Assessing the Factorial Validity of the Community of Inquiry Instrument (COI) in Filipino Students: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Numerous researchers have written extensively about the value of communities of inquiry. In order to structure and support the process of online teaching and learning, the framework highlighted aspects that are crucial for comprehending the characteristics of an online learning experience. The models and results produced by such investigations, notwithstanding efforts to examine the community of inquiry, were inconclusive. The present study evaluates the factorial validity of the Community of Inquiry Instrument. A structural equation modelling was conducted from July to September 2022 on a sample of 373 Filipino university students in Ormoc City, Philippines. A 34-item COI with three subscales: teaching presence, social presence and cognitive presence was the instrument used in the study, which were rated on a 5-point Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were performed using SPSS and AMOS, respectively. Results showed that Cronbach’s alpha values for each construct ranged from 0.822 to 0.917, of which the items were internally consistent. Results also illustrates that the hypothesized three-factor model that explains the 34 COI item responses was not a good fit. This may be an example of a complex model misspecification where the connection between the items and factors has been misrepresented and numerous exploratory factor analysis of the data failed to yield an interpretable solution. However, a 27-item, three-factor model turned to have a good fit ([X2 =654.764; df = 315; X2/df = 2.079; TLI=.913; CFI=.922; RMSEA=.054; SRMR=.021]. In conclusion, the 27 item COI is a valid and reliable measure for determining the students’ teaching, social and cognitive presences in virtual education.