Content analysis of computer conferencing transcripts

Within the field of higher education, there are situations where the learner is not well served in a classroom setting. Problematic issues such as scheduling, critical mass, time, pace and location have the potential to be counterbalanced by e-learning. Within this, the asynchronous nature of today's online learning environments and computer conferencing tools have popularly been claimed to offer tremendous benefits for learners who are willing to take responsibility for their own learning, to progress at their own pace, and interact with their online teacher to get immediate feedback on their learning and progress. Indeed, increasingly, educators today are very keen to exploit some of these new technologies for the benefit of their learners. It is argued in this article that there is a need to address the practice and research of asynchronous computer mediated conferencing. As conferencing tools become an increasingly common feature in students' experience, teachers need to have an understanding of how these tools facilitate the formation and maintenance of collaborative learning communities.     

Interaction and cognition in asynchronous computer conferencing

This paper is based on a multiple-case study of the learning process in three asynchronous computer conferences. The conferences were part of the distance learning component in doctoral degree courses in computing technology in education offered at an American university. The conferences were analyzed from a number of perspectives, the emphasis in this paper being on the dimensions of interaction and cognition. Although similar interaction patterns were identified in the three conferences, each conference also showed distinctive patterns, which were related to factors such as instructor moderation, structuring of the instructional task and the emergence of student moderation of the discussion in specific threads. Three models were used to evaluate cognition: Bloom's Taxonomy (Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, Hill, & Krathwohl, Handbook 1, Cognitive Domain, Longman, London, 1956), the SOLO Taxonomy (Biggs & Collis, Evaluating the Quality of Learning: The SOLO Taxonomy, Academic Press, New York, 1982) and the Practical Inquiry Model of Cognitive Presence (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, The American Journal of Distance Education 15(1)7, 2001). Correspondences were found among the three models and all three conferences were characterized by higher-order thinking. When higher-order thinking was defined in terms of the distributed cognition occurring during practical inquiry, the advanced phases of cognition were found to be related to synergistic interaction in the conference threads. The findings serve to define the knowledge-building processes occurring in asynchronous computer conferencing. They also lend support to views of learning as dialogical and to social constructivist approaches to learning and teaching.     

The role of cognitive style and its influence on proportional reasoning

It has been suggested that proportional reasoning tasks contain field effects. Field-dependent students are considered to be highly influenced by the structure of the perceptual field and lack an articulated conceptual framework. To test the hypothesis that there is a significant correlation between field independence and proportional reasoning tasks, a sample of science students were tested to determine performance in proportional reasoning and degree of field independence. It was found that even students who are normally capable of proportional reasoning can be misled by the presence of field effects. A significant correlation (r = 0.50; p = 0.001) was found between the test of field independence and the nine items of proportional reasoning. Educational implications are drawn.     

Adult distance study through computer conferencing

The use of computer conferencing by higher education institutions offering distance education courses has expanded rapidly since 1987. Despite a parallel growth in the academic scholarship, few studies examined students' experience of learning in an on‐line course. Using unstructured interviews and observations at adultstudents' homes or worksites, thestudy investigated adult student perspectives of distance study by computer conferencing. It found theseadults actively engaged in social relationships outside their distance studies which sustain their educational pursuits. The students provided insights into aspects of the on‐line environment: asynchronicity, interactivity, textual communications, and collaboration. Their learning orientation suggested the value they placed on conference activities. They incidentally transferred or invented learning strategies to deal with the different dynamics of this instructional environment. The computer conference brought together widely dissimilar students and encouraged them to ‘talk’ with one another, while unaware of each others' physical attributes. On‐line relationships served meaningful purposes, but rarely continued beyond the course. Based on these findings, the study presents an Adult Distance Study Through Computer Conferencing Model to guide understanding of the student experience with this medium.     

