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Discussion of Research Findings
This section will summarize and briefly discuss the research findings. There are two sections: (a) Original Research Questions; and, (b) Further Questions that Emerged.
To answer these questions, this researcher analyzed the online data, and researcher notes and analytic memos that were generated throughout the study. The study began at the start of the Fall semester
(August 1998), and continued until the end of the Spring semester (May 1999). Many visual displays, such as analytic matrices and charts were utilized to help this researcher sort through the huge volume of data
generated by the 51 students. The analysis was a highly integrated and recursive process involving data exploration, inductive analysis, categorization of data according to analytic bins (informed by constructivist
theory), and the descriptive analysis of observations of both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the interaction and overall Web-based environment. |
