A study of the differences in patterns of communication by gender in online courses

Students learn through communication patterns of communication can affect levels of learning in a Computer-Mediated Communications (CMC) environment. Content analysis can be used to analyze the patterns of communication within an online course. Henri (Henri, F. 1992. Computer conferencing and content analysis. In A. R. Kaye (Ed.), Collaborative learning through computer conferencing (pp. 117-136.). London: Springer-Verlag) and Gunawardena (Gunawardena, C. N., & Zittle, F. 1997. Social presence as a predictor of satisfaction within a computer-mediated conferencing environment. American Journal of Distance Education, 11(3), 9-27) have developed classifications of communication for online learning. This research analyzed discourse in graduate level online classes to determine if differences in patterns of communication exist between men and women. In addition to classifying discourse according to Gunawardena's and Henri's systems, the research employed text analysis to identify differences in terminology used in communication dependent upon learner gender. Data were collected data from online courses and the classification results were analyzed using inferential parametric and non-parametric measures of association. Data from this study demonstrate that there was no difference in the use of linguistic intensifiers ( very, only) or linguistic qualifiers (I think, probably) by men and women. Data from this study indicate that there was no statistically significant difference in the patterns of communication according to Henri's classification system however, women wrote significantly more corroborating postings than did men, and men posted a statistically significant higher number of postings related to the discovery and exploration of dissonance and inconsistencies between ideas, concepts, and statements.