Understanding and defining cognitive style and learning style: a Delphi study in the context of educational psychology

This report outlines the findings from a Delphi study designed to establish consensus on the definitions of cognitive style and learning style amongst an international style researcher community. The study yields long-needed definitions for each construct that reflect high levels of agreement. In a field that has been criticised for a bewildering array of definitions and a proliferation of terms and concepts, this study represents an important step to address confusion in the meaning of the two terms. New researchers interested in styles are encouraged to draw on these definitions when developing new research agendas aimed at deepening our understanding of style as a core construct in educational psychology.     

The educational ideology of the computer

The author advances the theory that whatever educators may intend to do with the computer in the classroom, the computer projects an ideology which may conflict with their purposes. The elements of this ideology are explored in a discussion of three applications commonly found in schools: data-handling systems, simulations and word processors. From this exploration emerges a practical basis for the conscious choice of appropriate tools for particular purposes.     

Lessons from the field: computer conferencing in higher education

Abstract

This article explores the tensions between the potential of computer conferencing as represented by theoretical models and its actual uses in higher education. An overview of the literature highlights major themes that run throughout this body of research, including claims that the medium: 1. provides a democratic environment due to the equal access afforded to participants; 2. enhances active learning and collaboration; 3. shifts the role of the teacher from classroom leader to facilitator of learning; and 4. encourages more thoughtful participation due to the text-based, asynchronous nature of interaction. Against this backdrop, case studies of courses taught through The New School for Social Research's on-line programme provide empirical data that challenge many of these claims. A discussion of teaching practices related to student participation and perceptions of computer conferencing is also offered to serve practitioners and teacher education efforts.     

Comparison of performance and attitude in traditional and computer conferencing classes

Abstract

A 1992 survey of the thirty‐five Oklahoma schools that received satellite downlinks as part of the 1988–1990 Midlands Consortium Star Schools grant investigated the extent to which schools were continuing to use the equipment and the impact of satellite access on their educational programs. Four schools did not use their downlinks in 1991–92, and two of the four also did not use the equipment in 1990–91; thirty‐one schools were continuing to use the equipment to receive student and/or staff development programming. Sixty‐one percent of thirty‐three respondents believe satellite access has very significantly or significantly improved the educational program for students at their school; 39% believe it has very significantly or significantly improved their overall staff development program. Forty‐eight percent of respondents reported a decrease in use since the first year of operation; 76% of respondents anticipate an increase in use in the future.     

Bridging the Gap: probationer educational psychologists' use of computer-mediated conferencing

Twelve educational psychologists in training on the M.Sc. course at the University of Strathclyde were provided with e-mail and on-line computer conferencing facilities with the aim of developing critical thinking and transferable information technology skills. A follow-up 6 months after the end of the course revealed that the use of computer-mediated conferencing increased the amount of and improved the structure of exchanges between educational psychologists in training, which helped them to bridge the gap between the course and the commencement of their probationary period. The findings from this case study highlight the importance of computer-mediated conferencing for the training of educational psychologists. The implications for educational psychology services are also discussed.     

Evaluating interactivity and learning in computer conferencing using content analysis techniques

This paper outlines the application of a particular model of content analysis to the evaluation of an online discussion group. A set of online discussion data from a group of students enrolled in an educational management course offered by the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) was examined. The provision of the online discussion facility for this group of students was mainly for enrichment purposes and their participation was completely voluntary. Overall, the analysis confirmed the usefulness of Henri’s model in examining the interaction and learning processes in an online forum. It also provided insights towards increased understanding of the complex processes and methodological considerations involved in analysing online conferences.     

The role of educational developers in the expansion of educational technology

This paper explores how academic staff are supported in attempts to develop their use of educational technologies. It identifies the work undertaken by academic staff in the development of an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) application and relates this to the direct support (helping staff to teach using ICT) and professional development opportunities (helping staff to develop their skills) available to them. These broad areas of support are seen as a continuum, with varying proportions of direct support and professional development available in different circumstances. The paper concludes that increasing use and expectations of ICT to support student learning in traditional universities are leading to a greater need for team‐based approaches to support learners, and the issues that this change raises are explored.     

