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Online Discussion Forums in Higher Education: Is 'Lurking' Working?
Abstract and Figures
Online discussion forums are increasingly becoming a key part of the Higher Education curriculum. Much has been written about the benefits of these and how, via participating in these discussions, students are facilitated in their learning. However, relatively less attention has been paid to students who 'lurk'. This 'non-contributing' behaviour is perceived as negative, yet whilst it may not create or encourage discussion, it does not necessarily follow that students who are not engaged will not go on to learn from this activity. This research explored the experiences of a group of 18 students who were required to contribute to a discussion forum as part of their Education Studies course. The extent of, and reasons for 'lurking' are reported. It was found that students 'lurked' largely due to a lack of academic confidence, and those who did lurk, actually learned from the activity. The implications of these findings for educators and forum design are discussed.
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... Most studies investigated passive participation in asynchronous online discussion forums. These included discussion forums in learning management systems (LMS), such as Canvas (Rubio et al., 2018), Moodle (Mazuro & Rao, 2011), or Blackboard (Prestridge & Cox, 2021. Eight articles examined courses that used Web 2.0 tools, which assist in providing a collaborative environment for knowledge sharing and social interaction (Boateng et al., 2010). ...
... Given the fact that non-posting behaviors are difficult to observe and measure, surveys were used in many studies. Therefore, students' self-reported data were used to investigate the reasons for non-posting behaviors (Dennen, 2008;Mazuro & Rao, 2011;Mikum et al., 2018;Wise et al., 2012). In most studies, asynchronous online discussion forums were used for student-student communication, but other types of communication tools such as social media (Mikum et al., 2018;Norman et al., 2015;O'Bannon et al., 2013;Srba et al., 2019) and online live chats (Carr et al., 2004;Chen et al., 2022;El Massah, 2018) were also investigated in school settings. ...
This scoping review summarizes studies on passive participation in collaborative online learning activities that used computer-mediated communication tools in school settings. A total of 42 articles spanning about 20 years were explored. ERIC and three main journal indexes from Web of Science were used to locate articles. For each year searched, there were only one to five studies that investigated passive participation, indicating that not many researchers have examined this topic in general. Most studies used mixed methods and were conducted in higher education settings in asynchronous online discussions. Three terms have been used to discuss the notion of passive participation: lurking for read-only behavior, legitimate peripheral participation for low contribution, and free riding for no contribution. Studies on passive participation have mainly explored four topical areas: motivational factors and reasons, participation types and behavioral patterns, effect on learning outcomes, and pedagogical strategies for de-lurking. Most studies have investigated passive participation as one of the behavior patterns among various types of participation. A few studies have solely examined read-only behaviors. The notion of passive participation varies among researchers and should therefore be redefined. Overall, there have been few studies on the topic of passive participation and those that have been conducted reveal some inconsistencies in their findings, indicating the topic requires further investigation. Future studies on this topic are urgently needed due to the forced shift to online courses precipitated by the pandemic. While instructors are also responsible for supporting their learners in this unprecedented context, researchers should investigate ways to help instructors better understand passive participants and encourage active learner participation in collaborative online learning space.
... Forum discussions and interactions may facilitate the formation of mental models and a social space, which help learners develop a sense of belonging, reduce course attrition, and increase levels of course satisfaction (Dawson, 2006;Rovai, 2002). Passive participation in forums by reading posts without active interaction (i.e., lurking) has also been found to produce learning gains (Chiu & Hew, 2018;Guzdial & Carroll, 2002;Mazuro & Rao, 2011). These results show that, in general, forums could potentially promote dialogue, critical reflection, private deliberation, and knowledge construction. ...
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) emerged with the promise to disrupt higher
education. Fifteen years after their emergence, in terms of performance, that promise has not been fulfilled. In MOOC discussion forums, learners seldom capitalise on the opportunities for social learning. Through four empirical studies, we investigate how MOOC discussion forums are structured and how they can be potentially designed to facilitate learner-to-learner interactions and instructional dialogue. Results show that thoughtful design can help improve MOOC forum navigation, participation, and interactions. However, the environment in which forums are embedded needs to be considered as a techno-pedagogical fabric that provides (but also constrains) opportunities for social learning.
... Most students do not participate actively in Q&A forums [32], and this is especially true for students in large classes [35], from minority groups, and with low academic confidence [29,40]. Since these forums are intended to support all students, it is important to consider what factors affect students' comfort with seeking help and if their lack of participation is influenced by factors instructors can fix. ...
