This study provides an in-depth description and interpretation of student participation and interaction that occurred in computer-mediated interactive writing activities in two different classroom settings: a freshman writing class and a plant biology lab. Both classes were equipped with a network of Macintosh computers and the Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment software which was used to conduct in-class, synchronous computer-based discussions.
Electronic transcripts of interactive writing activities created in both classes were archived from the beginning to the end of one semester for analysis of student participation and interaction in the computer-mediated environment. A focal point of the participant observation research in both classes occurred in a capstone event which took place halfway through the semester and involved a peer review as well as interactive discussion activity conducted in the computer-mediated environment. The capstone was designed to provide multiple data points for analysis while also serving specific content objectives for each class.
The analysis of electronic interchanges revealed that student participation and interaction in the computer-mediated environment differed from the traditional, face-to-face setting in both cases by exhibiting increased participation and increased student-to-student interactions. Students responded to the CMC environment with variable timing in their responses and varied styles for using CMC as a medium for communication. The social conventions for participation and interaction in the CMC interactive writing activities were influenced by the computer interface, the behavior exhibited by the teacher and fellow students in the CMC discussions, and the nature of the topic being discussed. All students reported increased understanding of the material by being able to read responses of their peers in the on-line discussions.
Three areas for improving future applications of this technology emerged from this study: (1) several students complained about having to type their messages; (2) several students reported that they felt overwhelmed by the number of messages and multiple, consecutive tangents in the CMC discussion; and (3) teachers would benefit by having more specific guidelines for designing appropriate activities for this technology which can be integrated into existing instruction and assessment activities. / Ph. D.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/40137 |
| Date | 24 October 2005 |
| Creators | Ruberg, Lorena Ferguson |
| Contributors | Curriculum and Instruction, Burton, John K., Dodl, Norman R., Sherman, Thomas, Taylor, C. David, Moore, David, Nespor, Jan K. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation, Text |
| Format | x, 203 leaves, BTD, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | OCLC# 32989543, LD5655.V856_1994.R834.pdf |
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