Netiquette practices and perceptions in TESOL-related online communities

Abstract

ABSTRACT This quantitative study utilises an ex post facto research design to investigate the emailing culture and potential differences in practices and beliefs regarding netiquette principles in language learning communities. A sample of 400 emails from two Teaching-English-to-Speakers-of-Other-Languages (TESOL)-related mailing lists, one at a national (Iranian) and the other at an international level, were compared against four email netiquette rules. These rules were selected for their quantifiable nature and alignment with Grice's conversational maxims. The results indicate that emails from the international mailing list significantly outperformed those from the national mailing list in ‘adopting an appropriate subject line’, ‘observing content relevance’, ‘editing out irrelevant parts of previously posted material’, and ‘including a signature’. Additionally, a ten-item questionnaire on netiquette attitudes was developed and distributed to the mailing lists to investigate perceptions of the appropriateness and necessity of netiquette rules. Seventy-five responses at the national and fifty-three at the international level were collected. The results reveal significant differences in beliefs. The findings suggest that, while a deeper understanding of netiquette principles is necessary, curriculum designers, teacher educators, and teachers should also be mindful of cultural diversity. Further research on how culture can influence online communication behaviours and email styles is recommended.