Interaction involves people communicating and reacting to each other. This process is key to the study of discourse, but it is not easy to study systematically how interaction takes place in a specific communicative event, or how it is typically performed over a series of repeated communicative events. However, with a written record of the interaction, it becomes possible to study the process in some detail. This thesis investigates interaction through asynchronous written discussion forums in a computer-mediated learning environment. In particular, this study investigates pragmatic aspects of the communicative event which the asynchronous online discussions comprise. The first case study examines response patterns to messages by looking at the content of initial messages and responses, in order to determine the extent to which characteristics of the messages themselves or other situational factors affect the interaction. The second study examines in what ways participants use a range of discourse devices, including formulaic politeness, humour and supportive feedback as community building strategies in the interaction. The third study investigates the role of the subject line of messages in the interaction, for example by examining how participants choose different types of subject lines for different types of messages. The fourth study examines to what extent features serving a deictic function are drawn on in the interaction and then compares the findings to both oral conversation and formal academic discourse. The overall findings show a complex communicative situation shaped by the medium itself, type of activity, the academic discipline and topic of discussion and by the social and cultural aspects of tertiary education in an online learning environment. In addition, the findings may also provide evidence of learning. / The four case studies presented in Language and interaction in online asynchronous communication in university level English courses investigate written discussion forum interaction in a computer-mediated learning environment. These studies deal with different, yet related, aspects of discussion forum communication. Aspects included are the labeling and response patterns of messages, community-building strategies among participants and features of informal conversation and formal academic writing in the messages. Building on discourse analysis combined with content analysis and corpus method, the work systematically examines the linguistic patterns of communication in the discussion forums. The findings show that there are multiple factors at work simultaneously that affect the linguistic choices by the discourse participants. The constraints and opportunities of the communication are not only connected to the fact that it is computer-mediated, but also to the fact that it is written and in a particular academic environment. Knowledge of the choices available and of what factors potentially affect them is useful for anybody involved in research on net-based teaching and learning.

L'objectif de ce travail est de réunir deux concepts dont il n’est pas courant de le faire communiquer : l’émancipation qui remonte aux débuts de la réflexion philosophique et dont il est le cœur actif ; et la communication qui renvoie à notre présent historique et dont il est l’emblème le plus répondu.Le projet philosophique de Habermas peut être lu en tant qu’actualisation du projet de la Théorie critique et en tant que lieu de repenser le concept de l’émancipation dans les sociétés complexes du capitalisme avancé à travers la communication. C’est dans le cadre du tournant pragmatique que Habermas reconstruit le paradigme communicationnel, ce qui permet d’articuler le tournant linguistique avec la théorie de l’action dans le cadre d’une théorie de la société. La présente recherche enquête sur l’argument philosophique de Habermas qui peut justifier la thèse que face à une colonisation de plus en plus violente du monde vécu par les impératifs systémique, il nous est encore possible d’organiser une émancipation réelle, collectif et effective. Assumant les contraintes multiformes de ce travail théorique faillible Habermas défend l'idée selon laquelle une politique délibérative fondée sur le principe de discussion (l’implication politique de la pragmatique universelle) peut être la condition de cette émancipation. La délibération active le rôle de la communication intacte et exempte de violence pour retrouver un accord rationnellement fondé, mais faillible. Tournée vers la vie concrète des hommes de la société actuelle, la délibération ira jusqu’à légitimer et même légaliser la désobéissance civile. / The objective of this work is to bring together two concepts which it is not common to do communicate: the emancipation that goes back to the beginnings of philosophical reflection and of which he is the active heart; and communication that refers to our historical present and of which he is the symbol most replied. Habermas's philosophical project can be read as the actualization of the project of Critical Theory and as a place to rethink the concept of emancipation in complex societies of advanced capitalism through communication. It is in the pragmatic turn that Habermas reconstructs the communication paradigm, allowing articulating the linguistic turn to the theory of action in the framework of a theory of society. This research investigates the philosophical argument of Habermas which may justify the thesis that the colonization increasingly violent of life-world by the systemic imperatives, we can still organize a real emancipation, collective and effective. Assuming the multifaceted constraints of this theoretical work Habermas argues that deliberative policy based on the principle of discussion (political involvement of universal pragmatics) may be the condition of this emancipation. The deliberation active the role of communication (free of violence) in order to find a rationally founded agreement. Facing the concrete life of men of modern society, deliberation will even legitimize and legalize the civil disobedience.

