The+-+Transactional+Distance

Transactional Distance
The theory of transactional distance is based on the concept that the physical distance that separates the student from other students and from the instructor in e-learning creates a psychological distance or space between participants that can be mitigated or exacerbated based on the interaction of three constructs. This psychological space is perceived by students, is specifically individual ( Giossos, Koutsouba, Lionarakis, & Skavantzos, 2009 ), has been shown to be the primary reason for student isolation, and is more evident in e-learning than in face-to-face classrooms ( Pigliapoco & Bogliolo, 2008 ). As transactional distance increases, whether in the traditional classroom or online, misunderstandings and miscommunication may occur between instructor and student regarding the material to be learned and the educational, emotional, and psychological needs of the student ( Falloon, 2011; Giossos et al., 2009; Stein, Calvin, & Wanstreet, 2009 ). It is in this psychological space that learning occurs for the student and teaching is conducted by the instructor ( Stein et al., 2009 ). The constructs of transactional distance provide a useful guide for the practice of teaching and learning online ( Falloon, 2011; Stein et al., 2009 ), is a core theory of distance education, as well as a useful framework for instructors to use ( Giossos et al., 2009 ). Transactional distance focuses on the quality of the complex interactions between instructor and student who are physically separated in time or space as the key to learning ( Giossos et al., 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">), which is affected by three basic constructs; dialogue, structure, and autonomy ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Falloon, 2011; Giossos et al., 2009; Stein et al., 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). Dialogue is more than the communication or interactions that occur between student and instructor, but is a mechanism of teaching ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Giossos et al., 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">) in a context of cooperation, instructor understanding, clear educational goals, and quality communication that results in student learning ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Falloon, 2011 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">) and is moderated by the modes of communication available ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Stein et al., 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). As the quality of dialogue increases, transactional distance decreases: Conversely, if dialogue decreases, transactional distance increases ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Falloon, 2011; Giossos et al., 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). Structure focuses on how accommodating the course objectives, pedagogy, and assessments are to the needs of the individual student ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Falloon, 2011; Giossos et al., 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). The more pre-prescribed or rigid the structure of a course, dialogue tends to decrease, increasing transactional distance ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Giossos et al., 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). The inverse is not true. As a course becomes more flexible and accommodating to student needs transactional distance decreases, but only within certain limits. At some point, transactional distance will begin to increase as structure decreases ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Giossos et al., 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">) because students are more likely to become confused regarding objectives or dissatisfied with the level of their learning ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Falloon, 2011 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). The goal of the instructor is to find the optimal amount of structure with his or her individual students to also optimize dialogue and minimize transactional distance ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Desai, Hart, & Richards, 2008 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). Autonomy involves the student’s sense of ownership of the learning content and process and is closely tied to the student’s self-directedness and social presence within the context of the structure of the learning ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Desai et al., 2008; Falloon, 2011; Giossos et al., 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). Autonomy is the perception of control over learning experienced by the student that interacts with the other two constructs. As students are able to exert control over their educational goals and progress by magnifying their independence and solidifying their interdependence; dialogue increases, structure decreases, resulting in smaller transactional distances ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Falloon, 2011; Giossos et al., 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Giossos et al. (2009) suggested that transactional distance be viewed through the epistemological framework of realism. In realism, prediction is impossible due to the complex nature of the systems and structures involved, but patterns can be detected. These patterns, in experimental research would be the independent variables that through mediating and moderating variables produce results in dependent variables. The goal of realism therefore, is not to predict effect from cause, but to identify the “actions, which, through mechanisms, produce results under certain conditions” ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Giossos et al., 2009, p. 3, emphasis in original <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). In this view, teaching is the action; dialogue, structure, and autonomy are the mechanisms; and transactional distance is the result. Each mechanism is in turn affected by other mechanisms. For example, the development of a sense of community or interdependence within the student increases autonomy and has been shown to reduce transactional distance ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Pigliapoco & Bogliolo, 2008 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). The development of relationships within a class and the presentation of information in a lively and relevant way have been shown to positively affect dialogue, reducing transactional distance ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Falloon, 2011 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). The use of e-mail and phone calls in online environments decreases transactional distance by allowing more individualized learning and autonomy ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Belair, 2012 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">).


 * Belair, M. (2012). The investigation of virtual school communications. //Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 56//(4), 26-33. doi:10.1007/s11528-012-0584-2
 * Desai, M. S., Hart, J., & Richards, T. C. (2008). E-learning: Paradigm shift in education. //Education, 129//(2), 327-334. Retrieved from ERIC Database. (EJ871567)
 * Falloon, G. (2011). Making the connection: Moore's theory of transactional distance and its relevance to the use of a virtual classroom in postgraduate online teacher education. //Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 43//(3), 187-209. Retrieved from http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/5283/Making%20the%20Connection.pdf?sequence=1
 * Giossos, Y., Koutsouba, M., Lionarakis, A., & Skavantzos, K. (2009). Reconsidering Moore's transactional distance theory. //European Journal of Open distance and ELearning, 2//, 1-6. Retrieved from http://www.eurodl.org/?article=37
 * Pigliapoco, E. E., & Bogliolo, A. A. (2008). The effects of psychological sense of community in online and face-to-face academic courses. //International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 3//(4), 60-69. Retrieved from http://www.online-journals.org/i-jet
 * Stein, D. S., Calvin, J., & Wanstreet, C. E. (2009). How a novice adult online learner experiences transactional distance. //Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 10//(3), 305-311. Retrieved from http://www.infoagepub.com/index.php?id=89&i=43