Towards an Understanding of "Listening" in Online Discussions: A Cluster Analysis of Learners' Interaction Patterns

Conducting learning conversations through online discussion forums differs from face-to-face conversations as learners can be selective in what comments they choose to “listen” to, when they chose to do so, and how long they spend attending to them. Using cluster analysis of learners’ click-stream data from an online discussion forum, this study identified three patterns of behaviors that differentiate between learners: Superficial Listeners, Intermittent Talkers; Concentrated Listeners, Integrated Talkers; and Broad Listeners, Reflective Talkers. Clusters differed in the amount of time spent listening, number of posts attended to, number and length of their sessions, and number of own posts contributed and reviewed. Clusters did not differ in percentage of posts scanned (vs. read), time to compose posts, length of posts made, or final course grades. Results are compared to interaction styles found for other online tools and implications for practice and future research are discussed.

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