Online literature discussions between children in the Deep South and Central United States: Sharing reflections, experiences, and culture

This qualitative research project: (1) describes the characteristics of online written literature discussions by two groups of intermediate grade students across two geographical regions, (2) analyzes the responses to literature which may reflect cultural diversity and ethnicity present in two distinct groups of participants, and (3) discusses how technology supports the development and execution of online literature discussions. Four fourth grade students at Eisenhower Elementary in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, participated in online literature discussions of five books with four fifth grade students at Highland Elementary in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Under the guidance of the researcher and a teacher researcher, the children read and discussed online five literature selections over a period of nine weeks, between February 10 and April 6, 2004. Students met twice weekly for a total of 16, 45 minute sessions that took place in an after school setting. Book selections consisted of four stories read aloud by the teacher and one student read novel, featuring genres of fantasy, illustrated poetry, historical fiction, and biography. These selections also represented multicultural literature which were age and gender appropriate. Analysis of the data revealed discussions along a continuum from aesthetic to efferent as well as across thinking levels from literal, inferential, evaluative and application. Furthermore, the students used online literature discussions to question one another as well as agree and disagree with their peers. Students' discussion posts were most often categorized as efferent and contained literal and evaluative thinking level responses. Online discussions, inspired by quality literature, can provide an effective instructional technique linking technology and language arts instruction, enhance the quality of children's educational experience, and enrich the role of literature discussion for students as it provides an opportunity to interact with peers in a distant geographical location.