A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies on Participants' Interactions in Internet-Mediated Discussion Boards as a Course Component in Formal Higher Education Settings
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v19i3.495Keywords:
Systematic review, online discussion, interaction, higher educationAbstract
This systematic review and synthesis of existing empirical studies examines peer-reviewed research articles published between January 2000 and May 2014 on the use of Internet-mediated discussion boards in higher education settings with a specific interest in the participants’ interactions. Forty-two primary studies were examined after a systematic search and full text review. The findings from the primary studies regarding participants’ interactions were analyzed using constant comparison coding techniques. The analysis and its results indicate several potential directions for future research, and connect the primary studies to provide a more holistic understanding of the participants’ interactions in Internet-mediated discussions in the higher education setting.References
Ahern, T. C. & El-Hindi, A. E. (2000). Improving the instructional congruency of a computer-mediated small-group discussion: A case study in design and delivery. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 32(3), 385.
Akarasriworn, C., & Ku, H. (2013). Graduate students' knowledge construction and attitudes toward online synchronous videoconferencing collaborative learning environments. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 14(1), 35-48.
Bates, A. T. (2004). Technology, e-learning and distance education. Routledge.
Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Handbook of Cognitive Domain. New York: McKay.
Brannan, T. A. (2005). Learner interactivity in higher education: comparing face-to-face, hybrid, and online instruction. Distance Learning, 2(2), 1-8.
Brooks, C. F., & Bippus, A. M. (2012). Underscoring the social nature of classrooms by examining the amount of virtual talk across online and blended college courses. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning(1).
Bryce, N. (2007). Online dialogue journaling in graduate literacy teacher education: Identity and knowledge construction. Orlando: Int Inst Informatics & Systemics.
Campbell, M., Gibson, W., Hall, A., Richards, D., & Callery, P. (2008). Online vs. face-to-face discussion in a web-based research methods course for postgraduate nursing students: A quasi-experimental study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 45(5), 750-759. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2006.12.011
Celik, S. (2013). Unspoken social dynamics in an online discussion group: The disconnect between attitudes and overt behavior of English language teaching graduate students. Educational Technology Research and Development, 61(4), 665-683.
Cheng, S. S., Liu, E. Z. F., Chen, N. S., Shih, R. C., & Chang, C. S. (2012). Gender differences in college students' behaviors in an online question-answer discussion activity. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 21(2), 244-256.
Christopher, M. M., Thomas, J. A., & Tallent-Runnels, M. K. (2004). Raising the bar: encouraging high level thinking in onlinediscussion forums. Roeper Review, 26(3), 166-171.
Cifuentes, L. J. (2003). The interactive effects of computer conferencing and multiple intelligences on expository writing. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 4(1), 15.
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (Eds.). (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage.
Cunningham-Atkins, H., Powell, N., Moore, D., Hobbs, D., & Sharpe, S. (2004). The role of cognitive style in educational computer conferencing. [Article]. British Journal of Educational Technology, 35(1), 69-80. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2004.00369.x
Davidson-Shivers, G. V., Luyegu, E., & Kimble, B. E. (2012). An analysis of asynchronous discussions: A case study of graduate student participation in online debates. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 21(1), 29-51.
Dawson, S. (2006). Online forum discussion interactions as an indicator of student community. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 22(4), 495.
Du, J., & Xu, J. (2010). The quality of online discussion reported by graduate students. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 11(1), 13-61.
Ellis, R. A., Goodyear, P., Prosser, M., & O'Hara, A. (2006). How and what university students learn through online and face-to-face discussion: conceptions, intentions and approaches. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 22(4), 244-256. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2729.2006.00173.x
Exter, M. E., Korkmaz, N., Harlin, N. M., & Bichelmeyer, B. A. (2009). Sense of community within a fully online program: Perspectives of graduate students. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 10(2), 177-251.
Fernandez, M. L. (2007). Communication and instruction in an online graduate education course. Teaching Education, 18(2), 137-150.
Giannini-Gachago, D., & Seleka, G. (2005). Experiences with international online discussions: Participation patterns of Botswana and American students in an Adult Education and Development course at the University of Botswana. International Journal of Education & Development using Information & Communication Technology, 1(2), 163-184.
Guilar, J. D., & Loring, A. (2008). Dialogue and community in online learning: lessons from Royal Roads University. Part of a special issue on instructional design, 22(3), 19-40.
Gunawardena, C. N., Lowe, C. A., & Anderson, T. (1997). Analysis of a global online debate and the development of an interaction analysis model for examining social construction of knowledge in computer conferencing. Journal of educational computing research, 17(4), 397-431.
Hillman, D. C., Willis, D. J., & Gunawardena, C. N. (1994). Learner‐interface interaction in distance education: An extension of contemporary models and strategies for practitioners. American Journal of Distance Education, 8(2), 30-42.
