Abstract
Synchronous online learning (SOL) is a form of education where teachers and students interact in real time using digital tools and platforms. It has become a defining mode of education in the post-pandemic era. While SOL offers access and flexibility, the literature on SOL exposes gaps in understanding how it is enacted in synchronous environments. Existing studies often treat SOL as a replica of face-to-face teaching or position it in contrast to asynchronous online learning, without recognising SOL as a distinct modality with its own characteristics and dynamics. In the context of teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Vietnam, SOL emerged amidst infrastructural and pedagogical challenges. Addressing these gaps requires not only empirical investigation but also the development of more holistic analytical frameworks.
This thesis addresses these gaps via a multiple-case study in Vietnamese EFL teaching contexts, examining the interaction patterns that emerge in synchronous online classrooms, how key features of SOL shape these patterns, and how these dynamics influence students’ learning experiences and outcomes. Case Study 1 was conducted in an EFL course delivered through a blended model that combined synchronous online sessions with face-to-face instruction. Participants were aged from 18 to 20 and were full-time students at University A. Case Study 2 examined a fully online distance education program at University B. Participants were aged from 25 to 50. These contrasting cases offered a comparative lens for understanding how SOL functions across various configurations of space, interaction, and time. Data were collected through online and F2F classroom observations, students’ pre- and post-course surveys, interviews with teachers, and analysis of learning outcomes using students’ GPA. The study primarily adopted a qualitative case study approach, with quantitative data used to support the triangulation of findings. This approach enabled rich triangulation of perspectives, capturing not only the observable dynamics of classroom interaction but also students’ subjective experiences and perceptions of synchronous learning.
The analysis revealed that interaction patterns in SOL are far more complex than simple counts of teacher-student or student-student exchanges. Recurrent interaction patterns emerged across both cases, including Moving Along, Coaxing, Degrading, Demanding, Polling, and Expanding. Each pattern was shaped by the affordances and constraints of digital learning platforms, teachers’ teaching strategies, and students’ response behaviours. The research findings also revealed student learning experiences, which were contingent upon the interconnections of space (physical or virtual), interaction (chat or microphones), and time (immediate or delayed responses). They varied from Passive Compliance to Structured Engagement, Prompted Engagement, Forced Engagement, Responsive Engagement, and Autonomous Engagement. These results underscore that learning outcomes in SOL are not merely a function of content delivery but are produced through the dynamic interplay of space, interaction, and time.
Conceptually, the thesis proposes the Space, Interaction, and Time (SIT) framework as a comprehensive lens for analysing synchronous learning environments. Unlike existing models that isolate single dimensions of S, I, and T, (such as Moore’s (1983) interactional model or Garrison et al.’s (2000) Community of Inquiry framework), the SIT framework captures how these three dimensions mutually shape learner engagement and pedagogical practice. This approach extends socio-cultural perspectives on learning by situating cognition within digitally mediated spaces and time-bound exchanges, offering a nuanced account of how knowledge is co-constructed in real-time online contexts.
In terms of practice, the study provides valuable recommendations for educators and instructional designers seeking to enhance the quality of SOL. It emphasises how to best utilise platform affordances, activity pacing, and class arrangements to encourage equitable access and active engagement, particularly in environments with diverse student characteristics or limited infrastructure. Together with supporting teacher professional development and guiding institutional strategies for the sustainable integration of SOL, the research provides evidence-based insights into Vietnamese EFL learners' experiences with synchronous learning. This thesis enhances knowledge of SOL and illustrates the usefulness of the SIT framework for both research and practice by fusing theoretical innovation with case-based evidence. It presents SOL as not merely a method of delivery but as a complex, situated ecology in which Space, Interaction, and Time come together to shape the possibilities for teaching and learning in the digital age.