Thoughts on Conrad

I've been going into more details on my literature review, and considering how other authors structure their writing, particularly from the perspective of what I find useful, and how it might influence my own writing. The first article is an interpretive study by Conrad (2002).

 

Conrad makes the point that while quantitative studies can give a useful overview of the area, understanding the experiences of users is a priority for development of communities. Although my context is somewhat different, her point about learners creating their own lines of defence sounds quite telling in the light of some initial comments observed in my study. Without understanding what barriers people put up, we can’t expect to engage meaningfully with them! Likewise, her point about our research agendas being shaped by our worldview matches with my research being guided by exploration of how network effects are re-shaping society, and the subsequent effects on education systems, both technological and organisational.

Writing a section about who, what, where, etc. is a useful step for grounding the paper, and setting the boundaries of the study, particularly the limitations of what might be achieved in the first place. She also breaks down the literature review itself to define different terms, building up how she wants the reader to understand her term of online community. She then examines each of the research questions in turn, looking at general patterns in responses, followed by particularly insightful comments by individuals. This approach will probably work very well for me, as I need to spot general patterns as well as bring out individual experiences.

Reference

Conrad, D. (2002). Deep in the Hearts of Learners: Insights into the Nature of Online Community. Journal of Distance Education, 17(1), 1-19