to lower than expected student participation. Furthermore, little research has been conducted to understand the determinants of learners’ intention towards active participation from the behavioral perspective. With reference to the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this research, seeks to identify and examine the factors influencing the student’s intention to participate in electronic discussion forum. A conceptual model depicts the causal relationships of outcome expectancy, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on intention formation. Moderating variables of perceived importance of learning and conformity motivation are also studied. A survey is conducted. Results and implications are discussed.