I thought it was fitting that the topic of research is about discourse in an online learning environment. Due to the pandemic all of us are being forced to participate in online classes each week until the semester ends and maybe even longer into September. I actually found myself feeling uneasy and ambivalent about the idea of conducting our classes online. But I most definitely understand the need for it in these uncertain times. I just feel like the online learning experience is nothing like IRL (in real life). There is no comparison in my opinion. I want to hear, feel, touch and absorb everything I’m learning in person. I also want to hear, feel, and touch my classmates, well not literally touch them but you know what I mean. I need the in vivo, in person connection that I feel is so valuable in our academic learning experiences. Engaging in discourse through a computer screen takes away the realness, the closeness and the connection for me. When I reflect on this article and it’s findings I wonder how my own identity and personality changes, conforms or adapts to my discourse in the online classroom environment. Honestly I found myself feeling shy and more reserved during my first few online classes. I felt unsure and not confident enough to speak up like I normally do in person while in the classroom. Strangely my insecurity was at a all time high with the prospect of having to engage in online learning and classroom chats. I thought reading this article at this particular moment in time was really useful for me in relating my own experiences with its findings and seeing what the results have to say about other students experiences in their discourse within online learning. In this study, the researchers use both quantitative and qualitative approaches to evaluating uniqueness-seeking and its relation to posts made in an online academic environment. A modified case methodology was used. Eight students were selected from 13 graduate students enrolled in a course entitled “Discourse Practices.” A modified case methodology was utilized. The students’ responses were coded for cognitive and social cues. Qualitative analysis was based on the researchers’ analyses of coded data. Quantitative analyses came into play when researchers utilized numerical systems such as scales and charts to collect and present results. The study measured graduate students’ levels of uniqueness seeking and explored whether and how students with various needs for uniqueness performed in online classroom discussions for a meaningful exchange. The researchers state: “A unique feature of our methodology was to use “cross-case studies” by grouping participants within the same level of amount of contribution to the CMC discussion but who represented different levels of uniqueness-seeking needs.” So this allowed them to compare and contrast both within and across different groups. The coding system they used was strong in my opinion and proved to give salient and valid results. I also liked the use of the graphs and tables. As you know I cringe at the sight of charts and such but in this article I found them to be clear and concise. It added to my overall understanding of the findings. I liked in particular Appendix A and Appendix B. I also thought Table 2 and Table 3 were both very useful in helping me to breakdown the uniqueness seeking groupings, ratings and data.
I had never heard of the term uniqueness-seeking until I read this article so I wanted to dig deeper so I put my researcher goggles on and got to work! See I’m really trying my best to embrace research and its various methodologies. I’m slowly learning more as I go along on this journey. I wanted to learn more about what uniqueness- seeking means because it is a central theme in this research study and I was intrigued. This is some of what I found. Uniqueness theory explains that extremely high perceived similarity between self and others evokes negative emotional reactions and causes uniqueness seeking behavior. Uniqueness involves a person’s distinctiveness in relation to other people. Such uniqueness can reflect actual behaviors or a person’s perceptions regarding his or her differences. People can vary in the degree to which they want such distinctiveness, with some being highly desirous of specialness (high need for uniqueness) and others who do not want to stand out from other people (low need for uniqueness). Brewer, M. B. (1991) This helped me gain a better understanding of the term and how it relates to the students and their identities. Brewer was also a key figure who was mentioned in this study. When I apply this to myself, I think about the statements I made in my introduction about my hesitation to participate in our online classes. I would consider myself a low need for uniqueness type of person. I believe that has to do with my older age and not really caring what people think about me these days. Another important factor that puts me in the low need for uniqueness category is my graduate school status and experience level. At this stage in the game for me personally I don’t feel the need to have to prove myself or the need to be seen. Through my better understanding of uniqueness seeking theory I can now see how it applies to me personally. in an online environment. I also see how it applies to the students who were researched in terms of their discourse practices and online interactions with each other.
The results showed that students had differing levels and needs for being unique. Most students’ uniqueness-seeking needs fell between low and slightly above moderate, and generally remained stable or decreased across the semester. The only exception was the student Dee, who, by the end of semester, had increased her need for uniqueness seeking. Important was the findings that the different codes used in 16, 17 and 18 all which were cognitive moves. These were among the most common moves regardless of the participants uniqueness-seeking levels or number of discussion comments. There was also a trend found between uniqueness-seeking levels and the proportion of cognitive to social moves. Students with higher uniqueness needs made more cognitive than social moves. That finding was made through the survey results. In contrast the gap between cognitive and social moves was very small for the students with low need for uniqueness. What was interesting to me was that no relationship between need for uniqueness and amount of contribution to the class discussion was found. A high or low need for uniqueness did not ensure higher engagement or more enjoyment. The researchers in this study were very open and honest with their limitations. They agree that further research should be done and other possibilities should be considered that may affect students’ learning and perceptions of online discussions. The weekly surveys administered were said to reveal other additional factors, such as student’s comprehension of the readings, their interests in the discussion topics, technical difficulties, the dynamics of the group and their own personal health status. Admittedly these factors may have had a impact on student’s enjoyment and participation with the online discussions rather then just their need for uniqueness. So what we learn is that the need for uniqueness seems to only represent one of several factors relevant to explaining students’ online work. I read Medea’s blog earlier. I know she is the presenter for this article and I must say I agree with a lot of what she calls the limitations of the study. Why not a larger pool of participants only 8? What about their cultural and diverse ethnic identities? Also most importantly what Medea highlights in her blog and I agree with is that these were graduate school students taking a class called “Discourse Analysis.” So wouldn’t this make them a step ahead of the others? Would it make them more confident in making discourse moves from the other graduate students? Like I mentioned above the research team acknowledges that more research needs to be done. So why not do it? I found all of this to be problematic but overall it has been interesting to be able to connect this article with some of the more recent articles that delve deeper into this idea of how important our identities are in shaping us as students and as human beings. I found this Ted Talk which I really enjoyed and thought could add to the conversation. I hope you enjoy it. Also a quote that I always loved and found fitting for this topic of conversation! See you in class! I think I’m ready to make some discourse moves of my own now! Take care guys. Xo
Nives Writes 
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