EFL Students’ Perceptions of Social Presence and Satisfaction in Online Learning

Abstract

Research shows online students are more likely to quit class if they do not like the instructor, the format, or the feedback. In addition, since they work independently, relying almost wholly upon self-motivation and self-direction, online learners may be more inclined to withdraw from the class if they do not get immediate results. In Indonesia, online learning is spot as deficient compared with face-to-face learning. It is notably due to the lack of social presence and lacks' of students satisfaction. However, little research has been done to investigate students’ perception of online learning in Junior High School. This study describes students' perceptions of social presence and satisfaction by 9th grade at SMPN 3 Banjarmasin. The researcher conducted a qualitative approach with the descriptive method. The total number of respondents is 54 students. The researcher used online instruments which questionnaire and interview for collecting the data. The result in this study indicated that most students felt comfortable introducing themselves and communicating in an online environment. Furthermore, students are satisfied knowing that they can deepen the subject matter at home. Besides, students are not satisfied that they can understand the subject well in online learning. The finding was also found that student's willingness to take more online classes is strongly disagreed.