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The Webheads Community of Language Learners Online by Vance Stevens and Arif Altun Proceeds from a demonstration given November 7, 2001, 12:00-12:50 GMT http://sites.hsprofessional.com/vstevens/files/efi/papers/t2t2001/proceeds.htm |
Rationale Abstract Rationale Webheads The Study Conclusion |
Rationale for the study
Computer mediated communication (CMC) enables people to communicate with others by means of computers and networks. With recent advancements of Internet technologies, there are now more opportunities for educators and their students to interact in cyberspace through CMC. These interactions can pave the way to the formation of authentic and communicative online communities which facilitate language learning in cyberspace.
Online communities provide the parties involved in computer-mediated interaction with possibilities to form communities of practice. A community of practice as defined by Eckert & McConnel-Ginet (1992) is "an aggregate of people who come together around mutual engagement in an endeavour. Ways of doing things, ways of talking, beliefs, values, power relations - in short, practices - emerge in the course of mutual endeavour" (p. 464). In such endeavors, online communities also attempt to develop a new way of thinking. According to Dede (1999), this process is best described as a new type of "cognitive ecology". Dede goes further to claim that communities of practice not only develop a mutual understanding but also attempt to create communities of mind.
The issues involved with the emergence and development of online communities have been investigated by various researchers from various standpoints (see Rintel and Pittam, 1997 for a detailed literature review). The effectiveness of these emerging communities both as communities of practice and mind, however, is subject to participants’ approval and/or rejection.
In a recent study exploring the benefits and limitations of using the Internet for mentoring purposes, Seabrooks, Kenney, & LaMontagne (2000) analyzed teacher trainees’ collaboration and interaction in a community of practice. Based on content analyses and descriptive statistics, the researchers reported that online communication was perceived as a positive experience for teacher trainees to develop their intervention and teaming skills. In addition, the findings supported the idea that task-oriented online communication is a viable process which benefits pre-service teachers.
Another study conducted by Hrabe, Adamy, Milman, Washington, & Howard (1998) investigated how online discourse can serve to create community for education students. By facilitating web-based communication, the researchers reported several important indicators that respondents had a sense of participating in a shared community. They were (a) motivation for participation, which is primarily internal, (b) awareness of social context and perception of others as peer members, and (c) the ability to acknowledge and appreciate multiple perspectives.
The studies and assertions cited above conducted from social interactionist and computer mediated communication perspectives can be interpreted as providing a rationale for establishing and communicating within the continuity of online communities. Yet, the formation of such communities needs to be explored from new participants’ perspectives since much depends on the perceptions of new participants toward joining an online community from a distance. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of EFL students of participating in an online community from a distance.
In this paper, we provide an overview of such an online community, called Webheads. We then give a background to the study and provide a description of its participants. Third, we present findings pertaining to reactions of newcomers to a community of practice based on qualitative analysis of transcript data. Finally, we conclude by discussing how these results might bear on learner perceptions of such online communities.
 Vance Stevens (MLI)  Arif Altun (Nigde University) |
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this page Last updated: October 1, 2002 in Hot Metal Pro 6.0 |