An Analysis of Interactions among Prospective and In-service English Teachers in an Online Community

Abstract

While recent research has brought increasing
awareness that language use plays an important role in online
communities, little has been done to study the association
between characteristics of interactions and social relationship in
terms of discourse functions. This research study attempts to
shed light on the issues in the context of a blog-based teachingportfolio,
which serves as an interactive channel for pre-service
and in-service teachers in Hong Kong to engage themselves in
dialogic and collaborative discussions. Content analysis of
comments on the blog and semi-structured interviews were
conducted to examine the use of discourse functions and
discussion topics. Insights into online learning and
recommendations for future research are made.