USING ONLINE SYNCHRONOUS DISCUSSION FOR CONFIDENCE-BUILDING ACTIVITY

摘要

This paper illustrates and discusses how online synchronous discussion facilitates the process of learning the subject of affective domain based on research. The participants were 31 pre-service teachers who took a course on Classroom Management. The results show (a) the use of open-ended questions engaged students cognitively as regard their participation and intellectual moves; (b) the non face-to-face and instant feedback features of the OSD facilitates the process of confidence-building by creating a positive cycle of fostering positive emotional climates, encouraging self-revelation, and cultivating social support interactions; (c) an appropriate turn-taking mechanism is necessary to make parallel multiple threads manageable and thus promote discussion efficiency.