ERIC Number: EJ844713
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1436-4522
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Using Discussion Webs to Develop an Academic Community of Learners
Matusov, Eugene; Hayes, Renee; Pluta, Mary Jane
Educational Technology & Society, v8 n2 p16-39 2005
The World Wide Web has made possible an entirely new form of communication in the classroom: asynchronous, public, non-sequential, and selective (Windschitl, 1998). However, it is unclear how discussion webs can contribute to educational processes. Our research investigates the role of instructional interactive webs in promoting among preservice teachers an "academic community of learners," defined as an academic community that grounds inquiries and dilemmas emerging in their practice in an academic discourse based on considering alternatives and providing argumentation and evidence for their claims (Wells, Chang, & Maher, 1990). Based on this definition of a community of learners and concerns raised by fellow instructors, we created categories and analyzed one class discussion web, coding a total of 1,124 web entries of undergraduate students and their instructor to examine references they used, topics, genres, and relationships with other messages. Our findings suggest that students' web postings were mostly very sophisticated in that students were able to integrate outside references with new and enriching discussion topics, thereby providing viewpoints alternative to and sometimes critical of those expressed by the instructor and other students. These findings suggest that instructional interactive webs can be a useful tool for promoting and building an academic community of learners. (Contains 6 figures and 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Academic Discourse, Undergraduate Students, Preservice Teachers, Discussion, Learning Processes, Internet, Discussion (Teaching Technique), Computer Mediated Communication, Asynchronous Communication, College Faculty, Learning Activities, Discourse Communities
International Forum of Educational Technology & Society. Athabasca University, School of Computing & Information Systems, 1 University Drive, Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3, Canada. Tel: 780-675-6812; Fax: 780-675-6973; Web site: http://www.ifets.info
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A