Effects of Computer 1

Running head: EFFECTS OF COMPUTER MEDIATED COMMUNICATION

Effects of Computer Mediated Communication on Group Work

Nichole Nadalin

Mentor: Dr. Tara Perry

Western Washington University

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ABSTRACT

Different forms of computer-mediated-communication (CMC) and group work are becoming

increasingly popular in today’s society. This study looks at the satisfaction of group work when

using CMC methods compared to Face-to-face (FtF) methods. A sample of 120 college students,

from 6 different departments at a university in the Pacific Northwest, will fill out a survey that

asks different questions regarding their demographics and satisfaction with group work when

CMC methods are used and when FtF methods are used. This study will only yield quantitative

data, future research on this topic should be qualitative and focus on the way CMC affects group

work.

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Introduction

New classroom technologies have been introduced to the educational system and are used

especially in the higher education setting (Jalil, McFarlane, Ismail, & Krauss, 2008). Face-to-

Face Communication (FtF) has been the primary channel of communication for many years, yet

with today’s growing technologies, Computer-Mediated-Communication (CMC) is becoming a

popular way to communicate (Romano, Lowry, & Roberts, 2007). According to Romano,

Lowry, and Roberts (2007), small group interaction is a growing area however only minimal

research has been done. There have been concerns regarding lack of social interaction and

quality in the final product when CMC is used to communicate with group members (Reid,

Fraser, Makinek, Vlastimil, Scott, Clifford, Evans, 1996). CMC can be just as effective as FtF

communication when group members fully utilize the different CMC applications. This study

will explore the different channels of CMC and the effects they have on group communication.

Research in this area is necessary, because CMC is a relatively new concept and when used in

academic settings, it is important for researchers to understand how CMC affects academic work

(Romano, Lowry & Roberts, 2007).

Terms

Face-to-Face Communication; Computer –Mediated-Communication; Video Chat; Group

Theory; Computer-Mediated-Communication Theory

Literature ReviewBackground

Only in the last 40 years has CMC been a form of communication used by the general

public (Thurlow, Lengel, Tomic, 2004). The N-Generation, today’s youth, is accustomed to

using technology for everything (Tapscott, 2007). Students in higher education are using

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technology for vast facets of their school work, such as group projects. According to Littlejohn

(2004), the group communication theory states that “Group communication relates to the

interaction of people in small groups, usually in the decision-making settings” (p. 17). In

addition, Thurlow, Lengel, and Tomic (2004), define CMC theory as “concerned more

specifically with human interpersonal communication on, through and about the internet and

web” (p. 16). When these theories are fully utilized together, group output could be just as

efficient and productive when using CMC as when using FtF communication. Reid, Fraser,

Makinek, Vlastimil, Stott, Clifford, Evans, Jonathan found in their 1996 study of group work

using CMC, that there were no main negative effects on the quality of work produced when

participants used CMC rather than FtF communication. Group communication and CMC are two

things college students have grown up with.

How college students communicate

FtF is the original way to communicate; it is the method that has been used since the

beginning of time. Baym, Lin, and Zhang (2004) found in their research that although college

students communicate online, FtF, and on the telephone, FtF was the most dominant source of

interaction. Relationships between people who were close in location were most likely to be

maintained by FtF methods (Baym, Lin & Zhang, 2004). FtF communication has been preferred

in past years. When possible it still may be preferred for group communication because it can

easily combine task and relationship functions at the same time.

Golato and Taleghani-Nikazm (2006) found in their study that participants took norms

from their everyday conversation and applied them to interactions using CMC, making CMC a

part of everyday communication. Baym, Lin & Zhang (2004) found in their research, on local

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and long distance relationships, that college age participants maintained Long-distance

relationships primarily by internet and the telephone. Given these findings, communication

channels other than FtF can be sufficient forms of communication to keep relationships healthy.

So there is potential for a group to build relationships by using video chat and other interactive

CMC applications.

CMC Channels

CMC includes many different communication channels. According to Thurlow, Lengel,

and Tomic (2004) there are five main CMC channels including: emails, blogs, instant messaging,

visual chat, and personal homepages. These channels are all used for the specific purpose of

communication. Email, blogs, and instant messaging are primarily textual channels of CMC. The

biggest fear researchers have had with CMC is that it lacks nonverbal communication (Soukup,

2000). However, Golato and Taleghani-Nikazm’s (2006) study on email and instant messaging

has suggested that emoticons can substitute for nonverbal communication.

