Effects of different types of instructor comments in online discussions

ABSTRACT

The current study examined the effects of different types of instructor comments on student engagement in an online discussion. In particular, this study examined three comment types: (1) praise-oriented comments, agreeing with students’ initial messages and recapping their ideas, (2) elaboration-encouraging comments, requesting elaboration on the initial messages, and (3) perspective-widening comments, suggesting different or thought-provoking opinions responding to the initial messages. Seventeen graduate students enrolled in an online course were recruited. A content analysis was employed to evaluate the levels of knowledge construction. Interactivity was measured by the number of posts and idea units. The findings revealed that perspective-widening comments facilitated students’ evaluation on the peer postings and brought up diverse perspectives, contributing to knowledge construction. While elaboration-encouraging comments led to high interactivity among students, praise-oriented comments had no significant effect on the frequency of interactivity.

KEYWORDS:

• Comment types
• online discussion
• knowledge construction
• interactivity
• quality discussion

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kyungbin Kwon

Kyungbin Kwon is an Assistant Professor in Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University Bloomington. His research interests include instructional strategies to enhance quality discussion, group awareness in computer-supported collaborative learning, and computer science education in K-12.

Su Jin Park

Su Jin Park is a PhD candidate in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, minoring in Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University Bloomington. Her interests encompass online learning and teaching, self-directed learning, adult education, and language learner identity.

Suhkyung Shin

Suhkyung Shin is a research professor at the University of Seoul. Her research interests focus on scaffolding learners’ problem-solving processes using technology in diverse educational settings.

Chae Young Chang

Chae Young Chang is an assistant professor in School of Public and Environment Affairs at Indiana University Northwest. His research interests lie in health administration, health policy analysis, and health care management. He is currently expanding his interests in student and community engagement through distance education.