The Gender Communication Gap in Online Threaded Discussions

2015

Audio/video discussion has been used increasingly in online courses due to its affordances in enhancing online communication. However, whether learners of different characteristics can benefit from this discussion modality has not been investigated extensively. This study examined whether gender plays a role in learners’ preferences and perceptions of audio/video discussion as compared to text discussion. The survey data of thirty-six participants’ perceptions were collected and studied after they participated in an audio/video discussion activity. The findings show that females preferred audio/video discussion more than males did, and more females reported that audio/video discussion strengthened their connection with peers. The top three benefits of audio/video discussion perceived by females and males are presented in this paper. Overall, using audio/video discussion to augment online communication and to connect learners is likely to be more effective and perceived more positive...

Although the literature on group gender composition in the classroom derives from a variety of research disciplines, including sociolinguistics and educational psychology, little attention has been paid to approaching this contextual factor pragmatically. This study, therefore, makes use of Brown and Levinson's (1987) and Culpeper's (1996) pragmatic theories of (im)politeness to investigate the extent to which group gender composition conditions (male-only (MO), female-only (FO), and evenly-mixed (MIX) groups) and communication modalities (face-to-face and online communication) influence undergraduates’ linguistic choices in the Tunisian context. Twenty-four participants were divided into six groups of four participants each. Half of these groups met face-to-face, whereas the other half got in touch using Hipchat as a text-based online chat utility. Each group was assigned a problem-solving task on which they had to reach a consensus, with English as the communication medium. Afterwards, each participant was invited to rate their satisfaction with the group discussion process on a 7-point Likert scale. The findings reveal that gender composition, across face-to-face and online modes of communication, affected the participants’ linguistic choices. FO groups were the most supportive and polite, followed by MIX and MO groups. Contrary to our expectations, both genders proved to be less impolite and confrontational online than in face-to-face encounters. They also showed satisfaction with the overall discussion process, regardless of the communication modality and the gender composition of the group to which they had been assigned. The significance of the results lies in informing the teachers of the modes of communication and group gender composition conditions that are more likely to enhance their students’ learning experience.

2008

Gender differences between participation in face-to-face and web-based classroom discussions were examined, by comparing the men–women actual participation ratio to the men–women attendance (or login) ratio. It was found that men over-proportionally spoke at the face-to-face classroom whereas women over-proportionally posted messages in the web-based conference. Two alternative explanations are discussed.

2015

The purpose of this work is to observe communication patterns between students in a face to face and online undergraduate level class. This study will specifically focus on the gender communication patterns of students. The researcher will compare the communication patterns to identify gaps between a traditional and online class. Additionally, the observation will focus on examining the communication patterns and gender discourse. This study focuses on the following questions: In what ways does a classroom environment (face to face verse online) impact the caliber of student participation? Is there a difference in the gender of the participants when comparing a face to face course to an online course? vi Sources of Data Students from a State University were observed in a face to face and online class of the same course. The participants in the study consisted of 176 students at a State University. The face to face class consisted of 51 students; 27 males and 24 females. The online class consisted of 119 students; 52 males and 67 females. Observational methods were used by utilizing a rubric during the observations. The rubric was designed for each type of class seeking to identify specific themes. The date collected from the rubric allowed for the researcher to conduct thematic analysis and make conclusions when comparing the observations from the two different classroom dynamics. Conclusions Reached The qualitative nature of this study allowed for specific conclusions to be drawn from observations of a face to face class and online class in relation to gender. The current research for how men and women communicate in the classroom aligns with what was observed in the face to face class. Males are more likely to draw attention to the class by raising their hand and being called on to participate. Females are not called on as often as male students. Their opinion can be dismissed by being interrupted and feeling as if they do not matter. Online class allowed for female students to become more comfortable with voicing their opinions through online discussion posts. Female students are more likely to utilize self disclosure and are more open to participation and providing feedback. This researcher came away with I wish to express my appreciation for having Dr. Sherrie Carinci as my thesis advisor and first reader. Dr. Carinci's passion for research, gender equity, and education makes her an inspirational mentor and a highly esteemed educator. Dr. Carinci has given me guidance, support, and expert knowledge for my research topic. Her advice and support has been irreplaceable and necessary in my success. I also want to thank her for the motivation and belief in me as a researcher. The support that she has provided me has helped me tremendously academically and also personally. To my second reader, Katherine Raines, I am thankful for your encouragement, positivity, wit, and willingness to support me. Your success is inspiring and motivating. Thanks you for taking the time to instill confidence in me. x

2021

Discussion forums are important components of online courses because of the collaboration and community they foster, and the language used within the discussion forums may be influential in this development. In particular, studying the gendered language patterns of discussion forums can help gain insight into students' state of mind and propensity to form a community and thus ultimately may help explain men and women's differential success in online courses. This study describes the state of gendered language use in two online science courses. The results reveal that women and men do not differ in their language use along traditionally gendered lines, which holds promise for women in online courses. This means that the language that women use does not overtly mark them as female, which has the potential to help subvert the typical result of the negative outcomes associated with the female marker in science courses.

