Resumo

ALVAREZ, Guadalupe. Discourse of tutor in on-line formation forums. Opcion [online]. 2008, vol.24, n.55, pp.124-144. ISSN 1012-1587.

Although it has been recognized the importance of virtual class to on-line formation programs, tutor role is still not explored. Regarding this need of more comprehension of this figure, the aim of the article is to establish some characteristics of his/her discursive participation in formative forums. Following discursive analysis guidelines, a qualitative procedure is applied in order to categorize and compare interventions of tutors in different forums of on-line university programs. This allows to determine if participants observe (or not) the conversational maxims, and which type they do not observe. The analysis shows that in forums tutors do not only break conversational maxims but also make explicit the principles of these breaks. In relation to this, the breaks of maxims often establish a personal tutor’s conceptions of his/her role and participation modality in forums.

Palavras-chave : on-line formation forums; tutor discourse; breaks of conversational maxims.