Self-Governance Through Group Discussion in Wikipedia: Measuring Deliberation in Online Groups

被引:53
作者
Black, Laura W. [1 ]
Welser, Howard T. [1 ]
Cosley, Dan [2 ]
DeGroot, Jocelyn M. [3 ]
机构
[1] Ohio Univ, Athens, OH 45701 USA
[2] Cornell Univ, Ithaca, NY USA
[3] So Illinois Univ, Dept Speech Commun, Edwardsville, IL 62026 USA
基金
美国国家科学基金会;
关键词
computer-mediated communication (CMC); deliberative discussion; online communities; virtual teams; PUBLIC DELIBERATION; VIRTUAL TEAMS; COMMUNICATION; PARTICIPATION; STRUCTURATION; DEMOCRACY; EFFICACY; OUTCOMES; WORKING; SCIENCE;
D O I
10.1177/1046496411406137
中图分类号
B849 [应用心理学];
学科分类号
040203 ;
摘要
Virtual teams and other online groups can find it challenging to establish norms that allow them to effectively balance task and relational aspects of their discussions. Yet, in our reliance on organizational and team theories, small group scholars have overlooked the potential for learning from examples offered by online communities. Theories of deliberation in small groups offer scholars a way to assess such discussion-centered self-governance in online groups. The study operationalizes the conceptual definition of deliberative discussion offered by Gastil and Black (2008) to examine the small group discussions that undergird policy-making processes in a well-established online community, Wikipedia. Content analysis shows that these discussions demonstrated a relatively high level of problem analysis and providing of information, but results were mixed in the group's demonstration of respect, consideration, and mutual comprehension. Network visualizations reveal structural patterns that can be useful in examining equality, influence, and group member roles. The combination of measures has implications for future research in deliberative discussion and virtual teamwork.
引用
收藏
页码:595 / 634
页数:40
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