Monologues, Dialogues, and Interactive Conversations:

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the on-line discourse accompanying a year-long professional development experience. Participants in this study were 19 graduate students, 5 teacher-leaders, and 1 university faculty member involved in a Reading Institute taught at an urban university in the Southeast. Primary data sources for the study consisted of over 1300 bulletin board postings from the beginning of a summer term through the end of the following spring. Secondary data sources were chat-room transcripts, course materials, informal interviews with the participants, and e-mail correspondence. Data were analyzed using a constantcomparative method. The findings indicate that students involved in an on-line course develop diverse ways of using the distance learning technology to communicate with others. Instructors and/or teacher leaders played an important role in modeling and scaffolding online dialogue in order to move communication from single postings, or monologues, to multi-person interactions. In a supportive learning environment, students can use an on-line community to further their understanding of assignments, seek out information, and provide support for one another. Web-based distance learning offers exciting possibilities for teacher training and education. Learning opportunities via the web pose alternatives for teachers who want to increase their professional knowledge and credentials but who might be restricted by time or place from attending regular classes. However, despite growing support of on-line learning for improving access to education and facilitating interaction across learners (Harasim, 1990; Hiltz, 1994), there still seems to be reluctance among some college instructors and students in fully accepting this type of experience as a legitimate learning situation (Cornell, 1999). Part of the reluctance may stem from the lack of human contact inherent in the approach. Several researchers have found that fostering human relations on-line may be one of the most important factors in creating successful on-line courses (Hopey, 1996; Spitzer, 1998). Laszlo and Castro (1995) believe that, “interactive learning environments [should not] replace interpersonal and direct contact processes, but rather ... augment them. Technology is not a substitute for collaborative, interpersonal exchanges of information and experience” (p. 11). Morrison and Adcock (1999) contended that students need peer-to-peer networks and mentor relationships in order to experience success in a distance learning setting. Such interaction creates a learning community, which “...supports and encourages knowledge acquisition. It creates a sense of excitement about learning together and renewing the passion involved with exploring new realms in education” (Pallof & Pratt, 1999, p. 163). Previous distance education research has examined the nature of social interaction in online environments. In a qualitative study, Stacey (1999) researched the process of collaborative learning that occurred when Master of Business Administration students used computermediated communication as a means of small-group and large-group communication. Her findings indicated the processes and tasks in the course facilitated the social construction of knowledge. The students actively constructed their own personal perspectives on information through the process of communicating their ideas electronically to their small group. Similarly, Barab, Thomas, and Merrill’s (2001) naturalistic study found graduate students enrolled in an online course collaboratively investigated and shared personal experiences in ways that led to co-construction of meaning. The importance of dialogue and discussion in order to provide opportunities for exchanges of ideas and for the social construction of knowledge is of particular interest to teacher educators (Grisham, 1997). Effective professional development in teacher education requires coaching, monitoring and clinical support as teachers work to integrate theory and research into real-life classroom situations (Anders, Hoffman, & Duffy, 2000). However, because of the laborintensive nature of teacher education, in recent years there have been calls for additional research examining the ways various forms of technology might be used effectively to improve teacher education (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000). Given the importance of social interaction in professional development experiences and the growing interest in the integration of technology in teacher education, researchers have begun to explore the ways that technology may facilitate the communication of teachers in both preservice and in-service educational programs. Studies examining various forms of on-line discourse (chats, discussion postings, electronic mail dialogue journals), indicate that teachers’ and students’ roles may shift in the on-line community with students’ taking on responsibility for mentoring peers and teachers learning with students (Harris, 1993; Rice-Lively, 1994). Furthermore, preservice teachers have effectively used on-line formats to gain both knowledge and practical expertise through dialogue with peers (Grisham, 1997). Dodson (1999) noted, however, that while the web provides opportunities for student discussion, such interaction is often characterized as just “simultaneous monologues” (p. 4). Dodson’s research with preservice teachers stressed the importance of comments that invite participation, and added that sponsorship of topics is needed to create more of a dialogic stance. As teacher-educators continue to consider the interactions made possible by web-based or web-assisted course experiences, additional information is needed to understand how discourse communities evolve in such courses. Better understanding of the nature of discourse in online communities and the ways instructors might facilitate and support such discourse is important to teacher educators interested in integrating web-based support networks into their professional development programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the on-line discourse accompanying a year-long professional development experience. This experience consisted of three graduate courses called “The Reading Institute” and was comprised of both on-campus experiences and online learning and support. Specifically, the following guiding question was addressed: How can the discourse community that developed in an on-line course environment be described?