Designing for interaction

At present, the design of computer-supported group-based learning (CS)GBL) is often based on subjective decisions regarding tasks, pedagogy and technology, or concepts such as ‘cooperative learning’ and ‘collaborative learning’. Critical review reveals these concepts as insufficiently substantial to serve as a basis for (CS)GBL design. Furthermore, the relationship between outcome and group interaction is rarely specified a priori. Thus, there is a need for a more systematic approach to designing (CS)GBL that focuses on the elicitation of expected interaction processes. A framework for such a process-oriented methodology is proposed. Critical elements that affect interaction are identified: learning objectives, task-type, level of pre-structuring, group size and computer support. The proposed process-oriented method aims to stimulate designers to adopt a more systematic approach to (CS)GBL design according to the interaction expected, while paying attention to critical elements that affect interaction. This approach may bridge the gap between observed quality of interaction and learning outcomes and foster (CS)GBL design that focuses on the heart of the matter: interaction

The Interplay of Developmental and Dialogical Epistemologies

The paper examines Developmental Work Research (DWR) –based interventions from theperspective of qualitative research. The motive comes from two directions. First, the DWR hasturned the scientific focus quite early toward trans- and interdisciplinary collaboration andmethodology. However, the approach has been recognized more through its intervention theoryand practice, and less as a particular research design, which can contribute to qualitativeresearch strategy. Second, there is a trend towards one-dimensional evidence-based approach,which foregrounds standards of methods in the context of new public management of science.The paper views developmental interventions as representing an alternative way of research withthe practice-inspired methodology offering practice-based source of evidence. To examine morethis alternative the paper deals with the question how developmental interventions can beconsidered research designs that make context and dialogue the basis of research. Consideringthe DWR methodology, the paper argues that although dialogue is central in actualizing anintervention, dialogical epistemology has remained as underdeveloped in the approach. Thepaper focuses on dialogicality and sense making in developmental interventions examining theprocesses of anchoring and objectification, object in relation to personal sense, and how theindividual and collective processes are linked and coexist in the complex relationship betweenpragmatic activity and social processes. As illustrations of ideas, pieces of data from conducteddevelopmental interventions are used

Instructor versus Peer Attention Guidance in Online Learning Conversations

This paper reports a theory-driven experimental study for designing and evaluating two different forms of attention-guidance functionalities integrated into an anchored-discussion system. Using social constructivism as a motivating theory, we constructed a theoretical framework that emphasizes the importance of students’ attention allocation in online learning conversations and its influence on message quality and interaction patterns. The development of the functionalities, named faded instructor-led and peer-oriented attention guidance, aimed to direct students’ attention toward instructional materials’ central domain principles while offering them an open learning environment in which they could choose their own topics and express their own ideas. We evaluated the functionalities with heat map analysis, repeated measures general linear model analysis, and sequence analysis to assess the utility of the developed functionalities. Results show that attention guidance helped students more properly allocate their attention in online learning conversations. Furthermore, we found that the improved attention allocation led to better quality of students’ online learning conversations. We discuss implications for researchers and practitioners who wish to promote more fruitful online discussions

Digital trust and peer-to-peer collaborative consumption platforms : a mediation analysis

This paper investigates the nature of digital trust in the context of P2P collaborative consumption platforms. We have analyzed data from the website Trustpilot.com (N=5,606), survey data from users of the online sharing platform Airbnb (N=232), and data retrieved from an online experiment conducted among current non-users of a fictitious online sharing platform (N=462). The findings reveal that trust in P2P collaborative consumption platforms (Airbnb, Lyft, and Uber) is lower than trust in P2P exchange first generation platforms (Ebay), as well as large online retail services and non-P2P platforms (Walmart, Zappos, Amazon). Furthermore, we find that the three trust-building management measures: ‘reliable insurance cover’, ‘simultaneous reviews’, and a ‘large network: many offers worldwide’ had a positive effect on ‘trust in the platform provider’. The findings confirm the hierarchical nature of the two-fold trust construct, meaning that ‘trust in the platform provider’ has a positive effect on the ‘trust in peers’ sharing on this platform. A mediation analysis reveals that ‘trust in the platform’ fully mediates all statistically significant effects of trust-building measures on the ‘trust in peers’ variable

