Learning to Communicate: Bakhtin's Theory (continued)
In one study that discusses computer-mediated discussion and revision, the author, Beth Hewett, compared peer response in a face-to-face environment with peer response in a computer-based environment. Hewett noted that in computer-mediated discussions, messages that are really meant for one individual student have an unusual hybrid nature in that they are personal, yet public messages (Hewett 282). This observation may be an indication of why an understanding of audience may not stabilize in an online environment; however primary and secondary audiences are a reality in most pieces of writing so whether students are addressing the entire group or just one of their classmates, they become aware of how individual readers understand writing differently.
