Abstract

The current state of writing at the postsecondary level has raised many concerns regarding basic writing skills and academic writing skills among all levels of students. Blogs have been identified as an effective digital tool to facilitate collaborative tasks aimed to improve writing during the revising stage. However, there is little existing research that specifically looks at the use of blogs during the prewriting stage of writing. Guided by a sociocultural theoretical framework, this study employed a qualitative research design to explore levels of blog interactions during the prewriting stage of writing among graduate students. Blog interactions were collected and analyzed qualitatively with grounded theory coding processes. Qualitative analyses resulted in the identification of four interrelated domains: static supportive, affective, connective, and dynamic supportive. Among these domains, 15 categories that further described blog interactions were found. Findings were reported for each category by domain and included descriptions, as well as supportive meaning units. Results were discussed, along with limitations and recommendations for future research endeavors.