Q&A forums are widely used in large classes to provide scalable support. In addition to offering students a space to ask questions, these forums aim to create a community and promote engagement. Prior literature suggests that the way students participate in Q&A forums varies and that most students do not actively post questions or engage in discussions. Students may display different participation behaviours depending on their comfort levels in the class. This paper investigates students' use of a Q&A forum in a CS1 course. We also analyze student opinions about the forum to explain the observed behaviour, focusing on students' lack of visible participation (lurking, anonymity, private posting). We analyzed forum data collected in a CS1 course across two consecutive years and invited students to complete a survey about perspectives on their forum usage. Despite a small cohort of highly engaged students, we confirmed that most students do not actively read or post on the forum. We discuss students' reasons for the low level of engagement and barriers to participating visibly. Common reasons include fearing a lack of knowledge and repercussions from being visible to the student community.
... Nonnecke and Preece [100] argue that being dismissive of lurkers can distort our understanding of online life and "lead to mistakes in the way sites and policies for online participation are organized and designed" [45, P.166]. Scholars have found that lurkers can be risk-averse, preferring to better understand a community and its members before contributing [87]. Prior studies also demonstrate that lurkers express a greater intention to post when they perceive their contributions as beneficial to the group [22,83]. ...
Trauma is a common experience affecting over 70 percent of adults globally, with many survivors seeking support from online communities. Yet few studies explore the online experiences of muted groups who lack the words to name or describe their trauma. We pull from 29 in-depth interviews with muted trauma survivors who belong to online communities where trauma narratives are commonplace. Using a spinning top metaphor, we model the sociotechnical nature of the disclosure decision-making process, uncovering new affordances, such as indirect feedback and transportability in online platforms. Findings challenge prior notions of community engagement and algorithmic filter bubbles, highlighting the potential for algorithmic filters to counteract societal filters for muted groups. We conclude with design recommendations to make online spaces safer for trauma survivors.
Aims:
To examine the potential impact of a 3-pronged digital health pilot intervention (TRIFECTA) on diabetes distress and depressive symptoms among adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in British Columbia.
Methods:
We recruited 60 adults with T1D (M age = 38.9±15.1 years, 75% female, 77% White) who participated in the 6-month pilot intervention involving 3 digital health platforms: monthly provider-led group-based sessions over Zoom (virtual huddles); a WhatsApp peer texting group; and a web-based "ask-the-expert" portal. Assessments were conducted at baseline and 6 months and measured diabetes distress (T1D Diabetes Distress Scale), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), and TRIFECTA engagement metrics.
Results:
Participation in TRIFECTA was associated with significant reductions in Overall distress (p = 0.011) and four distress subscales: Powerlessness (p = 0.006), Management distress (p = 0.001), Hypoglycemia distress (p = 0.029), and Eating distress (p<0.001). Greater number of virtual huddles attended predicted lower Overall distress (p = 0.019) and Family/Friends distress (p = 0.023). Greater number of "ask-the-expert" posts viewed predicted lower Overall distress (p = 0.046), while greater number of WhatsApp messages posted predicted lower Management distress (p = 0.006). Furthermore, engagement in all three metrics were predictors for lower Negative Social Perceptions distress (p < 0.05). No associations were seen in other distress subscales or for depressive symptoms.
Conclusions:
Participation in TRIFECTA reduced diabetes distress levels, but not depressive symptoms, in a platform-dependent manner. This study provides promising pilot data for a subsequent large-scale and fully powered randomized controlled trial.
This study compares the experiences of students in face-to-face (in class) discussions with threaded discussions and also evaluates the threaded discussions for evidence of higher-order thinking. Students were enrolled in graduate-level classes that used both modes (face-to-face and online) for course-related discussions; their end-of-course evaluations of both experiences were grouped for analysis and themes constructed based on their comments. Themes included the "expansion of time," "experience of time," "quality of the discussion," "needs of the student," and "faculty expertise." While there are advantages to holding discussions in either setting, students most frequently noted that using threaded discussions increased the amount of time they spent on class objectives and that they appreciated the extra time for reflection on course issues. The face-to-face format also had value as a result of its immediacy and energy, and some students found one mode a better "fit" with their preferred learning mode. The analysis of higher-order thinking was based on a content analysis of the threaded discussions only. Each posting was coded as one of the four cognitive-processing categories described by Garrison and colleagues [1]: 18% were triggering questions, 51% were exploration, 22% were integration, and 7% resolution. A fifth category – social – was appropriate for 3% of the responses and only 12% of the postings included a writing error. This framework provides some support for the assertion that higher-order thinking can and does occur in online discussions; strategies for increasing the number of responses in the integration and resolution categories are discussed.
