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Hitting Reply: A Qualitative Study to Understand Student Decisions to Respond to Online Discussion Postings

Publication ,  Journal Article
Chapman, DD; Storberg-Walker, J; Stone, SJ
Published in: E-Learning and Digital Media
March 2008

Providing tools for dialogue exchange does not ensure that students will respond to team mate postings or that online groups will grow in cohesiveness. Students decide whether or not to reply, and it is increasingly important to understand how students make these decisions due to the increase in distance education, millenials, and asynchronous teamwork in the workplace. This exploratory qualitative study was based on an interpretivist philosophy to understand how students reply to discussion postings. Students from two Master's-level research classes were asked why they chose to respond to certain discussion postings and why they chose not to reply to certain postings. The reasons why students responded to postings were clustered into four themes: group process criteria, leadership criteria, social criteria, and judgment criteria. The reasons why students did not respond fell into the criteria of applicability, judgment, leadership, and social criteria. Implications for e-learning instructors and practitioners are discussed in terms of promoting social presence and facilitating collaborative group work.

Duke Scholars

Published In

E-Learning and Digital Media

DOI

EISSN

2042-7530

ISSN

2042-7530

Publication Date

March 2008

Volume

5

Issue

1

Start / End Page

29 / 39

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Related Subject Headings

  • 1303 Specialist Studies in Education
  • 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy
 

Citation

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Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Chapman, D. D., Storberg-Walker, J., & Stone, S. J. (2008). Hitting Reply: A Qualitative Study to Understand Student Decisions to Respond to Online Discussion Postings. E-Learning and Digital Media, 5(1), 29–39. https://doi.org/10.2304/elea.2008.5.1.29
Chapman, Diane D., Julia Storberg-Walker, and Sophia J. Stone. “Hitting Reply: A Qualitative Study to Understand Student Decisions to Respond to Online Discussion Postings.” E-Learning and Digital Media 5, no. 1 (March 2008): 29–39. https://doi.org/10.2304/elea.2008.5.1.29.
Chapman DD, Storberg-Walker J, Stone SJ. Hitting Reply: A Qualitative Study to Understand Student Decisions to Respond to Online Discussion Postings. E-Learning and Digital Media. 2008 Mar;5(1):29–39.
Chapman, Diane D., et al. “Hitting Reply: A Qualitative Study to Understand Student Decisions to Respond to Online Discussion Postings.” E-Learning and Digital Media, vol. 5, no. 1, SAGE Publications, Mar. 2008, pp. 29–39. Crossref, doi:10.2304/elea.2008.5.1.29.
Chapman DD, Storberg-Walker J, Stone SJ. Hitting Reply: A Qualitative Study to Understand Student Decisions to Respond to Online Discussion Postings. E-Learning and Digital Media. SAGE Publications; 2008 Mar;5(1):29–39.
Journal cover image

Published In

E-Learning and Digital Media

DOI

EISSN

2042-7530

ISSN

2042-7530

Publication Date

March 2008

Volume

5

Issue

1

Start / End Page

29 / 39

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Related Subject Headings

  • 1303 Specialist Studies in Education
  • 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy