An exploratory analysis of communication in peer-directed educational discourse

This exploratory analysis examined the nature of asynchronous, text-based communication in peer-directed educational discussions. The nature of communication changed over time and women exhibited greater tendency for epistolary communication than men. Initial posts, which were expository in nature, focused on disseminating information whereas replies to initial posts exhibited characteristics of epistolary discourse, such as alignment and support. The study observed that men and women employed different communication styles when beginning a message thread. Initial posts by males began with epistolary statements whereas the posts of women began with expository statements.

[1]  C. Ess.  Philosophical Perspectives on Computer-Mediated Communication , 1996 .

[2]  M. Driscoll.  Psychology of Learning for Instruction , 1993 .

[3]  E. Zhu.  Meaning Negotiation, Knowledge Construction, and Mentoring in a Distance Learning Course , 1996 .

[4]  Gayle V. Davidson-Shivers,et al.  The Effects of Gender Interaction Patterns on Student Participation in Computer-Supported Collaborative Argumentation , 2006 .

[5]  S. Utz.  Social information processing in MUDs: The development of friendships in virtual worlds. , 2000 .

[6]  Susan C. Herring,et al.  The Rhetorical Dynamics of Gender Harassment On-Line , 1999, Inf. Soc..

[7]  Patrick J. Fahy.  Two methods for assessing critical thinking in computer-mediated communications (CMC) transcripts. , 2005 .

[8]  Patrick J. Fahy.  Epistolary and Expository Interaction Patterns in a Computer Conference Transcript , 2002 .

[9]  Marlene Scardamalia,et al.  Design Principles for Distributed Knowledge Building Processes , 1998 .

[10]  Susan C. Herring,et al.  Gender and Power in On‐line Communication , 2008 .

[11]  Allan Jeong,et al.  The Effects of Intellectual Openness and Gender on Critical Thinking Processes in Computer-Supported Collaborative Argumentation. , 2007 .

[12]  Sunyoung Joung,et al.  Scaffolding collaborative argumentation in asynchronous discussions with message constraints and message labels , 2007, Comput. Educ..

[13]  Patrick J. Fahy,et al.  Patterns of Interaction in a Computer Conference Transcript , 2001 .

[14]  Susan C. Herring,et al.  Gender and Power in Online Communication , 2001 .

[15]  J. Holmes,et al.  The handbook of language and gender , 2003 .

[16]  S. Herring.  Computer-mediated communication : linguistic, social and cross-cultural perspectives , 1996 .

[17]  Cheris Kramarae,et al.  Language, gender, and society , 1983 .

[18]  Leona Schauble,et al.  Innovations in learning : new environments for education , 1996 .

[19]  Mariusz Kąkolewicz.  Robert A. Reiser , John V. Dempsey (ed.), Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology, (Trendy i zagadnienia projektowania i technologii kształcenia), Merrill Prentice Hall Upper Sadle River, New Jersey, Columbus, Ohio, 2002, ss. 415 , 2003 .

[20]  P. Juler,et al.  Promoting interaction; maintaining independence: swallowing the mixture , 1990 .

[21]  J. Walther.  Interpersonal Effects in Computer-Mediated Interaction , 1992 .

[22]  Joan Waldvogel,et al.  Greetings and Closings in Workplace Email , 2007, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[23]  M. Hickson,et al.  NVC, nonverbal communication: Studies and applications , 1985 .

[24]  Fiona Stewart,et al.  Internet Communication and Qualitative Research , 2000 .

[25]  Carl A. Ridley,et al.  8 – Social Network Influence on the Dyadic Relationship , 1979 .

[26]  P. Fishman,et al.  Interaction: The Work Women Do , 1978 .

[27]  V. Savicki,et al.  Gender Language Style and Group Composition in Internet Discussion Groups , 2006 .

[28]  Patricia G. Wojahn,et al.  Computer-Mediated Communication: The Great Equalizer between Men and Women?. , 1994 .

[29]  Curtis J. Bonk,et al.  Electronic Collaborators: Learner-Centered Technologies for Literacy, Apprenticeship, and Discourse , 1998 .

[30]  Susan C. Herring,et al.  Gender and Democracy in Computer-Mediated Communication , 1995, Computerization and Controversy, 2nd Ed..

[31]  Roger Bakeman,et al.  Observing Interaction: An Introduction to Sequential Analysis , 1986 .

[32]  Ann L. Brown,et al.  Psychological theory and the design of innovative learning environments: On procedures, principles, and systems. , 1996 .

[33]  Simon Shurville,et al.  Words on the web : computer mediated communication , 1999 .

[34]  Fiona Stewart,et al.  Internet Communication and Qualitative Research: A Handbook for Researching Online , 2000 .

[35]  P. Fahy.  Indicators of Support in Online Interaction , 2003 .

[36]  F. Nye,et al.  Social Exchange in Developing Relationships , 1979 .

[37]  Carmen Lawlor.  Gendered Interactions in Computer-Mediated Computer Conferencing , 2006 .