Influence of Teaching and Social Presence on Cognitive Presence in Ethiopian Online Learning

Abstract

This study, guided by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, investigated the levels of implementation and relationships between teaching, social, and cognitive presence in online MBA programs at five Ethiopian private higher education institutions. It also analyzes the impact of the teaching and social presence on the cognitive presence. Using a survey questionnaire, the author analyzed data from 245 students using descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple linear regression. The findings indicate that teaching presence was perceived as strong, while social presence was lower, particularly in group cohesion. All three presences showed significant positive correlations. Teaching presence had the strongest correlation with both social (r=0.44) and cognitive (r=0.32) presence. Regression analysis confirmed teaching presence as a strong predictor of cognitive presence (β=0.302, p<0.001), while the influence and unique predictive contribution of social presence was minimal. The study underscores the crucial role of effective instructional design and teaching presence in online learning within this context and recommends enhancing collaborative learning to optimize outcomes.