Social and Cognitive Affordances of Chat Technologies in Telecollaboration: A Critical Look at the COI Model

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Social and Cognitive Affordances of Chat Technologies in Telecollaboration: A Critical Look at the COI Model
Language: English
Authors: Anna Turula, Maike K. Grau, Dorothy Chun, John Cano
Source: Teaching English with Technology. 2025 25(1):4-25.
Availability: University of Nicosia (Cyprus) and Maria Curie-Sklodowska University (Poland). Ul. J. Sowinskiego 17, 20-041 Lublin, Poland. Web site: http://tewtjournal.org
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 22
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Telecommunications, Computer Mediated Communication, Online Courses, Technology Uses in Education, Synchronous Communication, Asynchronous Communication, Videoconferencing, Program Effectiveness, Foreign Countries, Cooperative Learning, Intercultural Communication, Intercultural Programs, Interpersonal Relationship, College Students
Geographic Terms: Germany, Poland, United States
ISSN: 1642-1027
Abstract: Much has been written about telecollaboration, though there is less research specifically on the precise affordances of computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies used in telecollaborative projects. There are even fewer studies that investigate the affordances of CMC from the perspective of the community of inquiry (CoI) model, which posits that learning online occurs at the intersection of three types of presence, namely cognitive, social, and teaching. The goal of this paper is to examine data from a three-way intercultural online exchange between intact university classes in Germany, Poland, and the US, specifically analyzing the social and cognitive presences of the participants in two different types of discourse: synchronous video chats and asynchronous forum postings. The findings suggest that the synchronous video chats allow for comparable amounts of cognitive and social presence, while the asynchronous text forums are more conducive to cognitive presence as manifested in critical thinking, confirming that different digital tools have different affordances. However, the CoI model was found to be insufficient for explaining certain types of social presence, leading to adding to the subcategories of CoI coding, particularly as regards social presence in synchronous discourse.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1478330
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Much has been written about telecollaboration, though there is less research specifically on the precise affordances of computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies used in telecollaborative projects. There are even fewer studies that investigate the affordances of CMC from the perspective of the community of inquiry (CoI) model, which posits that learning online occurs at the intersection of three types of presence, namely cognitive, social, and teaching. The goal of this paper is to examine data from a three-way intercultural online exchange between intact university classes in Germany, Poland, and the US, specifically analyzing the social and cognitive presences of the participants in two different types of discourse: synchronous video chats and asynchronous forum postings. The findings suggest that the synchronous video chats allow for comparable amounts of cognitive and social presence, while the asynchronous text forums are more conducive to cognitive presence as manifested in critical thinking, confirming that different digital tools have different affordances. However, the CoI model was found to be insufficient for explaining certain types of social presence, leading to adding to the subcategories of CoI coding, particularly as regards social presence in synchronous discourse.
ISSN:1642-1027