Core and activity-specific functional participatory roles in collaborative science learning

Prior research on the significance of roles in collaborative learning has explored their impact when they are pre-assigned to group members. In this article, it is argued that focusing on assigned roles downplays the spontaneous, emergent, and interactional nature of roles in small task groups and that this focus has limited the development of generalizable frameworks aimed at understanding the impact of roles in and across collaborative learning settings. A case is built for the importance of focusing on the functional participatory roles enacted during collaborative learning and for conceptualising these roles as emergent, dynamic, and evolving in situ (first claim). Further, a flexible conceptual framework for the analysis and understanding of such roles across diverse collaborative science-learning activities is proposed, based on the assumption that during collaborative learning, both core and activity-specific roles are enacted (second claim). The core roles resemble each other across activities as they associate closely with the nature of the science discipline itself, whereas the activity-specific roles vary across activities as their emergence is dependent on the affordances, demands, and characteristics of the particular activity and environment. Data from three diverse science-learning environments, including four totally or partly student-led collaborative science activities, were scrutinized to establish the degree of empirical support for this assumption and, thereby, the conceptual usefulness of the proposed framework. The contributions of the framework for future research of collaborative science learning are discussed

A Four Dimensional Model of Formal and Informal Learning

Learning systems focused on collaborative learning are often described in terms of formal and informal learning, however definitions of formal and informal learning vary, which makes it difficult to compare systems that may have been described using different perspectives. In this paper we present a framework for describing formality in e-learning systems, which can account for the most common perspectives: formality focused on Learning Objective, Learning Environment, Learning Activity and/or Learning Tool. Our framework can be used to compare different e-learning systems, and can also describe collaborative systems where different students can take very different roles in the activity, and the degree of formality can vary according to the role

Using indirect blockmodeling for monitoring students roles in collaborative learning networks

Collaborative learning activities have shown to be useful to address educational processes in several contexts. Monitoring these activities is mandatory to determine the quality of the collaboration and learning processes. Recent research works propose using Social Network Analysis techniques to understand students' collaboration learning process during these experiences. Aligned with that, this paper proposes the use of the indirect blockmodeling network analytic technique for monitoring the behaviour of different social roles played by students in collaborative learning scenarios. The usefulness of this technique was evaluated through a study that analysed the students' interaction network in a collaborative learning activity. Particularly, we tried to understand the structure of the interaction network during that process. Preliminary results suggest that indirect blockmodeling is highly useful for inferring and analysing the students' social roles, when the behaviour of roles are clearly different among them. This technique can be used as a monitoring service that can be embedded in collaborative learning applications.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Teachers' perceptions on collaborative activity in ESL writing class

This study focused on teachers' perceptions of collaborative writing and how this activity was enacted in the classroom. Data were collected from a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview with 16 instructors who taught an academic writing course at Universiti Putra Malaysia. The findings revealed that collaborative activity is beneficial because it could enhance the development of cognitive and social skills and boost students' confidence in writing. On the contrary, the disadvantages of collaborative work are attributed by passive and uncooperative members as well as time factor. The findings also showed that the ways collaborative activities were enacted differed among the instructors. In addition, the choice of assigning groups and roles to students was also found to be varied. The insights from the teachers' perceptions are useful in improving the pedagogical applications of collaborative writing

Mathematics teachers’ professional development and identity in a distance education setting

This paper discusses the influence of an in-service distance education course in the construction of mathematics teachers’ professional identity, especially regarding their views and practices of reflection and collaboration and their relation with information and communication technology. The course was based in open-learning pedagogy and focused on conducting exploratory and investigative work in the mathematics classroom. Evaluation results show that the perspectives and involvement of the participant teachers depend very much on their previous professional experience and relationship with the Internet. Teachers that use e-mail for collaborative work found this a very stimulating experience whereas those with less professional involvement had some difficulty in assuming the roles and values required for this kind of activity

COLLABORATIVE REGULATION: WHICH IS THE ROLE OF THE REGULATOR IN COLLABORATIVE REGULATION?

