The Influence of Social Presence in Online Group Work

Abstract

This paper explores the influence of social presence in online group work, emphasizing its impact on collaboration, communication, and overall group performance. Social presence, defined as the ability of participants to perceive each other as real and engaged in the online environment, is critical for fostering a sense of community and trust among group members. We present a quantitative survey in which 122 participants carried out a survey among the undergraduates. The survey has 4 key elements which consist of demographic profile, cognitive presence, social presence and teaching presence. The findings showed that the social presence posted a moderate significant between cognitive presence. Furthermore, analysis of cognitive presence revealed that a moderate significant correlation has been reported between teaching presence. Besides that, the results indicated that a moderate significant of the correlations between teaching and social presence. The implications for educators, facilitators, and organizations implementing online group work are considered, highlighting the necessity of designing online environments that support and enhance social presence in online group work.