that examines multifaceted approaches to researching learning in online environments. Our book considers the affordances and constraints of conducting research within networked field sites to better understand the nature of online learning.
Because we look to mixed and multimethod approaches to research within online environments, each chapter supports readers by engaging them in critically questioning and applying the conceptual and theoretical perspectives to their own work. Readers are encouraged to think through their own studies by considering the guiding questions that are provided at the beginning of each chapter, as well as the Connecting to Your Work questions for reflection at the end of each chapter.
Additionally, to help readers make sense of the concepts and methods we discuss throughout, we provide Spotlight Boxes within each chapter that feature a variety of studies and their methods, tools, concepts, and findings. Our hope is that these support structures will guide readers in their own qualitative research.
This book builds on discussions of learning and online spaces, conceptual frameworks and research design, multiple methods for collecting and analyzing data, as well as established and evolving ethical philosophies. Inherent across all of the following chapters is the need for researchers to be creative, agentive, and purposeful in selecting and/or combining methods to aptly study meaning making in protean spaces.
Chapter One explains the underlying premise of what constitutes research of learning in online spaces. Highlighting the importance of researcher agency and creativity, the chapter looks to remixing as a frame for conducting multimethod qualitative research. In so doing, it underscores mental models and logics of inquiry as key elements in the pragmatic design of multimethod qualitative studies.
Chapter Two provides an overview of online spaces, such as blogs, wikis, and forums, that can inform online qualitative research. This chapter focuses on inquiries of meaning making in networked field sites that are not temporally or spatially confined. This chapter suggests that, because of the diverse range of participants’ purposes for engaging in these spaces, researchers need to exercise flexibility in the way that they approach research design.
Chapter Three surveys various conceptual frameworks used to study learning and draws particular attention to behavioral theories, cognitive theories, and social theories of learning. Details about the three frameworks are provided, including a brief review of research employing each framework. The chapter then articulates contemporary frameworks for conceptualizing learning in online spaces, such as affinity spaces, connected learning, and participatory cultures. Finally, it discusses how researchers might align learning theories with their topic or online spaces of interest.
Chapter Four examines researcher positioning within online spaces. More specifically, it considers how researchers might participate in their research sites and interact with participants, providing a continuum from non-interactional “lurking” and “creeping,” to full participation in an environment. Examining forms of participation and interaction is central to understanding the role of the online researcher, as well as the nuances of participatory practices, online cultures, and virtual data collection.
Chapter Five addresses data collection in light of evolving online spaces. Honoring traditional qualitative methods as well as a pragmatic approach to data collection, this chapter examines various contemporary methods to study online meaning making. It also outlines key questions to ask when considering data sources and data collection techniques.
Chapter Six focuses on data analysis. It begins by discussing research questions and data analysis plans and then reviews potential methods that may be used alone or mixed in creative ways. The chapter focuses on thematic, grounded theory, discourse, and artifact analyses, and it also examines studies that use multimethod approaches to describe learning and participation in online spaces. Readers will consider the theoretical assumptions embedded in different forms of data analysis, as well as how to align their data analysis with their overarching interests and study designs.
Chapter Seven considers ethical aspects of conducting research in online spaces. This chapter traces the history of cases and policies that have contributed to the field of research ethics, and it discusses how these cases are related to the various policies that inform the conduct of ethical research in online spaces. This chapter provides recommendations for navigating ethics review boards and discusses what constitutes public information and private information, including the impact of security settings on ethical data collection. Additionally, it considers how to ensure the anonymity of one’s research participants in online research contexts through layers of concealment depending on the sensitivity of the data collected.
The final chapter, Chapter Eight, moves scholars beyond their current research and engages them in considering the next steps to take or new technologies to explore in future inquiries. This chapter encourages readers to think through practical applications for how their research informs their understanding of learning, as well as ways to examine the implications of their research.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank our respective institutions, Sam Houston State University, St. John’s University, the University of Sydney, and the University of New Hampshire, for the support necessary to complete this comprehensive text.
We appreciate colleagues’ and reviewers’ important feedback, which has helped us to extend how we perceive and study learning in online spaces. Conversations with colleagues and fellow scholars have helped us to clarify, confirm, and challenge (re)conceptualized approaches to qualitative research. Likewise, we thank the SAGE reviewers who took the time to provide us extensive feedback throughout the review process: Darnell Bradley, Cardinal Stritch University; Martin Oliver, UCL Institute of Education; Damiana Gibbons Pyles, Appalachian State University; and Pamela Whitehouse, Midwestern State University.
We would like to thank Tony Onwuegbuzie for providing thought-provoking insight in his foreword to our text.
We also would like to thank Helen Salmon and the SAGE editorial staff for their dedication and commitment to this project. Thank you for your continued attention and earnest support.
Authors’ Note
Over the course of time, scholars have refined understandings and theories related to learning and the research of learning in online and offline spaces. Given the natural progression of thought, coupled with the inevitable and often swift evolution of technology, there may be multiple editions of a given text. In our book, we have carefully selected editions that have enabled us to situate theories, and our focus on any one particular edition brings to light that publication’s unique contribution. We do not intend to privilege any one scholar’s perspectives; rather, we build on the strength of historically situated thinking to enrich the discussion of contemporary research and the overall examination of learning in online spaces.
About the Authors
Hannah R. Gerberis an associate professor in the Department of Language, Literacy and Special Populations at Sam Houston State University in Texas, where she teaches graduate courses in digital epistemologies and virtual ethnography. Gerber’s research has focused on adolescents and their videogaming practices,
