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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Müge SatarORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
Participation in online communities is an increasing need for future language teachers for their professional development. Through such participation and reflective practice, they can acquire the skills required to facilitate their own learners’ participation in online learning. This paper investigates participation, interaction patterns and social presence (SP) of pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in online communication within a blended learning context throughout an academic year. A secondary aim of this paper is to explore social network analysis (SNA) as an alternative method to measure SP. Data analysis included calculation of number of forum entries and words, qualitative analysis of interaction patterns, content analysis and SNA. The results indicated that an online course on tutoring skills and SP improved pre-service EFL teachers’ online participation skills. More stable participation and increased interaction among pre-service teachers were observed as the course progressed represented by a more cohesive network. The findings are significant in that they suggest a potential relationship between the interactive dimension of SP and SNA (centrality, influence and prestige) implicating SNA as a potential research method for the investigation of SP. This paper concludes with future research perspectives and suggestions for EFL teacher training.
Author(s): Satar HM, Akcan S
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Language Learning and Technology
Year: 2018
Volume: 22
Issue: 1
Pages: 157-183
Print publication date: 01/02/2018
Online publication date: 01/02/2018
Acceptance date: 27/03/2017
Date deposited: 19/06/2017
ISSN (electronic): 1094-3501
Publisher: University of Hawaii; National Foreign Language Resource Center
URL: http://www.lltjournal.org/item/3037
