Discourse Indicators of Culture in Online Courses

This study examined the electronic discourse in an online course to investigate if culture exhibited itself in the communication of students. The researcher also sought to find out if a third culture was built in this course and if so, what design features facilitated the emergence of this third culture. A graduate-level online course at a Southwestern university was examined in a case study. Computer-mediated discourse analysis was used as the method. The students were administered an online demographic survey to collect information about their background. The online communication of the students, the instructor, and the assistants were analyzed. A semantic analysis matrix was developed based on the pilot study that was used to investigate the content of the messages posted in the discussion conferences. The results showed that culture did not exhibit itself in the discourse. A third culture, however, was formed by the students. The discourse characteristics of this third culture are producing timely and intelligent comments and equal levels of participation; use of materials from both cultures; constant interaction among participants; creating a side conversation between two different cultures; a common discourse accent; words, expressions, acronyms created in the course; curiosity, sensitivity, openness towards otherness, critical engagement with others; and ability to understand and tolerate different perspectives and cultural phenomena. The design features of the particular online course were discussed. The design features that may have helped create a third culture among students are face-to-face meetings and introductions conference in the course; instructor’s teaching strategies such as creating expectations for participation and her scaffolding and mentoring throughout the course; and features of the course communication platform such as the ability to embellish the thoughts through the use of fonts, colors, and quoting.

[1]  Susan C. Herring,et al.  A Faceted Classification Scheme for Computer-Mediated Discourse , 2007 .

[2]  Charles Ess.  Cultures in CollisionPhilosophical Lessons from Computer‐Mediated Communication , 2002 .

[3]  More than we Need to Know about Culture, but are Afraid Not to Ask , 1984 .

[4]  L. Vygotsky,et al.  Thought and Language , 1963 .

[5]  John Davies,et al.  Adding cultural signposts in adaptive community-based virtual environments , 2003, Interact. Comput..

[6]  Claire J. Kramsch.  Language and Culture , 1998 .

[7]  Linda A. Wood,et al.  Doing Discourse Analysis: Methods for Studying Action in Talk and Text , 2000 .

[8]  Starr Roxanne Hiltz,et al.  The “Virtual Classroom”: Using Computer‐Mediated Communication for University Teaching , 1986 .

[9]  D. Pena,et al.  Distance Education at Postsecondary Education Institutions: 1997-98. , 2000 .

[10]  Thao Lê.  Interculural Communication at Work: Cultural Values in Discourse , 1996 .

[11]  John W. Creswell,et al.  Research Design: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches , 1997 .

[12]  N. Fairclough,et al.  Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language , 1995 .

[13]  J. Valacich,et al.  Group Support Systems: New Perspectives , 1992 .

[14]  James R. Lindner,et al.  Advanced Methods in Distance Education: Applications and Practices for Educators, Administrators and Learners , 2005 .

[15]  S. Reeves,et al.  Discourse Analysis , 2018, Understanding Communication Research Methods.

[16]  M. Collot,et al.  Electric language : A new variety of English , 1996 .

[17]  R. Nisbett,et al.  Running Head: CULTURE AND THOUGHT Culture and Systems of Thought: Holistic vs. Analytic Cognition , 2001 .

[18]  Brenda Bannan-Ritland.  Computer-Mediated Communication, eLearning, and Interactivity: A Review of the Research. , 2002 .

[19]  Trevor H. B. Sofield,et al.  Outside the Net: Kiribati and the Knowledge Economy , 2006, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[20]  H. Markus,et al.  Toward a Conception of Culture Suitable for a Social Psychology of Culture. , 2004 .

[21]  Kenneth L. Kraemer,et al.  The impact of technological support on groups: An assessment of the empirical research , 1989, Decis. Support Syst..

[22]  C. Werry.  Linguistic and interactional features of Internet relay chat , 1996 .

[23]  H. Giles,et al.  The New Handbook of Language and Social Psychology , 2001 .

[24]  S. Herring.  Computer‐Mediated Discourse , 2005 .

[25]  Sasha A. Barab,et al.  Designing for Virtual Communities in the Service of Learning: Shared “We” and Shared “They” Indicators of Group Identity in Online Teacher Professional Development , 2004 .

[26]  Lauren Cifuentes,et al.  Online collaborative documents for research and coursework , 2004 .

[27]  Lauren Cifuentes,et al.  Using web tools, collaborating, and learning online , 2001 .

[28]  Siobhan Chapman.  Logic and Conversation , 2005 .