With the existence of language and gender studies emphasizing the male and female dichotomy in interactional strategies, this study aimed to investigate the verbal communication behaviors of language classroom mixed-gender and same-gender group conversations involving the same interlocutors. The transcribed data obtained from the three fifteen-minute recorded group interactions indicated that questions and expressions of agreement were the typical behaviors employed by the interlocutors. The results showed that aside from the gender of the interlocutor and the gender composition of the group, the nature of talk and the group size influence the use of particular behaviors. The findings have implications on providing a locally-acquired data on classroom peer talks in the field of language and gender.

Online Learning, 2019

This study (N=2,826 postings from 92 participants) examines the phenomenon of interactivity in asynchronous computer-mediated communication (ACMC), also known as threaded discussion, in the context of master’s level Teaching English as a Second Language (MATESL) and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (MATEFL) courses. The study, which is grounded in a group of interrelated pragmatic, learning community, and pedagogical theories, attempts to determine when and under what conditions interactivity, here defined as a response to a previous posting, occurs. We focus on conditions that are present in interactive threaded discussions, those with low rates of serial monologuism and high rates of participant uptake. Taking interactivity as the dependent variable, we test a number of properties of individual ACMC postings to determine their relationships to interactivity. These variables include biographical properties of the writers (gender and first language (L1), role in the course) an...

Language variations between men and women are among the issues that have become research subject matters for so many years. Men and women are said to behave differently in their styles of conversation, especially when performing certain speech acts. This chapter is an attempt to discuss the modern conversational style of women’s speech in the online communication environment by using the traditional approach of Women’s Language proposed by Lakoff (1975), from a different perspective.

1991

A study examined the claim that computer-mediated discussion groups, also known as "lists," "conferences," or "bulletin boards" in which individuals contribute electronically to an ongoing exchange of information and ideas within a field of common interest, affect participation by women. Examination of the claim was accomplished by analyzing patterns of participation in the LINGUIST list, a computer-mediated linguistics discussion group containing over 1,800 subscribers internationally. While 46% of the regular members of the 1991 Linguistic Society of America were women, women comprise only 36% of LINGUIST subscribers. During a 2.5 month period, 71 messages, by 42 contributors, initially centered on the term "cognitive linguistics" were analyzed. The number of women contributors, number of contributions by gender, average words per contribution, and total words contributed were examined. An anonymous survey was conducted on the list concerning reasons for female nonparticipation in the discussion. Results of the discourse analysis and survey suggest that while both men and women respond negatively to adversarial discourse such as this one, women respond differently on the basis of their negative reactions, producing less adversarial discourse and participating less in adversarial exchanges altogether. It is concluded that gender-based communication preferences may Inhibit women from participating in even professionally beneficial activities. Adoption of the rhetoric of male success is seen as a more participatory alternative. The survey form is appended. (MSE)

Discourse & Society, 2001

gender and language from a feminist perspective. In so doing, we engage in the recent series of exchanges about conversation analysis (CA) and other strands of discourse analysis that have been published in Discourse & Society. We consider talk from two sets of discourse data, focusing on participants' orientation to gender categories as they crop up in the interactions. We suggest that a CA approach produces a rich understanding of the links between discourse and gender. However, we are critical of several, often unexamined aspects and conundrums of conversation analytic methodology. First, we consider the extent to which the 'analytic stances' of feminism and conversation analysis are compatible. Second, we question whether, as Schegloff (1997) suggests, it is fruitful to rely on descriptions of and orientations to gender solely in participants' terms, as well as problematizing the notion of 'orienting to gender' itself. Finally, while we propose CA is a useful tool for making claims about the relevance of gender in conversational interaction, and that such claims are grounded in speakers' orientations, we suggest that culture and common-sense knowledge, of both members and analysts, are largely unacknowledged and unexplicated resources in CA.