Social Presence And Interaction Satisfaction: A Comparison Between Face-To-Face And Online Learning Modalities In Maritime Education

Abstract

This quantitative study aimed to assess and compare the level of satisfaction of 2nd year SMET cadets of online and face-to-face learning modalities. The researchers also sought to identify satisfaction levels in terms of social presence and social interaction and to compare satisfaction levels between the two platforms. A total of 121 2nd year SMET cadet students were chosen using purposive sampling and surveyed through Google Form questionnaires, validated by experts. The data gathered from the survey were analyzed mean and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The findings revealed that students were "totally satisfied" with online learning, while they were "very satisfied" with face-to-face learning. However, both learning modalities scored "very good" in terms of academic performance. There was a significant difference found between online or face-to-face learning and social presence or social interaction. Furthermore, face-to-face learning had a significantly higher mean compared to online learning in terms of social interaction, social presence, and overall satisfaction. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test confirmed these differences between the two learning modalities. In conclusion, this study indicates that 2nd year SMET cadet students expressed high satisfaction levels with both online and face-to-face learning, with face-to-face learning receiving slightly higher scores in social interaction, social presence, and overall satisfaction. The study highlights the importance of considering different teaching modalities and their impact on student satisfaction and academic performance.