An Analysis of Social Presence and Cognitive Presence in Discussion Forum

An increase of asynchronous online discussions in website provides much opportunity for L2 learners from different global communities to be exposed to the target language at their own pace and time. However, no research looking at the essentials of social presence and cognitive presence in creating a supportive learning environment in such a context has been done. This study investigated the patterns of social presence and cognitive presence in context of Iran. It also examined the relationship between social presence and cognitive presence. Using content analysis, the data were analyzed from 304 online messages. The findings showed that levels of social presence and cognitive presence were significantly related and supported the notion that social presence plays a significant role in sustaining cognitive presence in discussions.