Framing and Re-framing through Computer-mediated Communication: Providing Pre-service Teachers with Alternate Support Structures

In this article we suggest that online environments can function as alternate “organizations” for pre-service and beginning teachers who may find themselves struggling in schools. Building on prior work on framing and reframing in organizations and schools, the authors present a new frame of analysis specifically geared for web-based learning/support communities. Data consist of transcripts from two forms of online discourse—an e-mail listserv and an electronic discussion board—from two groups of student teachers located in two US states. The development of the new frame and its potential use is relevant for teachers, teacher educators, and school administrators.