Huang, W. D., & Nakazawa, K. (2010). An empirical analysis on how learners interact in wiki in a graduate level online course. Interactive Learning Environments, 18(3), 233-244.
Im, Y. L. (2003). Pedagogical implications of online discussion for preservice teacher training. Journal of Research on Technology in Education (International Society for Technology in Education), 36(2), 155-170.
Jeong, A. C. (2003). The sequential analysis of group interaction and critical thinking in online. American Journal of Distance Education, 17(1), 25-43. doi:10.1207/S15389286AJDE1701_3
Lapadat, J. C. (2007). Discourse devices used to establish community, increase coherence, and negotiate agreement in an online university course. Journal of Distance Education, 21(3), 59-91.
Larson, B. E., & Keiper, T. A. (2002). Classroom discussion and threaded electronic discussion: learning in two arenas. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 2(1), 45-62.
Lee, J., Carter-Wells, J., Glaeser, B., Ivers, K., & Street, C. (2006). Facilitating the development of a learning community in an online graduate program. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 7(1), 13-33.
Lee, J., & Gibson, C. C. (2003). Developing self-direction in an online course through computer-mediated interaction. American Journal of Distance Education, 17(3), 173-187. doi: 10.1207/s15389286ajde1703_4
Light, V., Nesbitt, E., Light, P., & Burns, J. R. (2000). 'Let's you and me have a little discussion': computer mediated communication in support of campus-based university courses. Studies in Higher Education, 25(1), 85-96.
Lobel, M., Neubauer, M., & Swedburg, R. (2005). Selected topics from a matched study between a face-to-face section and a real-time online section of a university course. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 6(2), 1-1.
Mäkitalo, K., Häkkinen, P., Leinonen, P., & Järvelä, S. (2002). Mechanisms of common ground in case-based web discussions in teacher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 5(3), 247-265. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1096-7516(02)00112-4
Maushak, N. J., & Ou, C. (2007). Using synchronous communication to facilitate graduate students' online collaboration. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 8(2), 161-169.
Moore, M. G. (1989). Three types of interaction. American Journal of Distance Education, 3(2), 1–6.
Morris, T. A. (2010). Exploring Community College Student Perceptions of Online Learning. ProQuest LLC. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED519185&scope=site
Picciano, A. G. (2002). Beyond student perceptions: Issues of interaction, presence, and performance in an online course. Journal of Asynchronous learning networks, 6(1), 21-40.
Pilkington, R. M., & Walker, S. A. (2003). Facilitating debate in networked learning: Reflecting on online synchronous discussion in higher education. Instructional Science, 31(1/2), 41-63.
Poole, D. M. (2000). Student participation in a discussion-oriented online course: a case study. Journal of research on computing in education, 33(2), 162.
Shackelford, J. L., & Maxwell, M. (2012). Sense of community in graduate online education: Contribution of learner to learner interaction. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 13(4), 228-249.
Sorensen, C. K., & Baylen, D. M. (2004). Patterns of communicative and interactive behavior online: Case studies in higher education. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 5(2), 117-126.
Thomas, M. J. W. (2002). Learning within incoherent structures: the space of online discussion forums. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 18(3), 351-366. doi: 10.1046/j.0266-4909.2002.03800.x
Thurlow, C., Lengel, L., & Tomic, A. (2004). Computer mediated communication. Sage.
Wagner, E. D. (1994). In support of a functional definition of interaction. American Journal of Distance Education, 8(2), 6-29.
Wise, A. F., Perera, N., Hsiao, Y. T., Speer, J., & Marbouti, F. (2012). Microanalytic case studies of individual participation patterns in an asynchronous online discussion in an undergraduate blended course. Internet and Higher Education, 15(2), 108-117. doi: 10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.11.007
Wuttikietpaiboon, K. (2012). Engaging graduate students in rich asynchronous online discussions. In L. G. Chova, A. L. Martinez & I. C. Torres (Eds.), Inted2012: International Technology, Education and Development Conference (pp. 4356-4365). Valenica: Iated-Int Assoc Technology Education a& Development.
Xie, K., & Ke, F. (2011). The role of students' motivation in peer-moderated asynchronous online discussions. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(6), 916-930. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01140.x
Xie, K., Yu, C., & Bradshaw, A. C. (2014). Impacts of role assignment and participation in asynchronous discussions in college-level online classes. Internet and Higher Education, 20, 10-19. doi: 10.1016/j.iheduc.2013.09.003
Zhan, Z. H., Xu, F. Y., & Ye, H. W. (2011). Effects of an online learning community on active and reflective learners' learning performance and attitudes in a face-to-face undergraduate course. Computers & Education, 56(4), 961-968. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.11.012
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
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