abstract: ABSTRACT It is critical for students to be provided with opportunities to learn in settings that foster their academic growth. It is equally important that schools endeavor to be a place where students’ social and emotional needs are met as well. However, due to lack of funding, over-testing, inappropriate evaluation measures, and other persistent policy pressures, our public schools have often resorted to a focus on raising standardized test scores through direct instruction with an increasingly narrowed curriculum. As a result, schools have often become places in which students, rather than being seen as valued future members of a productive society, are part of the bleak statistics that shine a spotlight on how our schools have failed to motivate and connect with the students of today. Consequently, many educators have come to believe they are not influential enough to make a significant difference, and have resigned themselves to accepting their current situation. The problem with this thinking is that it minimizes the purpose of the job we promised to do – to educate. The innovation I implemented and describe in my dissertation can be characterized with one word – dialogue. Dialogue that occurs for the purpose of understanding and learning more about that which we do not know. In this innovation, I endeavored to demonstrate how social learning by way of dialogic discussion could not only support students’ academic growth, but their social and emotional growth as well. Results from the data collected and analyzed in this study suggest social learning had a highly positive impact both on how students learned and how they viewed themselves as learners. Education is one of the cornerstones of our country. Educational opportunities that help meet the academic and social-emotional needs of students should not be seen as a privilege but rather as a fundamental right for all students. Equally, the right to express one’s thoughts, opinions and ideas is a foundational element in our democratic society. Failing to connect with our students and teach them how to exercise these rights in our classrooms is to fail ourselves as educators. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2018

Bakgrund: Under de senaste åren har samarbetssamtalen ökat inom Sverige. Dagligen arbetar familjerättssekreterare med samarbetssamtal för att försöka föra tvistande och oeniga föräldrar mot ett samarbete i frågor gällande deras barn. Samarbetssamtalen ska ges under professionell och kompetent ledning av samtalsledare med relevant utbildning. Som samtalsledare är det därför viktigt att inneha kunskaper om konflikthantering, konfliktlösningsmodeller och medlingsteori. Detta för att på bästa sätt kunna leda ett samarbetssamtal. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att, utifrån transformativ teori, förstå hur familjerättssekreterare arbetar med medling i sitt arbete med samarbetssamtal. Metod: En kvalitativ intervjustudie genomfördes, vilket innebär att fem familjerättssekreterare har intervjuats för detta arbete. Resultat: Resultatet redovisas med hjälp av två grundteman som kunde urskiljas ur intervjuerna. Inom det första temat, Rollen som samtalsledare, berörs olika faktorer som familjerättssekreterarna ansett vara betydelsefulla i sin roll som samtalsledare. Inom det andra temat, Användning av medlingsmetoder inom samarbetssamtal, behandlas familjerättssekreterarnas tankar kring användandet av medlingsmetoder i sina samarbetssamtal. Slutsats: I slutsatsen framkommer det att familjerättssekreterarna arbetar olika gällande användandet av medlingsmetoder inom samarbetssamtal. De flesta säger sig arbeta utifrån en blandning av olika medlingsmetoder, dock nämns inga specifika metoder. Utifrån familjerättssekreterarnas beskrivningar av sitt arbete inom samarbetssamtal visade det sig däremot att samtliga familjerättssekreterare ändå arbetar utifrån den transformativa medlingsmodellen. Diskussion: Även om familjerättssekreterarna inte säger sig arbeta utifrån någon specifik medlingsmetod, så kunde den transformativa medlingen urskiljas när de beskrev sitt arbetssätt. Kanske arbetar de omedvetet utifrån olika medlingsmetoder? Även andra perspektiv, som den lösningsfokuserade korttidsterapin, kan relateras till deras sätt att arbeta inom samarbetssamtal. / Background: In recent years cooperation discussions between parents has increased in Sweden. The family law secretaries work daily with cooperation discussions in order to bring disagreeing and disputant parents towards working together regarding issues concerning their children. Cooperation discussions should be given under both professional and competent guidance by mediators with adequate education. That is why it is important, as a mediator, to possess knowledge about models of conflict resolution, mediation theory and about how to manage conflicts. And to, in the best