This thesis is a qualitative case study that draws upon a grounded genre analysis
approach situated within the social constructivist paradigm. The study describes the
various obligatory, desired, and optional moves used by post-graduate students as they
interacted within an online, non-judgmental environment in order to seek solutions to
issues they were experiencing with their research projects or teaching. The postgraduate
students or case participants met individually online with me at pre-arranged
times to take part in Instant Messenger Cooperative Development (IMCD) (Boon,
2005) 30-minute to one hour sessions via the text-chat function of Skype. Participants
took on the role of ‘Explorer’ in order to articulate their thoughts and ideas about their
research. I took on the role of ‘Understander’ to provide support to each Explorer by
reflecting my understanding of the ongoing articulations as the Explorers investigated
their specific issues, determined possible ways to overcome them, made new
discoveries, and formulated plans of action regarding the best way for them to move
forward.
The description of generic moves covers 32 IMCD sessions collected over a threeyear
period (2009-2012) from 10 different participants (A-J). Data collected is drawn
from live IMCD sessions, field notes, and post-session email feedback from
participants.
In particular, the thesis focuses on describing the specific generic moves of Explorers
within IMCD sessions as they seek satisfactory resolutions to particular research or
pedagogic puzzles. It also provides a detailed description of a longitudinal case
(Participant A – four sessions), a one-session case (Participant B – one session), and
an outlier case in which the Explorer underwent a negative IMCD experience.
The thesis concludes by arguing that IMCD is a highly effective tool that helps
facilitate the research process for both distance-learning and on-campus students and
has the potential to be utilized across all disciplines at the tertiary level.
Original language | English |
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Supervisors/Advisors | |
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Award date | 6 Oct 2015 |
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- case study, computer-mediated communication, genre analysis, non-judgmental discourse, research process
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