Students’ Motivation for Participating in Discussion Board

Online discussion boards are considered beneficial to learning activities. The effectiveness of discussion boards is greatly dependent on students’ levels of participation. In this study we examine the motivational factors for student participation in online discussion boards in blended learning contexts, that is, hybrids of in-class and online learning. We propose that desire for esteem and affiliation, conformity to group norms, and reciprocity have a direct impact on the level of participation in the activity. A quantitative survey will be conducted to test our theoretical model in the next step of the research