Asynchronous online discussions (AODs) are a critical component of online learning, enabling students to exchange ideas and interact with peers in a flexible manner. To explore the interrelationships between social presence and cognitive presence in AODs, and how these two presences are influenced across various instructional strategies used in AODs, this study involved twenty-two students from two fully online courses participating in the discussion boards, and their posts were coded and analyzed based on Community of Inquiry framework. Utilizing the Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) approach, this study uncovered the intricate connections and meanings behind students’ interactions and engagements in AODs. Results indicated that the exploration phase of cognitive presence exhibited the strongest connections with social presence indicators, particularly affective and interactive categories. These findings highlight the critical role of emotional and interactive engagement in cognitive development. Having compared the high-active and low-active classes, we concluded that the active-class exhibited a stronger sense of community and higher emotional engagement. Furthermore, a detailed week-by-week analysis showed that certain instructional strategies in AODs, particularly like debate and defense strategies, and personalized tasks, led to variations in student engagement and active participation. This study contributes to the practical implications for instructional designers and instructors to design a more engaging online course and facilitate AODs and advocates the benefits of using ENA in analyzing the discussion posts.
Dong et al. (2025) studied this question.