Impacts of directed tutorial activities in computer conferencing: a case study

This paper describes a qualitative study of asynchronous electronic conferencing by three tutorial groups on the same postgraduate course (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Worldwide), forming part of an MA in Applied Linguistics (via Distance Education) at the Open University, UK. The groups varied in the degree to which the tutor participated in the discussion and in whether the tutor's input took the form of responding to student posts or the setting of tasks to scaffold the learners' development of academic skills. It is argued that the least interventionist strategy in terms of tutor response and task-setting resulted in the least productive conference discussion in terms of both communicative interaction and academic development, while a more interventionist role by the tutor depended for its success on characteristics of the tutor input and the task set.     

Author On-Line: using asynchronous computer conferencing to support literacy

The Author-On-Line (AOL) project used asynchronous computer conferencing to support the teaching and learning of literacy with pupils aged 10–11 years from two schools, one in Northern Ireland and one in the Republic of Ireland. The AOL-APT Model presented here summarises the key components of the project: Author, Pedagogy and Technology (APT), each of which is examined in turn. This phase of the project focused on a novel that gave rise to an issues-based approach related to landmines. It began with pupils posting book reviews on the NINE web site (Northern Ireland Network for Education) and developed as they used its asynchronous conferencing system to engage in on-line discussion with their peers, with the author (as himself and in the assumed role of the main character) and with the Minister for International Development. The project, which provides a venue for online, social, situated learning, is ongoing, but it has allowed us to suggest salient elements of a possible framework for the future development of this and similar initiatives.     

Elaborating on elaborations: role of maternal reminiscing style in cognitive and socioemotional development

Initial research on maternal reminiscing style established clear and consistent individual differences that vary along a dimension of maternal elaboration and that are related to children's developing autobiographical skills. More recent research has linked maternal elaborative reminiscing to strategic memory development, language and literacy skills, developing attachment relationships, and understanding of self, other, and mind. In this review, this research is placed in theoretical context by arguing for the critical role of reminiscing in developmental process and outcome.     

A content analysis of student/instructor communication via computer conferencing

The focus of this study centers upon an analysis of instructor and student postings on the Electronic Forum (EF) during a one-semester undergraduate phonetics course. Sixty-one students were invited to participate in a class computer conferencing project to discuss questions about the course content and assignments, share ideas with others, and respond to comments made by their peers and the instructor. The content of each student's and instructor's posting was analyzed to determine the number and type of topics discussed. Students wrote about 340 topics in 143 postings; the instructor wrote 124 topics in 23 postings. These topics were placed in categories and analyzed with respect to the postings made during the first and second half semester. Four interactive communicative Category Clusters were identified. These Clusters show interaction trends between students and instructor and resulting accommodations made by both students and the instructor. The advantages of using an electronic forum to enhance student learning, to improve classroom activities, and to empower students to take more active roles in their learning, are discussed.     

The relationship between cognitive style and academic achievement

Field independent students are generally expected to perform better academically than those who are field dependent, and this is particularly marked in distance learning where students learn without the traditional support offered in conventional instruction. In this paper two studies of the relationship between field dependence and academic learning in the context of distance learning are reported with Bachelor of Health nursing students in Hong Kong. In both studies field independent nurses performed significantly better than field dependent ones. Some implications of these findings for distance learning are discussed.     

The role of persuasive research in educational progress

This article describes how scaffolded instruction during whole-class mathematics lessons can provide the knowledge, skills, and supportive context for developing students' self-regulatory processes. In examining classroom interactions through discourse analysis, these qualitative methods reflect a theoretical change from viewing self-regulation as an individual process to that of a social process. This article illustrates how studying instructional scaffolding through the analyses of instructional discourse helps further the understanding of how self-regulated learning develops and is realized in mathematics classrooms. Qualitative methods, such as discourse analyses, and their underlying theoretical frameworks have great potential to help "unlock" theories of learning, motivation, and self-regulation through exploring the reciprocity of teaching and learning in classrooms.