Migrant networks, language learning and tourism employment

This paper examines the relationship between migrants’ social networks, the processes of language acquisition and tourism employment. Data collected using netnography and interviews are used to identify the strategies that Polish workers in the UK use to develop their language skills. The paper highlights the roles played by co-workers, co-nationals and customers in migrants’ language learning, both in the physical spaces of work and the virtual spaces of internet forums. It also shows how migrant workers exchange knowledge about the use of English during different stages of their migration careers: prior to leaving their country of origin and getting a job, during their employment and after leaving their job. Implications for academic inquiry and human resource management practice are outlined

Kriittinen tutkimus koulun ja yhteiskunnan rajoja ylittävästä oppimisesta: tapaustutkimus yrittäjyyskasvatuksesta

Background: Recent alternative concepts of school knowledge emphasize knowledge creation via networks of learning around real-world phenomena. We studied entrepreneurship education as an example of new epistemic activity which opens institutional boundaries for active engagement with society in learning. Methods: We used a case-study strategy and a methodology informed by the cultural-historical activity theory for investigating an entrepreneurship course of a middle school. We focused on meaning making in object formation of learning of the groups involved in boundary crossing. Meaning making was studied in a context-sensitive way with an analytic tool designed in the study. Findings: Lacking a knowledge system of a disciplinary school subject, the findings show that entrepreneurship becomes constructed in practice epistemologically as a value-free and politically neutral learning object. In light of these findings we discuss the theoretical link between conceptual learning and learning around real-world phenomena. Contribution: In addition to economic activity, globalization and climate change are also presently forming the social realities of school learners. Our study shows that more theoretical and empirical research on intermediate epistemological practices is needed to avoid a risk that teachers are left on their own to sort out the complex epistemic interrelationships.Peer reviewe

Mobile Augmented Reality and Language-Related Episodes

Applications of locative media (e.g., place‐based mobile augmented reality [AR]) are used in various educational content areas and have been shown to provide learners with valuable opportunities for investigation‐based learning, location‐situated social and collaborative interaction, and embodied experience of place (Squire, 2009; Thorne & Hellermann, 2017; Zheng et al., 2018). Mobile locative media applications’ value for language learning, however, remains underinvestigated. To address this lacuna, this study employed the widely used construct of language‐related episodes (LREs; Swain & Lapkin, 1998) as a unit of analysis to investigate language learning through participation in a mobile AR game. Analysis of videorecorded interactions of four mixed‐proficiency groups of game players (two English language learners [ELLs] and one expert speaker of English [ESE] per group) indicates that LREs in this environment were focused on lexical items relevant to the AR tasks and physical locations. Informed by sociocultural theory and conversation analysis, the microgenesis of learners’ understanding and subsequent use of certain lexical items are indicated in the findings. This understanding of new lexical items was frequently facilitated by ESEs’ assistance and the surrounding physical environment. A strong goal orientation by both ESEs and ELLs was visible, providing implications for task‐based language teaching approaches

The SLIM (Social learning for the integrated management and sustainable use of water at catchment scale) Final Report

Background: SLIM stands for 'Socuak Learning for the Integrated Management and Sustainable Use of Water at Catchment Scale'. It is a multi-country research project funded by the European Commission (DG RESEARCH - 5th Framework Programme for research and technological development, 1998-2002). Its main theme is the investigation of the socio-economic aspects of the sustainable use of water. Within this theme, its main focus of interest lies in understanding the application of social learning as a conceptual framework, an operational principle, a policy instrument and a process of systemic change