ERIC Number: EJ746120
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Dec
Pages: 11
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0266-4909
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Learning to be a Psychologist: The Construction of Identity in an Online Forum
Perrotta, C.
Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, v22 n6 p456-466 Dec 2006
The paper reports a study that investigated the construction of a common identity in an online Italian forum of psychologists based on asynchronous CMC. Discourse analysis was carried out on 20 discussions, and three Interpretative Repertoires were identified: (i) Professional Boundaries, (ii) disempowered psychology and (iii) psychology and health, which refer to three recurrent modalities of constructing the psychological profession. The study suggests that a framework drawing on social constructionism and Bourdieu's critical theory can help understand some aspects of identity in, and across, communities of practice. The main conclusion is that analysing "critically" how identities are constructed in learning environments, virtual or not, allows reconsidering the role of the cultural context in the production of those identities.
Descriptors: Discourse Analysis, Discussion, Psychology, Educational Environment, Ethnicity, Computer Mediated Communication, Psychologists, Psychological Studies, Learning Modalities, Cultural Context, Critical Theory
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A