Applications such as visual chat and personal homepages as well as educational sites

such as Black Board are much more interactive. According to Soukup (2000), even everyday

websites have nonverbal communication hidden in them. The layout, colors, links, and

applications of a website communicates extra information about the organization the website

represents (Soukup, 2000). Adding a video camera in real time over the internet could also

potentially solve the problems of missing nonverbal cues and in turn relationship functions.

Muhlfelder, Klein, Simon, and Luczak (1999), found in their study that reports of trust were

equal in both the FtF and video chat situations and that participants in the CMC situations judged

their video chat partners less. Given these findings, when used to maintain communication

between group members video chat can be sufficient not only in building task functions but in

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building interpersonal relationships. Each CMC channel has its own pros and cons that must be

taken into account when using each channel.

Currently defined pros and cons of CMC

CMC is highly dynamic, has norms that differ from FtF communication, can be a fully

communicative environment, and must be thought of as its own form of communication rather

than as an extension of FtF communication (Soukup, 2000). Bernard, May, and Salber, (1996)

point out that primarily textual or audio communication can be helpful for informative purposes

because it cuts out visual distractions. This can improve the quality of output a group has

because they are focused on completing the task at hand rather than dealing with extraneous

topics. Thurlow, Lengel, and Tomic (2004) have come up with five main ways that CMC can be

useful in group communication settings. They first talk about anonymity and conformity and

how group members feel more secure in giving their honest opinion about ideas and decisions.

This is because they feel somewhat anonymous and the pressure to conform to other’s opinions

is lessened by the feelings of being distant. Next, Thurlow, Lengel and Tomic (2004) look at

cohesion, interactivity, and identity. Thurlow, Lengel and Tomic comment on the fact that email

and blogs have become cohesive because norms have been created defining the proper way to

format them. They also comment on the necessity of interactivity in order to keep groups that use

CMC running smoothly, as well as the idea of using CMC to choose what parts of your identity

you share with others.

The strongest concerns with CMC are lack of nonverbal behaviors, disinhibition,

deindividuation, and polarization (Thurlow, Lengel and Tomic, 2004). Without nonverbal

behaviors many conversational details will be lost. Reid et al. (1996) have been concerned about

the lack of social interactions when group members use CMC and the negative effects that has on

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their output. When relationships and tasks functions are not equal communication can be less

successful. Thurlow, Lengel and Tomic (2004) state that individuals using CMC are more likely

to do and say extreme statements they otherwise would not. There are many positive and

negative aspects to CMC, as there are in all forms of communication. Research related to college

students and CMC is fairly exploratory and in past years has been limited (An, Y. & Frick, T.

2006). Some studies have shown that CMC can be a sufficient way for group members to

communicate. For these reasons I propose the following research question:

RQ: How do CMC applications affect small group communication in a college setting?

MethodologyQuantitative Research

The research method used for this study will be quantitative. Using a deductive approach

and quantitative research method allows the researcher to most easily measure the data in

numbers (Berger, 2001; Patten, 2000). However, using this type of method limits the amount of

detailed information that can be gathered. According to Patten (2000) quantitative researchers

spend minimal time interacting with the participants, resulting in the collection of only very

specific data. This method will allow the researcher to code different questionnaire questions to

measure if group member’s attitudes towards using CMC were more or less positive than using

face to face methods (Patten, 2000). Another major strength of this method is that the researcher

will be able to generalize the results to a greater population. By generalizing the results to the

greater population and being able to report statistics, the researcher will be able to inform

educators and students of the results of the study using easily understood statistics (Berger, 2001;

Patten, 2000).

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Method Selection

Survey

The research method used for this study will be a survey. The researcher will use this

method because surveys are specifically good at gathering information on behaviors, attitudes,

and beliefs or perceptions (Miller & Salkind, 2002). The strengths of survey research include the

ability to measure data easily, reach large samples, and describe characteristics of a large

population. The weaknesses of survey research include the standardization of opinions, and the

lack of context (Miller & Salkind, 2002). According to Goyder (1986), another limitation of

survey research is non-response, or people who choose not to participate. These limitations will

be overcome by selecting student participants from different disciplines to get a diverse set of

opinions, and context will be kept by using students who have participated in group work.

