E-Discussions as a Complement to Traditional Instruction: Did the Students Like Online Communication and Why?

The purpose of this study was to explore undergraduate students' perceptions of online discussion used as a complement to a traditional classroom setting during the fall 2004 and spring 2005 semesters. Sixty-nine undergraduate students volunteered to participate in this study and completed a questionnaire after this experience. These participants took one or two courses over one of two semesters in a teacher education preparation program at a comprehensive midwestern university. The participants' support for online discussion was recorded as answers to a question designed by using a 5-point scale, with 1 being the least favorable and 5 the most favorable response. Each participant was asked for one to three justifications for her or his response. Descriptive analyses and t-tests were performed to explore the students' general support level and to examine the means between those who participated in online discussion once a week and those who did twice a week. The results show that the majority of the students were in favor of the online discussion. No statistically significant difference was found between these two groups [t (69) = − .47, p = .65]. The reasons for students' support for and disapproval of online discussion are discussed. Also highlighted are the educational importance of the study and suggestions for further research.