Social construction of knowledge in a semiformal, long -term learning environment: A qualitative study

Social learning plays a critical role in cognitive apprenticeship, community of practice, and knowledge production theories. Gunawardena\u27s interaction analysis model, which provides a means of evaluating discourse for social construction of knowledge, is comprised of five phases: (a) sharing and comparing, (b) disagreement, (c) negotiation and co-construction of new knowledge, (d) testing of knew knowledge, and (e) use or phrasing of new knowledge. There is a paucity of research that has empirically explored social construction of knowledge, especially in an extended semiformal asynchronous graduate learning experience. This study explored two research questions: whether social construction of knowledge took place, and if so, how such construction occurred. The study used data from two quarters of a five-quarter graduate level, asynchronous research laboratory allowing students in psychology programs to work on a faculty research project. This study was a qualitative secondary data analysis of 1,739 postings by 17 students and one instructor. The original transcripts were converted to a database for coding using the interaction analysis model. Numerous uses of phase II, disagreement, and above demonstrated that social construction of knowledge occurred and provided a method of understanding how such construction took place. Students socially constructed knowledge by expressing disagreement or dissonance and then worked together to synthesize new knowledge. As a critical component of situated learning, understanding social construction of knowledge provides impetus for pedagogical improvements for increased learning. This in turn can provide students with necessary knowledge and new ideas to apply toward positive social change in their communities

Rethinking university assessment

Developments in globalisation and new technologies are making significant impacts in higher education. Universities in a global market are increasingly concerned to reorient their degree programmes to meet the vocational needs of the Knowledge Economy. A growing adoption of technology enhanced learning, through blended and networked learning, has the potential to transform higher education practice – but assessment methods have been slow to change. This paper argues the case for universities to align assessment methods to meet the needs of 21st Century knowledge workers. It identifies skills and dispositions associated with graduate occupations in the Knowledge Economy, informing a new conceptual model for assessment. Radical recommendations are made to faculty staff and university policymakers: instead of centring assessment on the personal, academic achievements of individuals at the end of a degree course, the focus should instead be on the quality of the collective, applied achievements of students operating in project teams

Team-designed improvement of writing and critical thinking in large undergraduate courses

Helping students achieve advanced critical thinking and writing skills in large undergraduate classes is a challenge faced by many university faculty members. We addressed this challenge in a three-year project using team course design, built around a cognitive apprenticeship model, to enhance undergraduates’ writing, critical thinking, and research skills in courses ranging in size from 70 to over 400 students. Faculty members partnered with specialists from the university library, writing center, and teaching center, and with graduate student fellows who received supplemental training in those units. Together they designed progressive learning activities and written assignments based on meaningful, situated critical thinking scenarios. Instruction teams also developed rubrics for tracking students’ progress on each step, and they used this information to inform the next wave of course enhancements and generate continual and iterative improvement. Assessments developed by the instruction teams showed that students in the team-designed courses improved in their critical thinking and writing skills from the beginning to the end of the semester. Furthermore, an evaluation of student work from the team-designed courses using the AA C&U Value rubrics showed that these students displayed more advanced critical thinking and writing skills than students in roughly comparable but conventionally designed courses. Our results demonstrate that team design involving specialists and graduate students can be a feasible and worthwhile strategy for engaging faculty members in developing advanced instructional and assessment designs that enhance high-end learning in a large university setting

A Correlational Study of the Relationship Between Help-Seeking Behavior and Writing Self-Efficacy

