Postmes et al. article

The method used in this article was to have college students participate in an online statistics course called "Dr. Stat." No grade was given for this voluntary course. This maybe why out of 268 students who signed up, only 87 completed the course. I personally struggled through statistics because it was required. There's no way I would have even signed up voluntarily. The students' email messages were analyzed to find out how norms were used and developed through CMC. Over time members conformed to the norms of the group and social factors helped to shape the message content and form. When people become part of a group, their identity seems to change according to the norms of that group. The group becomes his/her identity in that the person will think and communicate according to the norms and rules of the group.