way possible, lead a cooperation discussion as a mediator. Aim: The aim of this study is to understand how family law secretaries work with mediation within cooperation discussion, based on transformative theory. Method: A qualitative interview study was made in which five family law secretaries were interviewed. Results: The results are based and presented on two themes that could be distinguished out of the interviews. Within the theme The role of the mediator, different factors that the family law secretaries found important in the role of being a mediator within cooperation discussions are presented. Within the theme The use of mediation methods within cooperation discussions, the family law secretaries own thoughts of how they use mediation methods within cooperation discussions are presented. Conclusion: The family law secretaries work differently when it comes to using mediation methods within cooperation discussions. They describe that their work is based on a mixture of multiple mediation methods. Through the way that the family law secretaries describe how they work within cooperation discussion, it is made clear that they all work with transformative mediation. Discussion: Even if the family law secretaries explain that they do not use any given mediation method, the transformative method was recognized in the way they describe their work. Might they be unaware of that they may be working with different mediation methods? Approaches like the solution-focused brief therapy can also be tied to the family law secretaries work with cooperation discussions.

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In today’s society it is expected that individuals completing teacher education programs harness the skill of critical thinking before entering into the classroom practice. This qualitative case study focuses on three (3) pre-service teachers’ experience in a teacher education course that was redesigned to foster and develop critical thinking skills and knowledge growth by the introduction of online discussion forums. This study was guided by the following question “How has the implementation of online discussion boards in the redesign of the two sections of a mandatory course of the Bachelor of Education program at a Canadian university supported the development of pre-service teachers critical thinking and contributed to their knowledge growth related to course content”? Data was collected from three (3) participants enrolled in the course, using semi-structured interviews and the data from the online discussion threads. Results show participants do not have a unified understanding of critical thinking and that online discussion boards can impact participant’s critical thinking development and knowledge growth provided they are given a strong foundation in the content area and have adequate time to reflect on the information presented. As well, findings revealed that participants used online discussion boards as a type of social media interface. By examining the participant’s perceptions and postings of online discussion boards, this study provides insights into how critical thinking can be developed in pre-service teachers through an online medium. Additionally, this study considers and how these skills might be translated into classroom practice.

The diploma thesis analyzes internet discussions and Facebook sites that relate to banks and banking products. This analysis has been prepared for the potential value for marketing purposes, but also for other users outside the field of marketing. The main objective is to propose a regularly administered overview containing metrics and characteristics, which would provide information about the current status of the topics that were discussed at the monitored data sources. At first are described the methods of marketing research regarding to the possibility of obtaining data based from Internet discussions. Next are described the intermediate objectives. The base is description of downloading data from the mentioned sources. There have been identified two web pages and Facebook profiles of five banks, which are the data sources. Another objective is to create Java programs for downloading data and storing them in Elasticsearch. This data is enriched by sentiment analysis of users' comments. The main objective is based on defined metrics and characteristics that will be displayed. Subsequently, the data are analyzed using the proposed visualization in the application Kibana. The resulting data are interpreted, and there is designed a form of their distribution, which is the main objective of this work. The contribution of this work is the description of the processing of data that can be obtained from the website and public Facebook profiles with emphasis on their content, and their further enrichment and finally data visualization designed for wide range of audience.

