Which Type of Interpersonal Interaction Better Facilitates College Student Learning and Development in China:Face-to-Face or Online?

Purpose:This study attempts to explore how Chinese college students engage in face-to-facesynchronous and online asynchronous interactions and examine how the two different interacition types are associated with their academic learning(learning achievement and the developmentof research skills),satisfaction,and their perceptions of learning environments.DesignlApproach/Methods:A sample of 3,999 undergraduate students from a research university in Northern China participated in the survey.Aseries of cluster analysis,one-way analysisof variance,and hierarchical multiple regression were conducted.Findings:The cluster analysis results revealed that there were four types of learners amongthese students and thata large percentage of Chinese undergraduates were classified into eitherdigital communicators(36.16%)or passive interactors(32.71%).In general the face-to-facesynchronous interaction generated more desirable academic learning perceptions of the learn-ing environment,and higher satisfaction than the online asynchronous interaction in mostaspects.However,the asynchronous online interaction fostered student autonomy and contributed to students'completion of an in-depth thesis.OriginalitylValue:By distinguishing face-to-face synchronous versus online asynchronousinteractions,this study led toan enhanced knowledge of the interactive patterns of Chinesecollege students and uncovered the specific effects of the two types ofinterpersonal interactionsin Chinese research universities.