Internet Learning Volume 4, Number 1, Spring 2015 | Page 113

Internet Learning Journal – Volume 4, Issue 1 – Spring 2015
The process involved tracking terms, such as collaboration, engagement, interaction,
and rapport. Selection of words for the tracking scale involved considering how closely the
words related to the operational definition of immediacy discussed above as opposed to
general collaboration. However, the tracking scale included synonyms related to both
immediacy and collaboration. The term collaboration would receive a low rating compared
to immediacy, feelings, mindset, emotions, and (student) thoughts. The complete scale
consisted of 23 words (see Appendix B).
The primary research question formulated for the study was as follows: Does the
complete textbook sample offer a homogeneous or idiosyncratic approach to the usage of
immediacy based on the number of scholarly immediacy citations referenced? The null and
alternate hypotheses of the study appeared as follows:
H 0 1: No difference exists between the two sets of textbooks in the number of references
and citations devoted to teacher immediacy regardless of the publication timeframe.
H 1 1: The more recent set of textbooks contains a larger number of scholarly studies related
to teacher immediacy because of the publication of more prominent scholarly immediacy
studies between 2003 and 2007.
The results of the content analysis and descriptive statistics indicated that the
complete 1999 to 2007 textbook sample reflected an idiosyncratic approach to immediacy.
The textbooks included no in text citations related to prominent peer-reviewed immediacy
scholarly articles defined as articles that contained the word immediacy in the title or
abstract. Similarly, no immediacy references were found.
Textbook 6 included a citation for Gunawardena and Zittle (1997). The list of
prominent scholarly immediacy studies (see Appendix A), defined as studies containing the
word immediacy in the title or abstract, did not include Gunawardena and Zittle. However,
research conducted by Gunawardena and Zittle was cited in some reference pages of the
prominent immediacy studies identified, yet this finding was outside the scope of the study.
As noted in the literature review, Gunawardena and Zittle (1997) indicated immediacy is
just as important to student success as other electronic classroom techniques. Appendix F
contains the number of general references found.
The second research question concerned the number of paragraphs containing
immediacy-related terminology: Among a set of recent (2003 to 2007) and a set of older
(1999 to 2002) online education textbooks, what percentage of paragraphs in the first four
chapters relates to both broad and minor teacher immediacy based on paragraph counts?
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