EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION AND DISCOURSE THROUGH A COMPUTER NETWORK: INVESTIGATING ELEMENTARY STUDENTS' COMPUTER SUPPORTED INTERACTION (original) (raw)
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The goal of the investigation was to analyze patterns of participation and discourse mediated by Virtual Web School (VWS). Twenty-three fifth-grade students participated in the study. The findings showed that the density of interaction among participants was high, and all the participants used VWS to some extent. There were, however, substantial differences in the participants’ participation activity and their position in the network of VWS-mediated interaction. The study also showed that the VWS-mediated discussion was not sustained, but instead comprised a number of short discussion threads. Although over half of the participants’ postings were focused on class-learning topics, much needs to be improved in the quality of their discussion.
Learning and Instruction, 2003
The goal of the investigation was to analyze patterns of participation and discourse mediated by Virtual Web School (VWS). Twenty-three fifth-grade students participated in the study. The findings showed that the density of interaction among participants was high, and all the participants used VWS to some extent. There were, however, substantial differences in the participants' participation activity and their position in the network of VWS-mediated interaction. The study also showed that the VWS-mediated discussion was not sustained, but instead comprised a number of short discussion threads. Although over half of the participants' postings were focused on class-learning topics, much needs to be improved in the quality of their discussion.
Patterns of Interaction in Computer-Supported Learning: A Social Network Analysis
2000
The purpose of the study was to analyze patterns of elementary school students' peer interaction in a computer-supported classroom. The problem addressed in the study was whether students representing different level of school achievement and gender would productively participate in progressive discourse. Technological infrastructure of the study was provided by the Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Environments (CSILE) The study applied social network analysis to investigate written comments logged by 28 grade 5/6 students to CSILE's database. The study indicated that although the density of interactions within the CSILE class was rather high, there were large individual differences in regard to participation in CSILE-mediated discourse. Further, the analysis revealed that average-and high-achieving female students dominated discourse interaction within the CSILE class, and carried the main responsibility for all students' collaborative building of knowledge. An important characteristic of CSILE students' culture of interaction was that female and male students interacted mainly within their respective gender groups. Within the groups a significant amount of communication took place between students representing different achievement levels. It is concluded that social network analysis provided new information about patterns and structures of CSILE students' interaction culture that would have been very difficult to obtain by any other means.
The purpose of the present study was to analyse how the social interactional approach of computer-supported collaborative learning meshes with the Finnish school environment. Our aim is to discuss what aspects of Finnish educational culture, and particularly communication culture, support or hinder the restructuring of educational practices according to cognitive principles of learning and technology-based learning environments. We claim that social interaction which supports students' learning cannot be explained by mainstream theories on collaboration, but cultural, contextual, and individual differences make collaboration more complicated. We report on three experimental studies where the communication culture of computer-supported collaborative learning was analysed. These analyses revealed that Finnish students do not typically get involved with intensive interaction about partially formed ideas. Differing opinions and interpretations expressed in discussion often cause cognitive conflicts that an agent tries to solve internally before going back to the social plane. This culturally typical pattern of interaction seems to be more closely related with the Piagetian (socio-cognitive conflict) theoretical framework and differs from that of the Vygotsky and the neo-Vygotskians (intersubjective cotruction). Furthermore, the studies reported here suggest that patterns of interaction described above may be closely related to maladaptive socioemotional coping strategies and a fact-oriented educational epistemology. Nevertheless, technology-based learning environments and participation in corresponding research-like learning tasks seem to foster productive interaction between students.
Journal of Educational Computing Research, 1996
This case study provides a description of student interaction and participation within a computer-mediated environment in an experimental offering of a plant science lab course. Based on structured classroom observation, interviews, and surveys with students and teachers this study examines 1) how a CMC pattern of discourse differs from a face-to-face pattern of discussion in a class setting; 2) whether students participating in a CMC activity produce a discourse that reflects the level of thinking and sharing of ideas desired by the instructor; and 3) how the computer-based interface facilitates and/or inhibits communication between students. This study shows that the CMC-based activities offers an alternative pattern of interaction which differs from the face-to-face pattern in some, but not all ways. The CMC discourse encourages experimentation, sharing of early ideas, increased and more distributed participation, and collaborative thinking. However, for some students the CMC act...
The purpose of the study was to analyze how intensively female and male students participate in discourse interaction within two computer-supported classrooms. Technical infrastructure for the study was provided by the Computer-Supported Intentional Learning Environments, CSILE. The study was carried out by qualitatively analyzing written notes logged by two grade 5/6 classes to CSILE’s database over one academic year. The results of the study indicate that only one of the classrooms engaged in a progressive discourse focused on collaborative advancement of explanation whereas the other classroom performed more traditional learning tasks. Female students participated most actively in the progressive-discourse classroom whereas male students dominated discourse interaction in the other class, but the reasons for this are subject to debate. The investigators argue that the use of new technology should be thoroughly subsumed under pedagogical goals in order to facilitate female students’ participation in computer-supported learning.
