Dialogic Interaction in Online Distance Education: A Bakhtinian Perspective

Discussions of dialogue have been at the center of education theory for many years and more recently in the field of Distance Education. Prominent in those theories are the works of Borge Holmberg and Michael Moore. In addition, recent discussions of dialogue have focused on the work of Russian literary critic, Mikhail Bakhtin (1895-1975). As a critic and philosopher, Bakhtin made major contributions to the analysis of dialogue, though he is not a contemporary of online distance education. In the field of education generally, researchers have begun citing Bakhtin‘s works through epistemological perspectives but predominantly those perspectives have been related to the face-to-face classroom settings. Considerably less material has been written about the online distance education setting. This paper challenges the assumptions of Holmberg and Moore and seeks to put forth some of Bakhtin‘s ideas within the online class setting. The terms examined include ideological becoming, authoritative discourse, internally persuasive discourse, monologism, dialogism, heteroglossia, carnival, and silence. Each of these terms is discussed with implications to online distance education. Dialogic Interaction p. 4 INTRODUCTION Online distance education has been around for just a short period of time; distance education a little longer; education is quite old; but dialogue dates back to the beginnings of humanity. One might think it a difficult task to associate the old with the new, yet this paper aims to accomplish that objective. The current discussions of online distance education revolve around the role of dialogue. It is seen as a conduit through which knowledge is passed, it is used as a means of overcoming the feeling of isolation that online students experience, it is always relegated to the metaphor of a tool used only to produce something, it is rarely studied reflectively. This paper offers an alternative view of dialogue as not a tool to be used in education but as a characteristic of education itself. To do this, the concepts of 20 th century literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin have been chosen to view dialogue in a different light. In so doing the theories of Borge Holmberg and Michael Moore are offered as contrast to Bakhtin‘s ideas. It is hoped that expanding the discussion of dialogue and allowing a counter-traditional viewpoint will encourage a heartier respect for dialogue as a player in the field of online distance education. OVERVIEW OF DIALOGUE