Abstract:

The research paper reveals how the evaluation of the Pedagogical Variation Model (PVM, Rogers 2013) from a multicultural perspective highlights various significant transactional and transformational leadership strategies for successful e-learning and e-teaching. Using a leadership paradigm lens an all-inclusive, holistic online environment, with opportunities for both e-learners and e-teachers emerges selecting the most appropriate approach to create environments, conducive in unleashing innovative ideas for problem-solving in the 21st Century. This approach, suggests the reduction in online attrition rates, thereby increasing retention rates. Two contrasting approaches, namely constructivist versus instructivist are considered. Rogers (2013) recognised an in-depth insight to pedagogical leadership for e-moderators, (i.e. online teachers) is paramount to successful e-learning. Garrison (2011) noted the absence of pedagogical leadership, suggesting attrition rates decreasing with increasing retention rates. Thus, the research problem addressed this gap by developing the PVM model, for online teachers, based on e-moderator leadership qualities (Rogers, 2004, 2005/2011) for teaching and learning in asynchronous discussion forums.

The PVM (Rogers 2013) uses one Boston 2 x 2 Matrix format in an analysis to capture online teacher leadership strategies i.e:
(i) transactional (i.e. task-giving) and
(ii) transformational (i.e. empowering) with 4 quadrants (A,B,C, and D) Another Boston 2 x 2 Matrix format is used in an analysis to capture online e-learner behaviour variables,
(i) collaborative (i.e. sharing and exchanging ideas) and
(ii) capacity for knowledge construction (i.e. creative thinking) with 4 quadrants (E,F,G, and H). Models are useful tools to understand not only learning processes of students but also for educators to explore new dimensions for teaching. This being the central aim in the evaluation of the PVM, collaborative research projects with the Faculty of Education, Kuwait Universit ,by Dr. Fayiz Aldhafeeri (2014), Dr Aline Grunewald Nichele, Federal Institute (IFRS) Brazil (2018) and Members of The Sports and PE Faculty, South Ural State University SUSU, Russian Federation, RF (2019), separately undertook the evaluation of the PVM using an online questionnaire (Rogers 2013). This collaborative research reveals that whilst a constructivist environment (e-learner centred) was recognised by a minority of respondents, the majority of respondents from both samples under-graduate and post-graduate,(Kuwait University, Education Faculty) preferred an instructivist e-moderator approach. However, the contrary was found (IFRS, Brazil). For these pre-service teachers, neither a constructivist, nor instructivist environment was recognised as a preferred environment, it was more so to be “self-directed” and “supportive”. The study within a sports´ and PE environment at SUSU, RF, is ongoing. Whilst no generalisation of the results can be made as samples are small (less than thirty), nevertheless the outcomes reveal that an instructivist approach remains still a preferred learning environment for some whilst for others it does not. The research rationale is broached with insights into different pedagogical concepts that have shaped the research design, including:
(i) the paradoxical nature of two diametrically opposing pedagogies i.e. instructivist and constructivist pedagogies, and
(ii) pedagogical leadership in asynchronous learning networks

Keywords:

Online learning and teaching, e-learning, e-moderating, pedagogical leadership, attrition, retention, constructivist, instructivist, collaborative research.