This study compares the experiences of students in face-to-face (in class) discussions with threaded discussions and also evaluates the threaded discussions for evidence of higher-order thinking. Students were enrolled in graduate-level classes that used both modes (face-to-face and online) for course-related discussions; their end-of-course evaluations of both experiences were grouped for analysis and themes constructed based on their comments. Themes included the "expansion of time," "experience of time," "quality of the discussion," "needs of the student," and "faculty expertise." While there are advantages to holding discussions in either setting, students most frequently noted that using threaded discussions increased the amount of time they spent on class objectives and that they appreciated the extra time for reflection on course issues. The face-to-face format also had value as a result of its immediacy and energy, and some students found one mode a better "fit" with their preferred learning mode. The analysis of higher-order thinking was based on a content analysis of the threaded discussions only. Each posting was coded as one of the four cognitive-processing categories described by Garrison and colleagues [1]: 18% were triggering questions, 51% were exploration, 22% were integration, and 7% resolution. A fifth category - social - was appropriate for 3% of the responses and only 12% of the postings included a writing error. This framework provides some support for the assertion that higher-order thinking can and does occur in online discussions; strategies for increasing the number of responses in the integration and resolution categories are discussed.
This study reports the results of an online survey that generated 1188 responses from 375 online MSN communities. The survey examined the behavior and attitudes of participants who post (i.e., posters) and those who read but do not post (i.e., lurkers). The results of the analysis indicate that posters and lurkers go online for similar reasons. While lurkers did not publicly askquestions, they wanted answers to questions (62.1% vs. 70.3% for posters). However, lurkerswere less enthusiastic about the benefits of community membership, with 41.8% indicating they received less than the expected benefit. In contrast, 36.6% of posters perceived a greater than expected benefit.
Dialogue is arguably one of the most important components of any learning process. However, as student numbers increase and more emphasis is given to electronic delivery of courses, opportunities for effective dialogue may be missed. The technology to support e-learning dialogue is readily available, but design of the dialogue structures and understanding of learners’ online communication behaviour requires further research. This paper reports on a study of the use of asynchronous discussion forums to support online dialogue in undergraduate learning and teaching in two groups of students. Initial empirical evidence, obtained from online communication behaviour data and assessment results, is presented to support a positive association between students' participation in e-learning dialogues and learning outcomes. Other factors that could influence effective exploitation of e-learning dialogues such as tutor intervention, students' perceptions, dialogue quality and learning outcomes are discussed, along with implications for the design of such systems.
Previous research studies on how to promote student participation in asynchronous online discussions have largely focused on the role of the instructor or tutor as facilitators. Not many investigated student facilitation. This article reports a qualitative study examining the facilitation techniques used by student facilitators to attract their course mates to participate in asynchronous online discussions. Data were collected from the students’ reflection logs and students’ online postings. To explore the extent to which student participation in an online discussion forum is successful, we looked at the depth of discussion threads. We deemed a student facilitator to have successfully attracted other students to participant if the discussion threads had a depth of six or more levels of students’ postings. We then examined in detail and reported the facilitation techniques that were exhibited by the student facilitators. Results showed that seven facilitation techniques were employed; the most frequently used were Socratic questioning and sharing personal opinions or experiences. We end by exploring potential implications for practice and for future research.
This study examined the overarching issue of how temporal transitions, specifically duration of message flow, affects momentum or wellness of discussion in an asynchronous forum. Quantitative data representing time indicators in discussion activity included posting patterns related to duration (density, intensity, latency, and response count), Day-In topic, day of week, and time of day. Qualitative analysis identified notable spikes or irregularities (i.e., peaks and valleys) in the content level of postings. Results revealed that for open-ended topics (i.e., no specific end date imposed by the instructor), the momentum of forum discussion may be short-term, between 21 and 28 days into the topic. Peaks and valleys subsequent to 31 days were not significant to discussion vitality. Students posted mainly early to mid-week. Time of day had no direct influence on the vitality of the discussion. Strategies for applying temporal transitions in an online forum to motivate and sustain student participation are discussed.
Video-based media spaces are designed to support casual interaction between intimate collaborators. Yet transmitting video is fraught with privacy concerns. Some researchers suggest that the video stream be filtered to mask out potentially sensitive ...
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