Modeling Active Collaborative Learning in Online Education: Effects of Social Presence, Tutor Interaction, and Learner Attitude

Huong-An Thi Nguyen*, Hanoi Open University 
Zahir Osman, Open University Malaysia 
Joane Serrano, University of the Philippines Open University 
Astri Dwi Jayanti Suhandoko, Universitas Terbuka 
Kamolrat Intaratat, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University

https://doi.org/10.9743/JEO.2026.23.3.11

Abstract

This study investigates how peer interaction, tutor interaction, and social presence shape active collaborative learning in fully online higher education, specifying elearning attitude as a central mediator. Survey data from 357 students enrolled in distance courses at a Vietnamese open university were analyzed using variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM, SmartPLS 4). Tutor interaction and social presence exhibited significant direct effects on collaborative learning, whereas peer interaction influenced collaborative learning indirectly through elearning attitude. The direct path from peer interaction to collaborative learning was nonsignificant, which is consistent with the mediating role of elearning attitude. Out-of-sample predictive assessment via PLS-Predict and the Cross-Validated Predictive Ability Test (CVPAT) showed that, on average, the PLS-SEM model achieved lower prediction loss than a linear benchmark, while acknowledging isolated indicators for which the benchmark performed comparably or better. These findings refine socioconstructivist accounts of collaboration in online learning by clarifying the attitudinal mechanism linking interactional inputs to collaborative engagement, and they suggest practical leverage points for course design: strengthen instructional facilitation and systematically cultivate positive elearning attitudes.

Keywords: collaborative learning, elearning, peer interaction, tutor interaction, social presence, attitude

*huongan.nguyen@hou.edu.vn