Factors contributing to “good experiences” through ‍academic content comment communication

Analysis of the experiences of comment-makers and comment-receivers

Abstract

In conducting research and writing a paper, it is essential to receive comments in order to improve both content and expression. This paper focuses on individual experiences in order to understand how people perceive communication by way of comments on academic content. Focusing on both perspectives, I looked at the experience of feeling that it was good to make comments, and the experience of feeling that it was good to receive them. I then determined the factors that led to the perception that communication through comments felt “good.”

I conducted semi-structured interviews with participants who had communicated through comments on academic texts. I then mainly coded the parts where “good,” i.e., positive factors, were discussed in response to the question of whether the respondent had had any good experiences as a comment-maker or comment-receiver (including both in-person and written communication). The results showed that the perception of good experiences was influenced by whether or not something “good” was transmitted in the communication and/or the comment-makers and comment-receivers shared a common academic direction in their communication. The analysis indicated that the act of making comments could lead comment-makers to feel good, and that comment-receivers were sometimes affected by circumstances that preceded the communication.