ABSTRACT
As K–12 online course enrollments grow, it is increasingly important for researchers to examine student support systems. Research examining peer-provided support is especially lacking and was the focus of this research. We conducted eight focus groups with 51 students at three schools in Michigan. While students were enrolled in online courses, they also attended a daily lab with an on-site facilitator. The analysis of the focus group transcripts found that students reported frequent communications with both their online peers and their peers in their local school. The large majority of students’ interactions with their peers occurred on discussion boards, and the students seemed to perceive them as forced, inauthentic, repetitious, and overall unhelpful. In contrast, their in-person interactions with peers were more spontaneous, needs based, and initiated by the student. These informal supports are often missed by online and blended frameworks. The Academic Communities of Engagement framework provided a more expansive lens that proved helpful in this research.
