Student Misbehaviors in Online Classrooms: Scale Development and Validation

Abstract

The current program of research included two studies that developed the Student Online Misbehaviors (SOMs) scale and explored relationships between the SOMs and various classroom communication processes and outcomes. The first study inductively developed initial SOM typologies and tested factor structure via an exploratory factor analysis. Subsequently, the second study evaluated the model fit through a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and assessed relationships between students’ perceptions of their online misbehaviors, perceived learning, and various demographic characteristics. Four factors were found in the SOMs scale: Seeking Unallowed Assistance, Internet Slacking, Aggressiveness, and Lack of Communication. Reliability and validity were established. Results indicated certain demographics were related to perceptions of use and severity of SOMs; SOMs were minimally related to students’ perception of learning.