In an attempt "to satisfy the three tenets of the qualitative method: describing, understanding, and explaining" (Tellis, 1997), I followed students in chronological order as they met the demands of their online class. When I first began sifting and sieving the discourse of the eight hundred and thirty-five messages, many themes seemed to emerge. Using a detailed reading approach (Van Manen, 1990, p. 93), I looked at each sentence and asked, "What does this sentence or sentence cluster reveal about the phenomenon or experience being described?" At one time, I had more than twenty themes I used to attune myself to the experiences of the students. As I continued to hear what the students had to say, it became clear that there were seven themes. These are

These themes thread their way through each student's experience as the demands of the class are met. To bring these themes to light, I used experiences of the students drawn from the actual class log, as "a methodological device science to make comprehensible" that which eludes us (Tellis, 1997).

Understanding the relationship between the themes to both the experience of the students and existing theory, an in depth discussion of each theme is in order. These themes are not meant to be either definitive or all-inclusive; their purpose was to give me a means to describe the events under discussion. Because certain elements of the student messages seem to fit in more than one category, I have tried to add a clear organizational pattern to this discussion. For example, anxiety threads its way through student messages, attaching itself to their writing, to their online experiences, and to their student concerns. If I had tried to use anxiety as a theme, the crossover would have been overwhelming, generating not clarity but confusion. Thus, I had to find a way of revealing the theme of anxiety in a manner that guided me through their discourse. Metaphorically, Van Manen (1990) reminds us that themes are landmarks that highlight meaning in the territory of someone's experience. We use these milestones to navigate and chart, so that others can follow.

Email sent to me by students (self-reports) during the course of the semester helped further elucidate the units of investigation. Carl, as noted previously, discussed his overall impression of the class, showing his admiration, "The rewards are great, though. We are all submitting our work for an audience…we are all being judged by our instructor as well as our peers. The feedback is intoxicating and motivating." Rhonda, on the other hand, used her message as a venue to vent irritation.

I am currently feeling very frustrated about this online class…. The deadlines are very hard for me to meet. It is difficult to have assignments due on Saturdays, because I do not have a computer in my home and I work every single Saturday evening.

The rest of the message contains references to the lack of timely teacher feedback and a lack of motivation because of lack of teacher contact.

Sue took a different track. In seven paragraphs she described her overall experience which was for the most part positive.

I enrolled in the online class without knowing anything about the Internet; to be honest with you, I still do not know anything about it. I looked upon the class as a beneficial learning experience; but, it was mainly for the convenience and independency, of turning the assignments in on my own time.

Her largest complaint was about the lack of body language to accompany messages and how messages can be misconstrued. She noted, "When typing a message to someone, they can only read what is written." She felt that the reader then interprets these messages based on one's own experience. "When I read messages, I combine their words with my voice." She used an analogy to make her point:

This is similar to reading a book. Say that it is a romance novel you are reading; when you read the words that Alonzo is speaking to a woman, in your mind you read it in the most seductive voice possible. The assumption is that Alonszo is a romantic sex god, and every woman is driven to him.

She, however, was impressed with the foundation of the class and was "grateful to have been part of the Online computer class."

Cassandra's messages were purpose oriented. First, she wanted to know why I only wanted her first and final essays in the class. I sent a short message explaining my purpose. Then I received a message, with an inquiry. She then stated that the teacher "says that our last paper will be written with peer feedback only, is it O.K.?" Later in a longer message, she revealed more. She, too, listed the advantage of feedback,

I do not mind not being able to discuss face to face with the teacher and classmates. Some classmates probably will not turn up in classroom classes. I find that I can read and re-read some of the classmates' work and remarks until I am confident to give valid comments and sensible replies. Whereas in the classroom, I will feel obliged to give spontaneous replies which may not be useful.

Each of these messages helped me toward understanding the voices of those who chose to participate in this study. Moreover, as we move into the analysis, I want to reiterate that errors contained within quotations have been left uncorrected, as I wish to replicate the authentic text without modification, so that the voice of the speaker can be heard.

Subsections of Chapter IV in Order of Apperance
[The Participants] [Data Analysis] [The Themes Defined]
[Modes of Analysis] [Assignment One] [Assignment Two]
[Assignment Three] [Assignment Four] [Assignment Five]
[Essay Evaluation] [Final Grades]

Write to Jan -- jan@js.spokane.wa.us

Last Updated 10/20/01

These pages designed, maintained and copyrighted by Jan Strever, © 2001.