Discursive Positioning Between Literacy Coaches and Teachers in an Asynchronous Online Environment

• In Event: Beyond Bricks and Mortar: Online Learning Research

Abstract

Few researchers have investigated how literacy coaches perform tasks discursively (i.e., produced through speaking or writing). This study investigated how coaches solve problems discursively in an asynchronous online environment using the theoretical framework of positioning theory, where positions are constructs that represent dynamic alternatives to the static construct of role. Using a multiple case study design, we analyzed positioning between coaches (n=3) and teachers (n=14) over a three-year period in an online communication interface of. Analysis revealed different patterns of coach and teacher behavior, including engagement of teachers in problem-solving, discursive productions of expertise, and use of discursive speech acts such as questioning and description in lieu of physical observation. We discuss implications for current and future technology-mediated coaching.

Authors

• Erik Scott Rawls, Florida State University

• Alysia D. Roehrig, Florida State University