SIU Global

This research project explores the effects of altering the structure of discussion board formats to increase students’ engagement and participation. This paper will present the findings of a two-university, two-class research project in which asynchronous discussion board entries were analyzed for substance. By using oral discourse analysis techniques, the postings of two distinct structures of discussion board entries were analyzed. A baseline of typical student interactions was established by using an Open-ended discussion board assignment. Then the requirements were changed and an Experimental discussion board format was introduced on which students were placed into smaller groups and expected to enact a 3R pattern of Respond, React, and Reply. The ways in which students make their thinking visible were coded and tabulated. Findings suggest that a Connected Stance, identified by a high level of participation coupled with a high level of engagement, was an optimal online discourse...

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. International Reading Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Reading Teacher.

Teaching to the test...not! Balancing best practice and testing requirements in writing High-quality, evidence-based instruction need not be sacrificed in preparing students to succeed on standardized writing assessments. Literacy assessment should be about studentlearning, but high-stakes testing has largelysupplanted literacy assessment in the United States. The focus is now on accountability rather than the diagnosis of learning for instructional pur-poses (Campbell, 2002). There are several draw-backs to this shift in focus and to the prevalence of these tests. Decisions about promotion or retention are attached to student success or failure on some state-mandated tests (Traub, 2002). In some states, students do not receive a diploma or receive one of lesser stature if they do not pass the state exit test. High-stakes standardized testing can greatly influence the teaching of reading and writing. Many teachers change their literacy curricula in or-der to train students to take t...

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. International Reading Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Reading Teacher.

Teaching to the test...not! Balancing best practice and testing requirements in writing High-quality, evidence-based instruction need not be sacrificed in preparing students to succeed on standardized writing assessments. Literacy assessment should be about studentlearning, but high-stakes testing has largelysupplanted literacy assessment in the United States. The focus is now on accountability rather than the diagnosis of learning for instructional pur-poses (Campbell, 2002). There are several draw-backs to this shift in focus and to the prevalence of these tests. Decisions about promotion or retention are attached to student success or failure on some state-mandated tests (Traub, 2002). In some states, students do not receive a diploma or receive one of lesser stature if they do not pass the state exit test. High-stakes standardized testing can greatly influence the teaching of reading and writing. Many teachers change their literacy curricula in or-der to train students to take t...

This research project explores the effects of altering the structure of discussion board formats to increase students’ engagement and participation. This paper will present the findings of a two-university, two-class research project in which asynchronous discussion board entries were analyzed for substance. By using oral discourse analysis techniques, the postings of two distinct structures of discussion board entries were analyzed. A baseline of typical student interactions was established by using an Open-ended discussion board assignment. Then the requirements were changed and an Experimental discussion board format was introduced on which students were placed into smaller groups and expected to enact a 3R pattern of Respond, React, and Reply. The ways in which students make their thinking visible were coded and tabulated. Findings suggest that a Connected Stance, identified by a high level of participation coupled with a high level of engagement, was an optimal online discourse...