New York College Learning Skills Association

RTDE Issue Contents

Research and Teaching
in Developmental Education

Volume 17, Issue 2, Spring 2001

Exploring the Academic Self Within an Electronic Mail Environment
By Hiller A. Spires, North Carolina State University, Cheryl Mason, University of Virginai, Cris Crissman, North Carolina State University, and Alecia Jackson, University of Georgia

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of using an electronic mail environment to encourage the development of critical literacy among college developmental reading students. Students were paired with professionals in the business community, who volunteered to serve as on-line dialogue partners. After a semester of instruction, the electronic mail group scored higher than a control group on a standardized critical literacy test; however, no significant results between groups were found on a writing anxiety scale. Additionally, a content analysis of the electronic discussions revealed that the most frequent categories of dialogue were personal disclosure, academic disclosure and critical literacy. These results indicate that the electronic mail environment coupled with the support of the mentor fostered personal and academic disclosures which, in turn, may have served as a "bridge" to critical literacy for these students.