Student participation, interaction, and regulation in a computer-mediated communication environment
1994
This case study provides a description of student interaction and participation within a computer-mediated environment in an experimental offering of a plant science lab course. Based on structured classroom observation, interviews, and surveys with students arid teachers this study examines 1) how a CMC pattern of discourse differs from a face-to-face pattern of discussion in a class setting; 2) whether students participating in a CMC activity produce a discourse that reflects the level of thinking and sharing of ideas desired by the instructor; and 3) how the computer-based interface facilitates and/or inhibits communication between students. This study shows that the CMC-based activities offers an alternative pattern of interaction which differs from the face-to-face pattern in some, but not all ways. The CMC discourse encourages experimentation, sharing of early ideas, increased and more distributed participation, and collaborative thinking. However, for some students the CMC activities are confusing and inhibiting because of the lack of social cues and multiple threads of simultaneous topics-the same features that appeal to other students. Successful use of CMC activities requires a classroom social environment that encourages peer interaction. Equally important is the selection of engaging tasks that are structured enough to diminish confusion but still allow spontaneity and experimentation. Teachers also need to find ways to directly link the CMC discussions to prior and upcoming learning activities so that students will see the value in creating a discourse that they will want to refer to and use in other class activities.
2011
This paper describes the design and implementation of a technology supported learning environment that enabled interaction and collaboration between a group of sixteen intermediate and advanced level university students of Italian and a group of seven Italian native speakers facilitators. For one semester students and facilitators worked together to complete two authentic tasks and interacted with each other through the communication tools and resources of an online learning management system. These resources included both asynchronous and synchronous communication tools such as an online threaded class discussion forum, a group discussion forum, chat and email. This paper discusses the theoretical underpinnings of the collaborative learning environment and the use of the different computer mediated communication tools throughout the duration of the project.
Computers & Education, 2003
The purpose of the study was to analyze how intensively female and male students participate in discourse interaction within two computer-supported classrooms. Technical infrastructure for the study was provided by the Computer-Supported Intentional Learning Environments (CSILE). The study was carried out by qualitatively analyzing written notes logged by two grade 5/6 classes to CSILE's database over one academic year. The results of the study indicate that only one of the classrooms engaged in a progressive discourse focused on collaborative advancement of explanation whereas the other classroom performed more traditional learning tasks. Female students participated most actively in the progressive-discourse classroom whereas male students dominated discourse interaction in the other class, but the reasons for this are subject to debate. The investigators argue that the use of new technology should be thoroughly subsumed under pedagogical goals in order to facilitate female students' participation in computer-supported learning. #
Participation in a boundless activity: Computer-mediated communication in Swedish higher education
2010
The general purpose of this thesis is to understand how participation in the activity of education relates to communication and tools. This purpose unfolds by drawing on possible conceivable consequences. In the fulfilment of this purpose communication, education, participation, and tools are analytically linked by a common denominator: human action. The commentary text expounds on these links, while the four included papers illustrate how these links operate in educational settings. The general purpose serves to frame a narrower purpose: a discussion of participation through computer-mediated communication in online settings of Swedish higher education. The theoretical departure derives from a transactional approach that embraces human action as an inseparable aspect of a dynamic whole, here defined as the activity of education. This activity is discussed in terms of its cultural, ecological, historical, and social aspects. This theoretical departure embraces ideas largely taken from ecological, pragmatic and sociocultural perspectives of human action. The papers include analyses of, variously, empirical material taken from interviews with students, online exchanges of utterances, syllabuses, and study-guides. Two of the papers are literature reviews. The findings indicate that participation in education is a complex boundless phenomenon that is best understood as a dynamic whole. In this whole, participation in education is culturally, ecologically, historically, and socially transformed by actions, agents, communication, tools, and the setting. In this thesis, concepts such as computermediated communication, communicative genres, dialogical intersections, and educational settings are utilised to reach a dynamic understanding. The dynamics of these findings, therefore, are a challenge to all dualistic conceptualisations of education, such as those building on the idea of learners operating in learning environments. Particularly, these findings challenge operationalisations of education that rely on computer-mediated communication and which build on the idea of so-called online learning environments. A more coherent understanding of participation in education is possible if educational research and design builds on a non-dualistic conceptualisation that includes the idea of participation being performed in a boundless activity.