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze in theory and practice the extent and ways the role of regulators in collaborative regulatory systems differs from their roles in more traditional, state-led regulatory systems. Methodology/Approach/Design - The descriptive and analytical methodology of this paper is supported by primary and secondary sources of research data: books, newspapers, official documentation, independent reports, and private stakeholders’ analysis. Moreover, field experiences of eminent professionals and senior civil servants have also been taken into consideration to reach conclusions and provide useful information. Findings - Main finding is that the regulator in collaborative systems acts as a facilitator or mediator, one who traces and deploys the regulatory activity inside a network of participation, and less as the wielder of state-authority. Practical implications - The analysis in this paper can be of considerable use to all actors who deploy regulatory activity in order to deliver better regulatory outcomes to society, performing newer and different techniques, assessing the collaborative regulator’s role in practical cases. Originality/Value - This paper analyzes the role of the collaborative regulator by addressing the differences and similarities between collaborative regulation and an array of regulatory styles and approaches.Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze in theory and practice the extent and ways the role of regulators in collaborative regulatory systems differs from their roles in more traditional, state-led regulatory systems. Methodology/Approach/Design - The descriptive and analytical methodology of this paper is supported by primary and secondary sources of research data: books, newspapers, official documentation, independent reports, and private stakeholders’ analysis. Moreover, field experiences of eminent professionals and senior civil servants have also been taken into consideration to reach conclusions and provide useful information. Findings - Main finding is that the regulator in collaborative systems acts as a facilitator or mediator, one who traces and deploys the regulatory activity inside a network of participation, and less as the wielder of state-authority. Practical implications - The analysis in this paper can be of considerable use to all actors who deploy regulatory activity in order to deliver better regulatory outcomes to society, performing newer and different techniques, assessing the collaborative regulator’s role in practical cases. Originality/Value - This paper analyzes the role of the collaborative regulator by addressing the differences and similarities between collaborative regulation and an array of regulatory styles and approaches.Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze in theory and practice the extent and ways the role of regulators in collaborative regulatory systems differs from their roles in more traditional, state-led regulatory systems. Methodology/Approach/Design - The descriptive and analytical methodology of this paper is supported by primary and secondary sources of research data: books, newspapers, official documentation, independent reports, and private stakeholders’ analysis. Moreover, field experiences of eminent professionals and senior civil servants have also been taken into consideration to reach conclusions and provide useful information. Findings - Main finding is that the regulator in collaborative systems acts as a facilitator or mediator, one who traces and deploys the regulatory activity inside a network of participation, and less as the wielder of state-authority. Practical implications - The analysis in this paper can be of considerable use to all actors who deploy regulatory activity in order to deliver better regulatory outcomes to society, performing newer and different techniques, assessing the collaborative regulator’s role in practical cases. Originality/Value - This paper analyzes the role of the collaborative regulator by addressing the differences and similarities between collaborative regulation and an array of regulatory styles and approaches.Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze in theory and practice the extent and ways the role of regulators in collaborative regulatory systems differs from their roles in more traditional, state-led regulatory systems. Methodology/Approach/Design - The descriptive and analytical methodology of this paper is supported by primary and secondary sources of research data: books, newspapers, official documentation, independent reports, and private stakeholders’ analysis. Moreover, field experiences of eminent professionals and senior civil servants have also been taken into consideration to reach conclusions and provide useful information. Findings - Main finding is that the regulator in collaborative systems acts as a facilitator or mediator, one who traces and deploys the regulatory activity inside a network of participation, and less as the wielder of state-authority. Practical implications - The analysis in this paper can be of considerable use to all actors who deploy regulatory activity in order to deliver better regulatory outcomes to society, performing newer and different techniques, assessing the collaborative regulator’s role in practical cases. Originality/Value - This paper analyzes the role of the collaborative regulator by addressing the differences and similarities between collaborative regulation and an array of regulatory styles and approaches

Core and activity-specific functional participatory roles in collaborative science learning

