Exploring Meaning-Making in Online, Open Peer Communities: A Case Study of an Ubuntu Discussion Forum

• In Event: 29.090 - Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: 29.090-2 - Exploring Peer Interactions and Learning

Abstract

An increasing number of researchers have been drawn to studying online communities. One goal propelling this research is to better understand the underlying dynamic social processes that inform knowledge building practices. Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of Knowledge Building and Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, this study explores how participants in an Open Source Software community (“Ubuntu”) negotiate and build shared understanding as they respond to open-ended, unstructured technical problems. Using an ethnomethodologically-inspired case study, it conducts a micro-analysis of these interactions and uncovers specific meaning making processes that build group cognition. Understanding the meaning making processes in informal, online settings may suggest strategies for improving the design of online learning environments.

Authors

• Phil Tietjen, The Pennsylvania State University - University Park

• Priya Sharma, The Pennsylvania State University