[29]  D. Schiffrin.  Approaches to Discourse , 1997 .

[30]  C. Grbich.  New approaches in social research , 2004 .

[31]  Michael S. Wilson,et al.  Cultural considerations in online instruction and learning , 2001 .

[32]  Charalambos Vrasidas,et al.  Principles of Pedagogy and Evaluation for Web-Based Learning , 2000 .

[33]  Dorothee Schuetz.  CULTURAL MODELS AND CULTURAL SELF-AWARENESS:A DISCOURSE ANALYTICAL APPROACH TO THE LANGUAGE OF STUDENTS’ ONLINE JOURNAL ENTRIES , 2005 .

[34]  Karen L. Murphy,et al.  Role Plays, Panel Discussions and Simulations: Project-Based Learning in a Web-Based Course , 2001 .

[35]  Anita Pincas,et al.  Culture, cognition and communication in global education , 2001 .

[36]  Lorraine Sherry,et al.  Issues in Distance Learning , 1995 .

[37]  Penelope Brown,et al.  Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage , 1989 .

[38]  Simeon J. Yates.  Oral and written linguistic aspects of computer conferencing , 1996 .

[39]  R. Karsh.  The Two Cultures and The Scientific Revolution , 1961 .

[40]  G. Santoro,et al.  What is computer-mediated communication , 1995 .

[41]  R. Garrison.  Theoretical Challenges for Distance Education in the 21st Century: A Shift from Structural to Transactional Issues , 2000 .

[42]  D. Hymes.  Foundations in Sociolinguistics: An Ethnographic Approach , 1974 .

[43]  M. Moore.  Editorial: Three types of interaction , 1989 .

[44]  M. Meagher,et al.  Perceptions of American culture : The impact of an electronically-mediated cultural exchange program on Mexican high school students , 1996 .

[45]  C. Gunawardena,et al.  DISTANCE EDUCATION , 2003 .

[46]  Vanessa Evers,et al.  Cultural aspects of user interface understanding : an empirical evaluation of an e-learning website by international user groups , 2001 .

[47]  Daniel C. A. Hillman,et al.  Learner-Interface Interaction in Distance Education: An Extension of Contemporary Models and Strategies for Practitioners , 1994 .

[48]  Roland G. Tharp,et al.  Psychocultural variables and constants: Effects on teaching and learning in schools. , 1989 .

[49]  David R. Moore,et al.  Building Interactivity into Web Courses: Tools for Social and Instructional Interaction. , 1998 .

[50]  Sharan B. Merriam,et al.  Qualitative research and case study applications in education , 1998 .

[51]  Daniel C. A. Hillman,et al.  A New Method for Analyzing Patterns of Interaction , 1999 .

[52]  Ronald E. Rice,et al.  Electronic Message Systems in the University: A Description of Use and Utility , 1983 .

[53]  Sudhir P. Mudur.  On the need for cultural representation in interactive systems , 2001 .

[54]  Alastair Pennycook,et al.  The cultural politics of English as an international language , 1994 .

[55]  Jonathan Potter,et al.  Discourse analysis and constructionist approaches: theoretical background , 1996 .

[56]  Gail Flanagan,et al.  Teaching and Learning at a Distance - Foundations of Distance Education: Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., and Zvacek, S. (2000). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 241 pages, ISBN: 0-13769258-7 , 2000, Internet and Higher Education.

[57]  Alison A. Carr-Chellman,et al.  The Ideal Online Course , 2000, Libr. Trends.

[58]  Dee G. Appley.  Beyond Culture , 1977 .

[59]  Adrian Holliday,et al.  Appropriate Methodology And Social Context , 1994 .

[60]  Starr Roxanne Hiltz,et al.  Learning Networks: A Field Guide to Teaching and Learning Online , 1995 .

[61]  Y. Aharoni.  Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind , 1992 .

[62]  Sally Sieloff Magnan,et al.  Research Design: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches , 1997 .

[63]  Chun-Ying Chen,et al.  Managing perceptions of information overload in computer-mediated communication , 2003 .

[64]  R. Mason,et al.  Opportunity and e‐quality: Intercultural and linguistic issues in global online learning , 2001 .

[65]  Barbara J. Daley,et al.  Facilitating cross‐cultural online discussion groups: Implications for practice , 2001 .

[66]  Etienne Wenger,et al.  Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity , 1998 .

[67]  Anne Hewling.  Developing a Framework of Electronic Literacy for Post-Compulsory, Remote-Access, Virtual Learning Environments , 2002 .

