| The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there was a difference in either the overall frequency or the frequency of specific types of student interactions between a traditional face-to-face class and an online class.; The sample consisted of two sections of a traditional class and two sections of an online class with a total of 50 subjects. The site selected was a large private university in the western United States.; Using a nonexperimental comparative design, the data were collected in the traditional class by audiocassette, which were then transcribed, and in the online class by downloading transcripts from the computer conferencing system. These transcripts were then coded based on a modified form of the Equivalent Talk Categories (Ober, Bently, & Miller, 1971). A second reviewer also coded the transcripts in order to establish reliability.; The major finding of the study was that in the online classes there were more Expanded Thinking Responses, which were significant at the .05 level. The findings also indicate that there was no significant difference in the total frequency of student interaction between the groups. It also did not indicate any differences in the Restricted Thinking Questions, Restricted Thinking Responses, or Expanded Thinking Questions categories. Implications for practice and recommendations for further research conclude the study. |
