Using Live Video Streaming in Online Tutoring: Exploring Factors Affecting Social Interaction

The growth of live video streaming (LVS) technology provides new possibilities for online tutoring in that it accommodates a massive number of learners simultaneously. Questions still exist, however, about the extent to which new technology can support interactions between an instructor and a vast number of learners, as well as which factors would influence learners' interactions with the instructor and peer learners. This study explored these questions by conducting a survey involving 189 senior high school students participating in online LVS tutoring. The results indicated that learner-instructor interaction dominated social interaction in the online tutoring environment with the current system design. This design may also contribute to the development of the perceived presence of peer learners with few direct information exchanges among peers. Social Connectedness and perceived enjoyment positively influenced learner-instructor interaction, whereas social fears and the social presence of the instructor negatively influenced learner-learner interaction.