[68]  Robin Mason.  Globalising Education: Trends and Applications , 1998 .

[69]  Badrul H. Khan,et al.  Web-based instruction , 1997 .

[70]  S. Herring.  Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis : An Approach to Researching Online Behavior , 2004 .

[71]  John Bowers,et al.  Studies in computer supported cooperative work: theory, practice and design , 1990 .

[72]  John G. Hedberg,et al.  More than Just a Pretty (Inter) Face: The Role of the Graphical User Interface in Engaging Elearners. , 2002 .

[73]  Brian McKenna,et al.  Virtual Community , 1998, Online Inf. Rev..

[74]  R. Scollon,et al.  Discourse and Intercultural Communication , 2005 .

[75]  S. Turkle.  Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet , 1997 .

[76]  L. S. Vygotksy.  Mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes , 1978 .

[77]  Irfan Altas,et al.  Distance education on the net: A model for developing countries , 2001 .

[78]  Aisha Salim Ali Al-Harthi,et al.  Cultures meeting cultures in online distance education , 2005 .

[79]  Karen L. Murphy,et al.  Intercultural Collaborative Project-Based Learning in Online Environments , 2007 .

[80]  Lauren Cifuentes,et al.  Design Considerations for Computer Conferences , 1997 .

[81]  Francisco Gomes de Matos,et al.  How different are we? Spoken Discourse in Intercultural Communication , 2003 .

[82]  Ian D. Benest,et al.  Computer Supported Teamwork , 1993 .

[83]  Mark Warschauer,et al.  Reconceptualizing the Digital Divide , 2002, First Monday.

[84]  Salley B. Sawyer.  Learning Theories and the Design of E-Learning Environments , 2005 .

[85]  Don E. Schultz,et al.  The Death of Distance ‐ How the Communications Revolution will Change Our Lives , 1998 .

[86]  David F. Noble,et al.  Technology and the Commodification of Higher Education , 2002 .

[87]  Margaret Haughey,et al.  Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace: Effective Strategies for the Online Classroom by Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt , 2000 .

[88]  Catherine McLoughlin,et al.  Inclusivity and alignment: Principles of pedagogy, task and assessment design for effective cross‐cultural online learning , 2001 .

[89]  Etienne Wenger,et al.  Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation , 1991 .

[90]  James A. Dewar,et al.  The information age and the printing press: looking backward to see ahead , 2000, UBIQ.

[91]  Leah P. Macfadyen.  Internet-Mediated Communication at the Cultural Interface , 2006 .

[92]  J. Popay.  Qualitative research and the epidemiological imagination: a vital relationship. , 2003, Gaceta sanitaria.

[93]  Karen L. Murphy,et al.  Role Play, Discussion, and Analysis: Project-based Learning in a Web-based Course , 2000 .

[94]  G. Hofstede.  Culture′s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations , 2001 .

[95]  Atsusi Hirumi,et al.  A Framework for Analyzing, Designing, and Sequencing Planned Elearning Interactions. , 2002 .

[96]  E. Guba,et al.  Paradigmatic Controversies, Contradictions, and Emerging Confluences. , 2005 .

[97]  Ron Scollon,et al.  Mediated Discourse: The nexus of practice , 2001 .

[98]  M. Huggins,et al.  Intercultural communication. , 1994, Plastic surgical nursing : official journal of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgical Nurses.

[99]  Charlotte N. Gunawardena,et al.  A cross‐cultural study of group process and development in online conferences , 2001 .

[100]  William B. Gudykunst,et al.  Culture and interpersonal communication , 1988 .

[101]  Ian Alexander,et al.  An introduction to qualitative research , 2000, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[102]  N. Denzin.  The research act: A theoretical introduction to sociological methods , 1977 .

[103]  Nicholas C. Burbules,et al.  Globalization and Education: Critical Perspectives , 2000 .

[104]  S. Herring.  Two variants of an electronic message schema , 1996 .

[105]  Lorraine Sherry.  The Nature and Purpose of Online Discourse: A Brief Synthesis of Current Research as related to The WEB Project , 2000 .

[106]  S. Condon,et al.  Functional comparisons of face-to-face and computer-mediated decision making interactions , 1996 .

[107]  D. Cameron.  Working with spoken discourse , 2001 .

[108]  Fay Sudweeks,et al.  Culture and Computer-Mediated Communication: Toward New Understandings , 2005, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..