Interaction involves people communicating and reacting to each other. This process is key to the study of discourse, but it is not easy to study systematically how interaction takes place in a specific communicative event, or how it is typically performed over a series of repeated communicative events. However, with a written record of the interaction, it becomes possible to study the process in some detail. This thesis investigates interaction through asynchronous written discussion forums in a computer-mediated learning environment. In particular, this study investigates pragmatic aspects of the communicative event which the asynchronous online discussions comprise. The first case study examines response patterns to messages by looking at the content of initial messages and responses, in order to determine the extent to which characteristics of the messages themselves or other situational factors affect the interaction. The second study examines in what ways participants use a range of discourse devices, including formulaic politeness, humour and supportive feedback as community building strategies in the interaction. The third study investigates the role of the subject line of messages in the interaction, for example by examining how participants choose different types of subject lines for different types of messages. The fourth study examines to what extent features serving a deictic function are drawn on in the interaction and then compares the findings to both oral conversation and formal academic discourse. The overall findings show a complex communicative situation shaped by the medium itself, type of activity, the academic discipline and topic of discussion and by the social and cultural aspects of tertiary education in an online learning environment. In addition, the findings may also provide evidence of learning.

The purpose of this study was to examine how spaces for difficult conversations, particularly about race, are created so teacher educators can begin to consider how to prepare teachers to facilitate these spaces and, ultimately, these conversations, in an effort to improve racial literacy amongst students, both K12 and secondary. This is an urgent need in the U.S., where the silence about race has broken through in ways that have been destructive. The significance of this study, therefore, lies in the exploration of how white teacher educators constructed spaces for new conversations about race, as this can directly impact the way they prepare teacher candidates to do the same in K12 classrooms. In studying the construction of a space where these conversations were possible, and where hegemonic norms and the hidden curriculum could be questioned and disrupted, I argue that we can rethink how educators take up the ideals of multicultural education as well as culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies in classroom spaces. Though this study offers insight into just one group of white teacher educators as it coexists within the larger framework of school spaces in New York City and is nested within the institution of U.S. schooling and society writ large, the study’s results may contribute to understandings of what a “brave” space for tough conversations looks like for American school teachers and children and how it can be produced. Through both discourse and spatial analysis of data produced through audio- and video-taping of eight monthly meetings, individual interviews, and the generation and collection of artifacts, my key findings are grounded in the pervasiveness of white supremacy in education. With this understanding, white educators must work to understand that there is no “one right way” to begin disrupting white supremacy in the classroom. Therefore, white teacher educators need new communities to begin addressing the ways in which white teacher educators are able to engage in talking about race and ultimately work toward facilitating spaces where their teacher candidates can then do the same.

Therapeutic intervention with children relies on the use of play materials as medium for communication. Within Gestalt play therapy play materials are utilised with the assumption that children will project their thoughts and feelings onto the play materials. Projection creates a sense of safety that allows children to discuss information that they generally would not raise. The use of puppets as play technique has many advantages in the therapeutic context. One of the key characteristics of puppets as play technique, is that it tends to enhance communication in the therapeutic context. Puppets are suitable for intervention in individual and group contexts. The goal of this study was to determine the influence of puppets as medium for communication in group work with children in middel childhood. Educational groups that focused on bullying as a topic of discussion were implemented with two groups of children in middle childhood. Bullying has a significant effect on may school-age children and was regarded as an appropriate topic for the groups. The research was based on a mixed methods research approach, with applied research as the type of research. A dominant less dominant research design was followed. A multi-group post-test research design was used for the quantitative research, whereas a collective case study design was used for the qualitative part of the study. Quantitative data collection focused on the communication and the interaction patterns during group sessions where puppets were utilised compared to sessions without the use of puppets. Data were collected by means of structured