An exploratory analysis of communication in peer-directed educational discourse

This exploratory analysis examined the nature of asynchronous, text-based communication in peer-directed educational discussions. The nature of communication changed over time and women exhibited greater tendency for epistolary communication than men. Initial posts, which were expository in nature, focused on disseminating information whereas replies to initial posts exhibited characteristics of epistolary discourse, such as alignment and support. The study observed that men and women employed different communication styles when beginning a message thread. Initial posts by males began with epistolary statements whereas the posts of women began with expository statements.