Abstract
Drawing on research in both constrained online discussion environments and strategy instruction, this approach combines explicit instruction on discussion strategies with the use of post type labels. In a trial of this approach in an online course, students actively used the discussion strategies and post type labels in their discussion. Analysis of student posts and survey responses suggested that students in the experimental group used discussion strategies more frequently after the intervention as compared to the control group and perceived that this approach positively impacted their discussions. In addition, there is a certain degree of improvement in the quality of discussion measured by Gunawardena, Lowe and Anderson’s (1997) critical analysis model.
Highlights
Asynchronous online discussion has become one of the major means of supporting student learning in online environments (Joeng, 2003; J. Thomas, 2013)
Asynchronous online discussion forums support a more decentralized and collaborative learning environment, where the teacher acts as a facilitator, and students take responsibility for their own learning (Jonassen, Davidson, Collins, Compbell, & Hagg, 1995)
Twenty-two students in Section A served as the control group, and 17 students in Section B served as the experimental group
Summary
Asynchronous online discussion has become one of the major means of supporting student learning in online environments (Joeng, 2003; J. Thomas, 2013). The test of between-subject effects revealed further information: When controlling for the difference in strategy use in the introduction unit across the two conditions, there were group effects for Strategy 1 (elaborating and clarifying) (p < .05, power = .654), Strategy 2 (making connections) (p < .05, power = .578), Strategy 3 (challenging) (p < .05, power = .512), and Strategy 5 (questioning) (p < .005, power = .910). This suggests that compared to the students in Section A the students in Section B used more of Strategies 1, 2, 3, and 5 in the final module. This suggests that the intervention had an impact on those phases with the majority of posts
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