Creating a psychologically safe online space for a student-generated questions learning activity via different identity revelation modes

This study focuses on mitigating evaluation apprehension, which is usually unavoidable in identifiable social situations, via the constructive use of prominent features of networked technologies. Specifically, this study investigated learners' attitudes towards different user-identity revelation modes, namely, real-identity, anonymity and created-identity, in an online question-construction and peer-assessment context. Forty university freshmen, taking a physics laboratory course, participated for one semester in 2007. A learning system called The Question Authoring and Reasoning Knowledge System which allowed students to contribute and benefit from cyclic process of constructing and reviewing questions, was devised. Analysis of the data gathered found that students reacted statistically differently to the modes of real name, anonymity and nickname. Furthermore, participating students adjusted their preferred mode in different roles and circumstances. The data obtained suggest that program developers should embed flexible and versatile capabilities of computer and communication technologies by allowing individuals the opportunity not to be identified or only be identified via a nickname of their choice, so as to help eliminate feelings of embarrassment and uneasiness, which are not psychologically sound and may hinder the learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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