How do we develop sociability in online learning? "Directive instructions (ie, commands) such as 'Write this paragraph again' can restrict the student's work autonomy. To alleviate these negative effects of directive instructions, tutors can articulate their utterances as polite expression to show their respect to students." But does this actually have any effect? That's what this paper (25 page PDF) studies. In a nutshell, it's helpful, but not sufficient on its own. "In the most effective tutoring sessions, the tutors were likely to express politely at the beginning and gradually used more direct expressions to guide the students as a tutorial session progressed." I would note that expectations of politeness vary a lot by culture.
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