Online

Richter, Elsa

Education

2023

Ph. D.

Peer discourse is a valuable tool for knowledge construction in the higher education classroom environment, and can sometimes be neglected in asynchronous online classes, which have become increasingly prevalent in the past several years. Students interact in different ways online than they do in person, which can affect the class dynamic and the way in which knowledge is constructed within it. Using Weinberger & Fischer's (2005) Framework to Analyze Argumentative Knowledge Construction in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, this single-case qualitative case study utilizes self-study, content analysis, and discourse analytic methods to investigate undergraduate students' approaches to knowledge co-construction via discussion boards in a fully asynchronous online education course. This two-article dissertation presents five different interaction styles utilized by students in the course and discusses implications for instructors of online and hybrid courses that utilize discussion for peer knowledge construction.