Prior research on the significance of roles in collaborative learning has explored their impact when they are pre-assigned to group members. In this article, it is argued that focusing on assigned roles downplays the spontaneous, emergent, and interactional nature of roles in small task groups and that this focus has limited the development of generalizable frameworks aimed at understanding the impact of roles in and across collaborative learning settings. A case is built for the importance of focusing on the functional participatory roles enacted during collaborative learning and for conceptualising these roles as emergent, dynamic, and evolving in situ (first claim). Further, a flexible conceptual framework for the analysis and understanding of such roles across diverse collaborative science-learning activities is proposed, based on the assumption that during collaborative learning, both core and activity-specific roles are enacted (second claim). The core roles resemble each other across activities as they associate closely with the nature of the science discipline itself, whereas the activity-specific roles vary across activities as their emergence is dependent on the affordances, demands, and characteristics of the particular activity and environment. Data from three diverse science-learning environments, including four totally or partly student-led collaborative science activities, were scrutinized to establish the degree of empirical support for this assumption and, thereby, the conceptual usefulness of the proposed framework. The contributions of the framework for future research of collaborative science learning are discussed.</p

Development of Non-Formal Education Activities Based on Neo-Humanist Concept and Collaborative Learning to Develop Adversity Quotient of Students in Private Universities

The purposes of this research were: (1) to study the overview of the Adversity Quotient (AQ) of students in private universities; (2) to develop a Non-Formal education activity model based on Neo-humanist concepts and collaborative learning; (3) to experiment and study conditional factors and problems after using the Non- Formal education activity model. This research was made in quasi-experimental research approach consisting of a Non-randomized control group with a pretest/posttest design. The sample group was 40 freshmen from Dhurakij Pundit University. The sample group was divided in half using matched pairs. There were twenty students in each group: one was the experimental group and the other was the control group. The procedures consisted of three phases: 1) studying the overview of AQ of students in private universities, 2) developing the Non-Formal education activity model based on Neo-humanist concepts and collaborative learning to enhance AQ, and 3) testing and studying factors and problems derived from the application of the Non-Formal education activity model. The findings were as follows: (1) as a whole, AQ of students in private universities was at a moderate level. (2) The Non-Formal education activity model based on Neo-humanist concepts and collaborative learning to uplift AQ consisted of five factors: a) the instructional planning, b) the arrangement of learning experiences, c) evaluation, d) learners‘ roles, and e) Teachers‘ roles. (3) The findings were as follows: a) AQ scores and learning achievement scores of the experimental group after the experiment were significantly higher than the scores measured before the experiment at .01. b) After the experiment, AQ scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group at .01. c) After the experiment, the collaborative learning behavioral scores were at 87.22 %.In addition, the participants reported that the Non-Formal education activity model was appropriate in its learning objectives, contents and cognizance, training techniques, evaluation, learners‘ roles, and teachers‘ roles. However, what should be considered before the application of this model? Moreover, what follow-up studies should be accomplished after the application of the model? Moreover, there were some obstructive factors that might have affected the training. These included management policy, support from the organizations, the characteristics of the learners, and the arrangement of activities

Specifying computer-supported collaboration scripts

Collaboration scripts are activity programs which aim to foster collaborative learning by structuring interaction between learners. Computer-supported collaboration scripts generally suffer from the problem of being restrained to a specific learning platform and learning context. A standardization of collaboration scripts first requires a specification of collaboration scripts that integrates multiple perspectives from computer science, education and psychology. So far, only few and limited attempts at such specifications have been made. This paper aims to consolidate and expand these approaches in light of recent findings and to propose a generic framework for the specification of collaboration scripts. The framework enables a description of collaboration scripts using a small number of components (participants, activities, roles, resources and groups) and mechanisms (task distribution, group formation and sequencing)

