ERIC Number: EJ800669
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1096-7516
EISSN: N/A
A Comparative Analysis of E-Mail and Face-to-Face Communication in an Educational Environment
Lightfoot, Jay M.
Internet and Higher Education, v9 n3 p217-227 2006
Electronic mail (e-mail) is an extremely important medium for Internet-based education. Due to its unique characteristics, there is reason to be concerned that students do not put appropriate care into writing messages that are sent via e-mail. This has significant implications for the effectiveness of online learning environments. This paper describes an empirical research project to investigate the amount of thought students put into e-mail communication versus traditional face-to-face communication. A survey was administered to 596 undergraduates. The results of this survey indicate that students put significantly more thought into e-mail communication with the instructor and groups of peers than they do for equivalent face-to-face communication. At the same time, students tend to put about the same amount of thought into e-mail compared to verbal communication with individual peers. Finally, the research uncovered some interesting patterns concerning student gender and technology comfort as predictors of thought put into e-mail communication. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Verbal Communication, Electronic Mail, Online Courses, Comparative Analysis, Educational Environment, Computer Mediated Communication, Surveys, Undergraduate Students, Writing (Composition), Gender Differences, Technological Literacy, Student Attitudes, Communication (Thought Transfer)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A