An analysis of conference interactions on telenex - A computer network for ESL teachers

Abstract

"TeleNex" is a computer network set up to enhance the professional development of in-service English teachers in Hong Kong by allowing them to access and share curriculum materials and to communicate with teacher educators at The University of Hong Kong and fellow teachers in other schools. This paper reports a study on the characteristics of the interactions in the public conferences on "TeleNex" during its first 16 months of full operation and the possible factors contributing to these characteristics. In order to analyze the various aspects of conference interactions, including teacher participation, initiation and response, response patterns and message types, a framework of message analysis was developed, drawing on concepts in conversational and discourse analysis. To investigate the possible contributing factors, a questionnaire was designed and administered to all users at the end of the 16-month period. The interaction analysis results and the questionnaire results confirmed the findings in previous studies carried out by the authors that social and psychological factors were very important in shaping the network interactions.