Finally non-response will be overcome by selecting 20 participants from each major, with at

least hundreds of students currently enrolled.

Variables

The independent variable of this research question is the type of CMC used between

group members. The independent variable will be conceptualized by different kinds of CMC

such as e-mail, personal websites, web chat, and instant messaging. It will be operationalized by

the number of times each CMC channels is used. The dependent variable will be the outcomes of

the group work, either good or bad, social and task functions. The dependent variable will be

conceptualized by satisfaction with group work when using CMC methods. It will be

operationalized by a satisfaction score on a survey, the higher the score the greater satisfaction

the participant feels from CMC (Rubin, R., & Rubin, A. 1989).

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Setting and Sample

This study will take place at a four year university, located in the Pacific Northwest, in a

room of the psychology department. This is for convenience of the researcher, because the

population to be studied is located at the university (Baym, Lin, & Zhang, 2004). The

participants will be randomly selected from the Communication, Psychology, Math, Education,

Environmental Studies, and Physics departments. These departments were chosen to get a variety

of students from various educational backgrounds. Group work may be performed differently

between the various departments and getting a sample from departments that focus in sciences,

humanities, and mathematics will help gain a diverse population. The sample will include 20

students from each department, 10 men and 10 women, for a total of 120 participants. Since the

participants are college students they will be between the ages of 18 and 25. Some college

students in the chosen departments may be younger or older; however the researcher seeks to

study the average college student. Reid et al. (1996) has found that students in higher education,

between the ages of 18 and 25 are using CMC the most. This sample of participants will be used

because they allow the researcher to get a sample of the student population as well as the

student’s views on CMC applications for the purposes of group work.

ProcedureData Collection

Sampling Technique

The researcher has chosen to use purposive sampling to collect data. According to

Berkowitz (2007) purposive sampling allows the researcher to select participants based on

previous knowledge of the topic and population. The researcher can use the knowledge of what

classes use group work to select participants to complete the survey. If participants who have not

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completed group work were selected, their feelings on group work and the results found would

not be useful (Berkowitz, 2007). The researcher will ask professors who use graded small group

work, with or without CMC methods, from each of the selected departments, if they can make an

announcement about participation opportunity to the students. Students will then contact the

researcher and sign up to participate in the study.

Method Gathering

Materials used for this study include the survey that includes demographics questions,

consent form, and debriefing form. Each of these will be included in the appendix. The survey

will include 20 questions about feelings towards group work when CMC and FtF methods are

used, as well as four demographic questions. The questions will assess feelings of stress,

pressure, fear, and happiness concerning group work using both CMC and FtF methods. The

demographic questions will record the department, age, gender, and class standing of the

participant. The survey will have two forms, each beginning with the opposite order of questions.

The consent form will give the participant an overview of the study as well as any possible harm

they may endure. The debriefing form will include more detailed information of what the

researcher is studying as well as contact information if the participant has further questions.

Validity and Reliability

Validity will be met through this study by using appropriate questions throughout the

survey. Internal validity will be met by making sure the questionnaire assesses the different

aspects and attitudes of group work (Miller & Salkind, 2002). External validity will be met by

having a diverse student population for the participants, as diversity will help the study to

generalize to the public. Face validity will be met by having peers of the researcher examine the

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survey and review it to the extent of which it assesses the satisfaction of group work on a face

level.

Reliability will be met by focusing on the construction of the questions to eliminate

leading questions, double barrel questions, as well as confusing wording (Miller & Salkind,

2002). Each time the survey is given the environment will be controlled. Each group of students

will be given the same instructions and will complete the same survey in the same room. To

ensure reliability split test reliability will be performed where the first ten questions on the

survey will be compared to the second ten questions. The scores of these two sections should

correlate with one another.

Ethics

There are no serious concerns of ethics for this study however; the researcher will take

the following precautions to guard against any ethical issues. Participants will be volunteers

offered the opportunity to participate if they choose, through announcements in their classes.

Participants could experience emotional harm when filling out the survey if answering questions

induces anxiety or stress towards future group work (Lee-Treweek & Linkogle, 2000, and Stern,

2003). This issue will be overcome by a debriefing form that explains the study to students and

gives contact information for psychological help if the participant chooses. Students will fill out

a consent form and will be given a debriefing form to fully understand the study (Stern, 2003).