Functional participatory roles in collaborative science learning

Research on roles in collaborative learning has concentrated mainly on roles that are prescribed for students while only limited attention has been devoted to roles that emerge naturally during collaboration. To address this gap, this thesis adopted a situative approach to study the functional participatory roles that emerge spontaneously and are self-enacted by students during collaborative learning and examined the significance of such roles in collaborative learning. Three datasets on students collaborating on inquiry-based science activities in small groups made up the data for the thesis. The role analyses were based on systematic video-observations, including a detailed analysis of emergent roles from videotaped group activities and a subsequent hierarchical cluster analysis to identify student role profiles. These analyses were consolidated further with an in-depth qualitative approach. The thesis consists of three studies. Study I investigated the emergence of functional participatory roles in a computer-supported science inquiry and developed an analytical coding scheme for their analysis. Fine-grained analysis of the video data identified 17 distinct functional participatory roles self-enacted by the students and provided empirical support for the spontaneous, interactive, and dynamically evolving nature of roles in collaborative learning. Study II developed a scalable framework for analysing these emergent roles across a range of collaborative science learning environments. This flexible framework distinguishes between the core roles that resemble each other across different science learning settings and activity-specific roles that are unique to a particular context. Finally, Study III examined the relationships between group achievement and within-group configurations of role profiles. The results revealed striking differences in role configuration between higher- and lower-achieving groups. Taken together, this thesis extend existing understanding of spontaneously self-enacted roles and their significance in collaborative science learning and consolidate methodology in this area.Funktionaaliset osallistumisen roolit luonnontieteiden yhteisöllisessä oppimisessa Roolien tutkimus yhteisöllisessä oppimisessa on pääosin keskittynyt opiskelijoille ennalta määriteltyihin rooleihin, kun taas yhteistyön aikana luontaisesti esiintyviä rooleja on tutkittu vain vähän. Siten tämän väitöskirjan tarkoituksena oli tutkia spontaanisti esiintyviä, opiskelijoiden itsensä omaksumia funktionaalisia osallistumisen rooleja situatiivista näkökulmaa hyödyntäen ja tarkastella näiden roolien merkitystä yhteisöllisessä oppimisessa. Tutkimusaineisto koostui kolmesta luonnontieteiden tutkivan oppimisen aineistosta, joissa opiskelijat toimivat keskenään pienryhmissä. Systemaattiseen videohavainnointiin perustuva roolien tarkastelu sisälsi funktionaalisten osallistumisen roolien yksityiskohtaisen analysoinnin videoaineistosta ja tähän analyysiin pohjautuvan hierarkkisen klusterianalyysin opiskelijoiden rooliprofiilien tunnistamiseksi. Näitä analyyseja syvennettiin laadullisella tutkimusotteella. Väitöskirja koostuu kolmesta osatutkimuksesta. Ensimmäinen tutkimus kohdistui tietokoneavusteisessa luonnontieteiden yhteisöllisessä oppimisessa esiintyvien funktionaalisten osallistumisen roolien tunnistamiseen tutkimuksessa kehitetyn analyysirungon avulla. Videoaineiston yksityiskohtaisella analysoinnilla tunnistettiin 17 erilaista opiskelijoiden omaksumaa roolia. Tutkimus vahvisti myös empiirisesti käsitystä roolien spontaanista, vuorovaikutteisesta ja dynaamisesti kehittyvästä luonteesta yhteisöllisessä oppimisessa. Toisessa osatutkimuksessa kehitettiin skaalautuva viitekehys tällaisten spontaanien roolien analysoimiseksi erilaisista luonnontieteiden yhteisöllisen oppimisen ympäristöistä. Tämä joustava viitekehys koostuu ydinrooleista, jotka ovat yhteneväisiä monien eri luonnontieteiden yhteisöllisen oppimisen ympäristöjen välillä, ja aktiviteettispesifeistä rooleista, jotka ovat omanlaisia tietylle kontekstille. Kolmannessa tutkimuksessa tutkittiin pienryhmien sisäisten rooliprofiilikokoonpanojen yhteyttä ryhmän suoritukseen. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin huomattavia eroja opiskelijoiden rooliprofiileissa paremmin ja heikommin suoriutuneiden ryhmien välillä. Väitöskirja laajentaa ymmärrystä opiskelijoiden spontaanisti omaksumista rooleista ja niiden merkityksestä luonnontieteiden yhteisöllisessä oppimisessa ja tarjoaa metodologisia edistysaskeleita tälle tutkimuskentälle