Promoting communities of practice among non-native speakers of English in online discussions

An online discussion involving text-based computer-mediated communication has great potential for promoting equal participation among non-native speakers of English. Several studies claimed that online discussions could enhance the academic participation of non-native speakers of English. However, there is little research around participation patterns in online discussions for non-native speakers of English. This descriptive pilot study considered the concept of communities of practice as it examined the online postings of three non-native and three native speakers of English who were enrolled in an online course on Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Content analysis was employed to study the 201 postings. The findings showed that the non-native speakers of English posted more messages in online discussions than their native peers did, and their postings showed more reflection on and accommodation of other students' perspectives than their native peers' postings. The pattern and frequency of these non-native English speakers' participation revealed that they gained a legitimate status engaging in academic socialization. In addition, an examination of the influence of the types of discussion questions posed for the non-native English speakers confirmed the significant role of the instructor in class participation.