A writing center performs the academic support function of developing independent writers as revealed by students’ writing self-efficacy—their perceptions of themselves as writers. Despite the apparent link between students’ desire to seek assistance from the writing center and their writing self-efficacy, no quantitative study to date has examined this association for online graduate students. This quantitative, correlational study investigated that potential relationship. Participants were online graduate students at a large, regionally accredited, faith-based, non-profit, private university in the southeastern United States with a substantial online student population who received assistance from the online writing center (OWC) multiple times. Writing self-efficacy data from a sample of 257 online graduate students was acquired using the Post-Secondary Writerly Self-Efficacy Scale (PSWSES). A bivariate correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the possible relationship between student help-seeking behavior, as measured by the number of completed OWC draft review requests, and writing self-efficacy. Results revealed no statistically significant linear relationship between the student help-seeking behavior and writing self-efficacy; the variables are statistically independent. The empirical implications of these results include the possible limited application of writing self-efficacy as a measure of writing center effectiveness, as well as the non-linear interaction of self-efficacy and help-seeking behavior. The results also lead to practical implications concerning students who use writing center services multiple times. Further research is needed in the area of student motivation for writing center usage, as well as help-seeking frequency on student writing self-efficacy

Using Sociocultural Theory to Guide Teacher Use and Integration of Instructional Technology in Two Professional Development Schools

This article demonstrates how sociocultural theories can be used to support strategic structuring of professional development activities for preservice and practicing teachers on technology use and integration. Examples are drawn from the authors\u27 experiences with teachers in two professional development schools that participated in a four-year Preparing Tomorrow\u27s Teachers in Technology (PT3) project. After a review of sociocultural theory and their context, the authors describe three activity systems in these schools: one for practicing teachers, one for preservice teachers, and a joint preservice/practicing teacher system. Important supports for use and integration of technology built into each of these activity systems included varied activities aimed at both beginning and advanced technology users, multiple levels of assisted performance, and a collaborative culture that offered numerous opportunities for shared work. Lessons learned and implications for teacher educators involved in similar partnerships are outlined

An Assessment of Integrating Authentic Research in Undergraduate Science Curricula

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of integrating original research projects in undergraduate science curricula on student learning outcomes. Integrating original research projects in undergraduate science curricula has been promoted as an effective approach to involving large group of students in authentic scientific inquiry. The study defines course-based undergraduate authentic research experiences or authentic scientific inquiry based on situated learning, and conducted a systematic literature review of the impact of undergraduate research experiences in science related disciplines. Based on an extensive literature review, a unique survey entitled Student Science Learning Gains (SSLG) was developed and validated to assess student self-reported science learning gains from doing authentic research integrated into undergraduate science curricula. Content validity, face validity, and construct validity were achieved via expert judge, interviews, and pilot testing. An exploratory factor analysis (principle axis factoring) with oblique rotation based on 222 responses showed that the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure (KMO = . 904) verified the sampling adequacy for the analysis. The overall Cronbach’s α = .94 indicated a high level of internal consistency for SSLG. The finalized SSLG consists of 29 items categorized into four constructs: self-efficacy and attitude (8 items), concept understanding (4 items), scientific inquiry skills (14 items), and transferring (3 items), which explain 56.98% of the variance in combination. In the next step, SSLG data from 403 students who enrolled in authentic research courses were used to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis to test the six-factor model explored from the previous exploratory factor analysis. Due to high construct inter-correlations, the factorial structure of SSLG model was revised and a second order three-factor solution was tested. The second order CFA model, with three dimensions of Interest, Concept Understanding, and Inquiry Competency, had a good fit, RMSEA = .049, and CFI = .952. Scores on the scale for measuring the convergent validity, discriminant validity and the internal reliability of the higher order three-factor model yielded good estimates. After SSLG instrument was validated, relationships between authentic research experience in undergraduate courses and student scientific literacy skills were examined using path analysis. Student interest, attitudes, tool and technique skills, and communication ability were mediating variables. The latent structural equation model fit was good (RMSEA = .058, CFI = .92). The number of authentic research courses did not predict scientific literacy skills, but significantly predicted student interest (β = .16), attitudes (β =.22), tool and technique skills (β = .24), and communication skills (β = .26). Interest and communication skills had a direct relationship to scientific literacy (path coefficient = .36 and .26). Participation in authentic undergraduate research as part of a science curriculum has a moderate but positive influence on student scientific inquiry competency. The practical significance of the study, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed