Power in the cyberspace using online discussions boards

Recent technology has afforded both teachers and learners to interact in a rather safe online environment. Given the cutting-edge technology used in education, online discussion boards are being used in distance education. Wide permeation of online discussion boards in online education has been inevitable. It is then important to uncover aspects that contribute to a quality discussion in order to fashion a sound learning experience for students. While our understanding of the benefits of face-to-face and online discussions to engage students is well developed, the data do not apply to pre-service teachers’ perceptions of engagement who participate in the online discussions. Several researchers explored online engagement in higher education in multiple studies. However, few researchers have addressed pre-service teachers’ engagement in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) courses (Khoshnevisan, 2017). In this literature review, we revisit the theoretical framework that underpins different aspects and active players of online asynchronous discussion boards. We then present the results of the related research regarding agency, power, and the role of instructor. Finally, drawing on online/offline power transfer, and COI model, we tie the term “power” to the concept of engagement while participating in online discussion boards. To address the issue, we give some advice to both practitioners and students in the field of education