observation with the use of an observation schedule. Qualitative data collection focused on the responsents? experience of the use of puppets during group work. Semi-structured interviews that were guided by a semi-structured interview schedule were used to collect the qualitative data. A total of 10 respondents were selected by means of purposive sampling from children in middle childhood who attended a after school centre. Simple random sampling were used to divide the respondents into two groups of five respondents each. The two groups were exposed to the same group work programme. The research findings indicate that the use of puppets generally showed positive results in respect of the communication and interaction patterns in the two groups. The use of puppets resulted in an increase of contributions and in the initiation of discussions by the respondents. Furthermore, the respondents showed greater involvement in the group and tended to more readily include other group members in the group discussion. When using puppets, the respondents were were less likely to follow the opinion of other group members. Most of the respondents indicated that they enjoyed talking through the puppets. The use of puppets did however not enhance discussions of sensitive topics that focused on negative elements. Some of the respondents found it difficult to concentrate on the group discussion and manipulate the puppet at the same time and some exhibited more attention seeking behaviours when using the puppets in the group session. The study can be regarded as an exploratory study with a limited number of respondents. The conclusion is made that the use of puppets could benefit the communication and the interaction patterns during group work with children. Due to the promising results, the researcher recommends that further research be conducted on using puppets as medium for communication during group work. / Terapeutiese intervensies met kinders steun op die gebruik van spelmateriale as gespreksmedium. In Gestaltspelterapie word spelmateriale benut met die aanname dat kinders hul denke en gevoelens op die spelmateriale projekteer. Projeksie skep n gevoel van veiligheid wat daartoe bydra dat kinders inligting bespreek wat hul andersins nie sou opper nie. Handpoppe is n speltegniek wat verskeie voordele in die terapeutiese konteks inhou. Een van die uitstaande kenmerke van handpoppe as speltegniek, is dat dit kommunikasie in die terapeutiese konteks kan bevorder. Handpoppe kan tydens individuele intervensie en in groepsverband gebruik word. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die invloed van handpoppe as gespreksmedium tydens groepwerk met kinders in die middelkinderjare te bepaal. Vir die doel van die navorsing is opvoedkundige groepe wat op afkouery as onderwerp fokus met twee groepe kinders in die middelkinderjare geïmplementeer. Afknouery het n groot invloed op talle skoolkinders en is as n gepaste onderwerp vir die groepe beskou. In die studie is n gemengde navorsingsbenadering gevolg, met toegepaste navorsing as die tipe navorsing. n Dominante minder dominante navorsingsontwerp is gevolg. n Multi-groep na-toets navorsingsontwerp is vir die kwantitatiewe navorsing gebruik, terwyl n kollektiewe gevallestudie-ontwerp vir die kwalitatiewe deel van die navorsing gebruik is. Kwantitatiewe data het gefokus op die kommunikasie en interaksiepatrone tydens groepsessies waar handpoppe gebruik is teenoor dié sonder die gebruik van handpoppe. Data is deur middel van gestruktureerde observasie aan die hand van n observasieskedule ingesamel. Kwalitatiewe data het gefokus op die respondente se ervaring van die benutting van handpoppe tydens groepwerk. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met die benutting van n semi-gestruktureerde onderhoudskedule is gebruik om laasgenoemde data in te samel. n Totaal van 10 respondente is op grond van doelgerigte steekproefseleksie vanuit kinders in die middelkinderjare wat n naskoolsentrum bygewoon het, geselekteer. Eenvoudige ewekansige steekproefseleksie is gebruik om die respondente in twee groepe van vyf respondente elk in te deel. Dieselfde groepwerkprogram is aan albei groepe aangebied. Die navorsingsbevindinge toon aan dat die benutting van handpoppe oor die algemeen voordelig vir die kommunikasie en interaksiepatrone in die twee groepe was. Dit het tot n verhoging van bydraes en van die inisiëring van gesprekke in die groepe gelei. Die respondente het groter betrokkenheid by die groep getoon en was meer geneig om ander groeplede in die groepsgesprek in te sluit. Respondente was ook minder geneig om bloot die mening van ander te volg wanneer handpoppe gebruik is. Die meeste respondente het aangetoon dat hulle dit geniet het om deur die handpoppe te praat. Die benutting van handpoppe het egter nie daartoe bygedra dat sensitiewe onderwerpe met negatiewe elemente meer geredelik bespreek is nie. Sommige respondente het dit moeilik gevind om gelyktydig op die groepsgesprek en op die manipulering van die handpoppe te fokus, terwyl ander meer geneig tot aandagsoekendende gedrag was wanneer handpoppe gebruik is. Die studie kan as n eksploratiewe studie met n beperkte aantal respondente beskou word. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat die benutting van handpoppe wel die kommunikasie en die interaksiepatrone tydens groepwerk met kinders kan bevorder. Weens die belowende resultate stel die navorser voor dat verdere navorsing oor die benutting van handpoppe as gespeksmedium tydens groepwerk gedoen word. / Mini Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / Unrestricted