Leveraging Disinhibition to Increase Student Authority in Asynchronous Online Discussion

Authors

  • Kenneth H. Martin College of Education and Human Development, University of Maine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v17i3.304

Keywords:

disinhibition, asynchronous online discussion, threaded discussion, blended learning, hybrid instruction, teaching presence

Abstract

Disinhibition is recognized as an effect that prompts online users to communicate with less constraint than in face-to-face discussion. This article describes how disinhibition may affect more than individual entries. In a blended learning environment, it may alter the entire context of discussion by disrupting established patterns of interaction among students and their teacher. In this case, asynchronous online discussion accompanied classroom instruction in a twelfth grade English class. Online, students interacted with a wider circle of classmates and took more responsibility for managing their discussion while the teacher’s presence was more restrained. This study has implications for educators that wish to increase student authority in discussion while supporting their achievement of particular academic and discipline-specific discourse practices.

Author Biography

Kenneth H. Martin, College of Education and Human Development, University of Maine

Kenneth H. Martin is a Lecturer of Literacy in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Maine and Associate Director of the Maine Writing Project. Prior experience includes 10 years teaching high school English as well as 3 years as a technology integration coach in 35 rural schools, grades K-12.  Dr. Martin earned a B.A. in English at Harvard College and a M.Ed. in Secondary English Education at the University of Maine.  His Ph.D. is also from UMaine in literacy education.  His research interests include online discussion and digital writing.

Downloads

Published

2013-10-15

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 3 (2013)

Section

Social Engagement in Online Learning

License

As a condition of publication, the author agrees to apply the Creative Commons – Attribution International 4.0 (CC-BY) License to OLJ articles. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

This licence allows anyone to reproduce OLJ articles at no cost and without further permission as long as they attribute the author and the journal. This permission includes printing, sharing and other forms of distribution.

Author(s) hold copyright in their work, and retain publishing rights without restrictions