The researcher will ensure anonymity by keeping the surveys anonymous and keeping them

locked in a file cabinet in the researcher’s office until the study is completed at which time they

will be destroyed (Miller & Salkind, 2002).

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Conclusion

RQ: How do CMC applications affect small group communication in a college setting?

This study will look at the positive and negative outcomes of using CMC applications for

group work in a college setting. Students and educators will benefit the most from this study

because they will better understand student’s opinions, personal benefits, and losses concerning

group work when CMC is the main source of communication. This study is important because

the college students of today are required more often to complete group work for class credit.

These requirements mean that it is necessary for students to learn how to effectively use CMC

during group work. With the ever growing field of technology these ideas will continue to run

hand in hand. It is also necessary for students and educators to understand the affects CMC has

on the work produced as well as students attitudes towards group work (Baym, Lin, & Zhang,

2004).

Further research is needed in this area so that educators can fully understand the effects

of CMC on group work, and they can then teach their students the most effective ways to utilize

CMC throughout projects. This study will have limitations as it will only look at the frequencies

of CMC applications per participant and the satisfaction rating for each of them. The study will

not look at the range of combinations of CMC applications and how they work, or don’t work

together. Using a survey is another limitation of this study because the questions limit the

diversity of information the researcher can gather. More observational and qualitative research is

needed in this area to fully understand the differences of using Face-to-Face and Computer-

Mediated-Communication because only so much can be learned through a survey. Further

qualitative research would allow researchers to build and expand upon information gathered

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from this survey. This survey will be exploratory in studying group work using CMC and FtF

methods and will find different areas of group work that need to be assessed separately in the

future.

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Demographics:

These questions are optional to answer. Please circle the best answer(s) that apply to you.

1. Gender (circle one):a. Male b. Female

2. Age: _________

3. Educational Department (circle one):a. Communicationb. Psychologyc. Mathd. Educatione. Environmental Studiesf. Physics

4. Class Standing (circle one):a. Freshmanb. Sophomorec. Juniord. Senior

5. Number of college classes taken, that have used group work: _______

6. Name of current class that is using group work: _____________________________

7. Short description of that project using group work:

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

8. Form of Computer-Mediated-Communication that you personally used the most for the above group project ____________________________

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Survey – Communication Channels

Questions 1-18 are adopted and changed from the Communication Apprehension and Satisfaction in Interpersonal Relationships study by Rebecca Rubin and Alan Rubin, who adopted their survey from Hecht, (1978).

Computer-Mediated-Communication for the purpose of this survey is defined as: e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging, interactive websites, black-board, blogs, video chat, social networks such as facebook, and twitter.

When answering this survey please think of the group project computer-mediated-communication that you have experienced while working with a group for a class project. If a question asks about a form of CMC that you have not used please skip it and move on to the next question.

Please circle the letter that best fits your feelings toward the statement

1) When using CMC my group members let me know if I communicate effectively.a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

2) When using CMC my peers express a lot of interest in what I have to say.a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

3) When using CMC I feel like I can talk about anything to my group members.a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

4) When using blogs, social networks, my group members genuinely want to get to know me.

a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

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5) When using video chat, twitter, or interactive websites my group members genuinely want to get to know me.

a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

6) When using e-mail, text messaging or instant messaging my conversations flow smoothly.

a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

7) When using email I am very satisfied with my conversations with my group members.a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

8) When using interactive websites, blogs, video chat, or twitter I am very satisfied with my conversations with my group members.

a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

9) When using instant messaging I am very satisfied with my conversations with my group members.

a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

10) When using text messaging I am very satisfied with my conversations with my group members.

a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

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11) When using Email I am able to present myself as I want my group members to view me.a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

12) When using instant messaging or text messaging I am able to present myself as I want my group members to view me.

a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

13) When using interactive websites, blogs, video chat, or twitter I am able to present myself as I want my group members to view me.

a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

14) I do not enjoy group conversations about our project using any CMC application.a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

15) I feel that nothing is ever accomplished for our project in group conversations over Email.

a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

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16) I feel that nothing is ever accomplished for our project in group conversations using instant messaging or text messaging.

a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

17) I feel that nothing is ever accomplished for our project in group conversations using interactive websites, blogs, video chat, or twitter.

a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagree

Strongly disagree

18) I am very dissatisfied with my group conversations using CMCa. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Neutrald. Disagreee. Strongly disagree

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