scholarly journals Fostering Group Autonomy Through Collaborative Learning in an Online Environment

2021 ◽  
pp. 79-91
Author(s):  
Qunyan Maggie Zhong
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Inquiry ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Collaborative Task ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Community Of Learning ◽  
The Social

Learner autonomy is recognised as being associated with effective and successful learning. Whilst significant scholarship has focused on individual learner autonomy, a review of the literature indicates that the interdependence and social dimension of learner autonomy are largely under-researched. The primary objective of this study is to examine how learners engaged in a collaborative inquiry outside the classroom utilising an asynchronous online discussion forum and to what extent the collaborative task fostered group autonomy. Employing thematic analysis, postings of 20 students in a peer-moderated online discussion forum were analysed. The results revealed that the process of knowledge co-construction advanced and deepened the learners’ understanding of the subject matter. Furthermore, the collaborative inquiry helped establish a community of learning whereby students supported each other emotionally and cognitively, and they wanted to achieve well collectively. The study concluded that a well-designed collaborative task is key to fostering the social and interdependent dimension of learner autonomy.

Stories of Love and Hate. Images of ‘Homeland’ in the Identity Narratives of Romanians in Ireland

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Macri
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Complete Removal ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Symbolic Space ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Identity Narratives ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mixed Feelings ◽  
Constructivist Perspective

Abstract Identity is a term that has sparked criticisms in the academic debates, with some scholars fully embracing this rather insufficiently defined concept, whereas others militate for its complete removal from the vocabulary of social sciences. However, in spite of the fierce criticism, identity research has become a central part of the social sciences. Striving to address some of the existing challenges in identity scholarship, the research presented in this article focuses on the diaspora identity narratives of Romanians in Ireland. By adopting a constructivist perspective on identity, this is a study of the continuously flowing boundaries between ‘us’ and ‘them’, as well as of the boundaries where the symbolic space is negotiated and identities are fiercely debated, constructed and re-constructed. While Romanians use a multitude of ‘other’ groups against which they construct their diaspora identities, one of the key markers used in their identity narratives is their relation with the ancestral homeland. Interesting findings have emerged, as Romanians talked about their mixed feelings towards their homeland and their fellow countrymen. As these narratives of the homeland unfold, it becomes clear they bear a strong imprint on their diaspora identity and feelings of belonging. The study presents an analysis of data collected over a six-year period (2004-2010) in the archives of the online discussion forum of the Romanian community from Ireland.

scholarly journals The Transcendences of Listening to Music: How Listening to Bob Dylan Moves His Fans

2012 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDREAS HÄGER
Keyword(s):  
Online Discussion ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
Bob Dylan ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Emotional Dimension ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cognitive Awareness

The theoretical starting point for my article is the concept of transcendence in the writings of Thomas Luckmann and Alfred Schutz. Schutz describes a continuing flow of transcendences of the immediate lifeworld. Luckmann speaks of three levels of transcendence: the ‘little transcendences’ of an awareness of time and space, the ‘intermediate transcendences’ of an awareness of the social dimension, and the ‘great transcendences’, an awareness of dimensions beyond life and death. I add a distinction, central to music, between cognitive awareness and the emotional dimension. I apply this framework to a discussion among Bob Dylan fans of their experiences in listening to Dylan. The material is derived from a Swedish online discussion forum. Examples of both cognitive and emotional transcendence at all three levels are discussed, with particular focus on references to religious traditions in describing experiences of Dylan’s music.

scholarly journals DON'T JUST SAY THANK YOU: EXPLORATION OF TYPES OF POSTS INSPIRING AND HINDERING DEEP CONVERSATIONS ONLINE

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devayani Tirthali ◽  
Yumiko Murai
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Sequential Analysis ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Fixed Structure ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Given

In an open online discussion forum, where there is no fixed structure or a facilitator like a course forum without any assigned themes, every participant is a facilitator shaping the direction and depth of a conversation. How can we as designers then make sure it leads to an engaging learning community that learners keep coming back to beyond the given course period? This paper reports on sequential analysis of 172 posts in 32 threads and close reading of two threads from an open online discussion forum in a free open online course, specifically looking at the impact of participant actions as facilitative moves, to gain better understanding of the types of actions that lead to deeper and sustained engagement with the ideas of interest. Sequential analysis is an approach that estimates which types of sequences of posts or interactions are most likely to occur in a threaded discussion. The results showed that sharing personal experiences attracted most responses, implying that it is important to encourage participants to share questions or cases connected to their personal experiences. In addition, somewhat paradoxically, we found that posts acknowledging responses tend to conclude and close down the conversation while posts that ask diverging questions tend to attract more discussion.

scholarly journals The Speech Act of Request in Computer-Mediated Communication

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Maria Miwita Rosari
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Law School ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Politeness Strategies

Through conversation ones establish relationship with others and keep channels open for further relationships. Politeness strategies and issues have been the focus of a number of studies. The way ones request for something to others depends on some factors such as the context they are in and the interlocutors they talk to. This article aims at developing the latest discussion on politeness phenomena by paying attention to the specifics of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) settings specifically an online discussion forum. This article attempts to identify how speech act of request is performed in Top Law School (TLS) online discussion forum. The data were analyzed to observe the forms of speech act of request and the types of speech act of request performed in the online discussion forum. The findings of this paper revealed that the forms of speech act of request are expressed by declarative, interrogative, and imperative sentence. Moreover, the types of speech act of request employed by the users are directive, indirective, and literal speech acts. The writer believes that the study will be beneficial and a good reference for future researchers in conducting research on pragmatics under the same topic. Hopefully, it will enrich readers’ knowledge and understanding of the speech act of request and the politeness in CMC.

Assessing the effectiveness of a voluntary online discussion forum on improving students’ course performance

2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 253-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cho Kin Cheng ◽  
Dwayne E. Paré ◽  
Lisa-Marie Collimore ◽  
Steve Joordens
Keyword(s):  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Course Performance ◽  
Online Discussion Forum
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