Promoting an electronic community with the use of communication technology in a graduate elementary science methods class

This action research study documents and interprets the use of an electronic mail discussion group, a class LISTSERV, in a graduate elementary science education course (n=13(. Student voices as well as insights from the instructor are presented. Student feedback indicate that their interest in communication technology was piqued by the use of the electronic discussion group in a graduate science education class, that they found the LISTSERV professionally enhancing on the graduate level and in science teaching contexts, and that it enhanced communication in the class which fostered community formation. Instructor insights focus on the pedagogical and research implications of using communication technology in a graduate science education context.