Effective Factors in Sustaining Interactive Teacherless Online Communities of Language Learners

One of the most recent modes of interaction is teacherless online community without the overt intervention of teachers. This mode of interaction creates a conducive learning environment. However the voluntary nature of such discussions may result in inequitable participation. This paper reports on a study that investigated voluntary online discussions in a language learning online community called MyLinE in Malaysia and to identify the features of sustained online communities that promote interaction among members. The findings revealed some distinguishing patterns for sustained discussion threads such as high sense of belonging, large number of progressive responses, as well as extended subtopics.