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Selected AbstractsEssentialism and attribution of monstrosity in racist discourse: Right-wing internet postings about Africans and JewsJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2009Peter Holtz Abstract We investigated a total of 4997 postings on an extreme right-wing Internet discussion board with regard to the groups and themes mentioned. The most frequently mentioned target groups were Africans, Jews, Muslims, Poles, and Turks; the most prominent themes and contexts were conspiracy, criminality, exploitation, threats to German identity, infiltration, mind control and harassment, procreation, rape, and sex. We analysed in detail postings about Africans/Blacks and Jews, that is target groups that were the most clearly connected to particular themes. The analysis reveals that extreme right-wing discourse essentializes the target groups of Jews and Africans/Blacks and ascribes them immutable group-specific attributes that effectively make them ,natural kinds'. The group of Jews appears as a kind of their own with super-human powers and influence. Africans and Blacks are despised, firstly because their essential characteristics prohibit them to be categorically mixed with Germans (i.e. to become German by nationality) due to their incompatible essence, and secondly when they procreate with Whites. Such procreation produces ,bastards' that are met with disgust. We argue that essentialist thinking about social and ethnic groups explains a good part of their rejection by right-wing followers. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] "Not the Romantic, All Happy, Coochy Coo Experience": A Qualitative Analysis of Interactions on an Irish Parenting Web SiteFAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 1 2010Ellen Brady Support groups in online communities provide an anonymous place to exchange information and advice. Previous research has suggested that these groups offer a safe, nonjudgmental forum for new parents to share experiences and interact anonymously. This study investigated how participants in online parenting groups experience support via the Internet and what types of support they receive. All posts made over a 2-week period on the parenting-related discussion boards of an Irish parenting Web site were analyzed using content and thematic analyses. Exploratory, semistructured interviews were also conducted with 2 forum participants to discuss their experience of using the Web site. Themes uncovered from the data gathered included the attempts by posters to dispel the myths surrounding motherhood and the recognition of the superiority of the mother as caregiver. The results revealed that the parenting Web site was seen as a safe, supportive space, in which mothers could develop an enhanced frame of reference in which to better understand the role of parenting. The role of online support groups as a viable solution to the decreasing social networks created by modern society is discussed, along with the implications of the findings for future practice and research. [source] Soliciting and Providing Social Support Over the Internet: An Investigation of Online Eating Disorder Support GroupsJOURNAL OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION, Issue 1 2008Kristen Campbell Eichhorn Using a longitudinal, systematic random sample of 490 postings, this study analyzed the type of social support provided, the strategies used to solicit social support, and the themes on the top 5 Yahoo! eating disorder discussion boards. Optimal match theory was used as the theoretical framework for the study. Results suggest that messages providing informational support were more prevalent than those providing instrumental support. Also, the findings revealed that the most frequent strategy for soliciting support was sharing experiences and the most frequent theme was positive affect. The results of the study highlight the significance of prosocial communication exchanges on these discussion boards. Résumé Solliciter et apporter un soutien social sur Internet : Une étude des groupes de soutien en ligne liés aux troubles alimentaires Par une analyse longitudinale et systématique d,un échantillon aléatoire de 490 messages tirés des cinq plus grands babillards Yahoo! portant sur les troubles alimentaires, cette étude analyse le type de soutien social offert, les stratégies utilisées pour solliciter du soutien social ainsi que les thčmes des messages. La théorie de la correspondance optimale (optimal match theory) fut utilisée comme cadre théorique de l'étude. Les résultats suggčrent que les messages apportant un soutien informationnel furent plus courants que ceux fournissant un soutien instrumental. De plus, les résultats révčlent que la stratégie de recherche de soutien la plus fréquente était le partage d'expériences et que le thčme le plus courant était l'émotion positive. Les résultats de l'étude soulignent l,importance des échanges communicationnels ŕ caractčre sociable sur ces babillards. Abstract Kontaktanbahnung und soziale Unterstützung mit Hilfe des Internets: Eine Untersuchung von Online-Selbsthilfegruppen zum Thema Essstörungen Anhand einer zufälligen, systematischen Langzeitstichprobe von 490 Einträgen in den Top5 Yahoo! Diskussionsforen zu Essstörungen, untersuchten wir zum einen die Form der sozialen Unterstützung, zum anderen die Strategien der Anbahnung dieser sozialen Unterstützung und die diskutierten Themen. Die Theorie der optimalen Übereinstimmung diente als theoretischer Rahmen für die Studie. