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Teacher participation in computer conferencing: socio-psychological dimensions

Abstract It has been pointed out in the literature on computer-mediated communication that the social dimensions of network design, user behaviour and user participation on computer networks are very important to the building of an electronic community. So far, no study has examined these dimensions systematically and the ways in which they mediate user participation. This article reports on a study conducted on a computer network for English teachers in Hong Kong schools, TeleNex, to investigate the teachers' participation on the network, and the technical and social psychological dimensions that mediated their participation. Data were obtained by questionnaires and by interviews with a small sample of teachers. The questionnaire results show significant differences between teachers who participated actively in conferencing and those who did not. The interview data provided further insights into the social psychological dimensions. Implications to be considered when building an electronic community of teachers are discussed.