The analysis of an open online discussion forum in science

This paper proposes a methodology for the analysis of an online discussion forum on the subject of physics. Based on Henri's (1992) analytical model, the framework for content analysis of computer-mediated communication was employed to analyze the online discourse. The methodology was used to compare messages from the three selected topics using an instructional technique alled "request-answer button". The frame work was developed to five dimensions of learning process in messages: (1) participation, (2) interaction, (3) social, (4) cognitive, and (5) metacognitive dimensions. The results showed that those participants demonstrating a greater interest contributed more to the discussions than those participants showing lesser interest in each topic. Moreover, the discussions' development patterns differed according to the degree of difficulty for each topic.