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Unterstützungsbotschaften informationeller Art häufiger vorkamen als solche, die instrumentelle Unterstützung boten. Zudem zeigten die Ergebnisse auch, dass am häufigsten über Erlebnisse berichtet wurde, um einen Kontakt herzustellen und positiver Affekt am häufigsten thematisiert wurde. Die Ergebnisse der Studie unterstreichen den Stellenwert eines prosozialen Kommmunikationsaustausches in diesen Diskussionsforen. Resumen Solicitando y Proveyendo Apoyo Social a través del Internet: Una Investigación de los Grupos Online de Apoyo Social de Desórdenes de la Alimentación Usando una muestra longitudinal, sistemática al azar de 490 mensajes, este estudio analizó el tipo de apoyo social provisto, las estrategias usadas para solicitar apoyo social, y los tópicos de 5 foros de Yahoo! de desórdenes de la alimentación. La teoría del ajuste óptimo fue usada como marco teórico para este estudio. Los resultados sugieren que los mensajes que proveen información de apoyo fueron más prevalentes que aquellos que proveen de apoyo instrumental. Los hallazgos revelaron también que la estrategia más frecuente para solicitar apoyo fue el compartir experiencias y el tema más frecuente fue el afecto positivo. Los resultados de este estudio subrayan la significancia de los intercambios de comunicación pro-social en las discusiones de estos foros. ZhaiYao Yo yak [source] The Internet and Anti-War Activism: A Case Study of Information, Expression, and ActionJOURNAL OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION, Issue 1 2006Seungahn Nah This case study examines how traditional and Internet news use, as well as face-to-face and online political discussion, contributed to political participation during the period leading up to the Iraq War. A Web-based survey of political dissenters (N = 307) conducted at the start of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq provides the data used to examine the relationships among informational media use, online and face-to-face political discussion, and political participation among the respondents, who were recruited through blogs, discussion boards, and listservs opposing the Iraq war. Analyses reveal that among these respondents, Internet news use contributed to both face-to-face and online discussion about the situation in Iraq. Online and face-to-face political discussion mediated certain news media effects on anti-war political participation. The study stresses the complementary role of Web news use and online political discussion relative to traditional modes of political communication in spurring political participation. [source] Investigating science learning for rural elementary school teachers in a professional-development project through three distance-education strategiesJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 10 2006Leonard A. Annetta Distance education is a significant topic of discussion within institutions at all levels of education. It is not only significant in terms of finances and student enrollment but also in terms of meaningful learning. The purpose of this study was to determine the relative effectiveness of three distance-education strategies for enhancing the science learning of 94 Midwestern elementary-school teachers participating in a 5-year professional-development project. The three distance-education strategies studied were interactive television with all presenters live in real time (live), interactive television with live discussions wrapped around videotaped presentations (video), and asynchronous, Web-based sessions with streamed videotaped presentations supported by interaction through discussion boards (Web). A repeated measures design was used to analyze the science learning and attitudes of the study participants. Analysis of variance of participants' postsession science scores yielded differences (p,<,0.05) on multiple-choice and constructed-response science subscales. Participants in the live mode outperformed participants in the Web and video modes on all three assessment types (multiple choice, constructed response, and vignettes). Participants in the Web mode outperformed participants in the video mode on multiple choice and constructed response. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 43: 1019,1039, 2006 [source] The development of a facet analysis system to identify and measure the dimensions of interaction in online learningJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 11 2007Shawne D. Miksa The development of a facet analysis system to code and analyze data in a mixed-method study is discussed. The research goal was to identify the dimensions of interaction that contribute to student satisfaction in online Web-supported courses. The study was conducted between 2000 and 2002 at the Florida State University School of Information Studies. The researchers developed a facet analysis system that meets S. R. Ranganathan's (1967) requirements for articulation on three planes (idea, verbal, and notational). This system includes a codebook (verbal), coding procedures, and formulae (notational) for quantitative analysis of logs of chat sessions and postings to discussion boards for eight master's level courses taught online during the fall 2000 semester. Focus group interviews were subsequently held with student participants to confirm that results of the facet analysis reflected their experiences with the courses. The system was developed through a process of emergent coding. The researchers have been unable to identify any prior use of facet analysis for the analysis of research data as in this study. Identifying the facet analysis system was a major breakthrough in the research process, which, in turn, provided the researchers with a lens through which to analyze and interpret the data. In addition, identification of the faceted nature of the system opens up new possibilities for automation of the coding process. [source] |