A coding scheme to analyse the online asynchronous discussion forums of university students

The current study describes the development of a content analysis coding scheme to examine transcripts of online asynchronous discussion groups in higher education. The theoretical framework comprises the theories regarding knowledge construction in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) based on a sociocultural perspective. The coding scheme was developed by inductive analysis of processes of forum discussions of university students performing collaborative tasks. The following themes emerged: (1) inferencing, (2) producing, (3) developing, (4) evaluating, (5) summarising, (6) organising and (7) supporting. A reliability analysis using the Kappa statistic indicated that there is a good degree of agreement among coders, rendering the coding scheme reliable. To demonstrate its utility, the coding scheme was applied to detect differences in the levels of interactions among university students with different backgrounds attending two degree programmes. Implications for the application of the coding scheme in further research are offered, such as comparing the processes activated by different online tools.