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The effect of interaction between knowledge map and collaborative learning strategies on teachers’ learning performance and self-efficacy of group learning

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Abstract

In this study, an integrated collaborative learning and knowledge map approach was developed for online teacher professional development. An online teacher education environment based on that approach was constructed. To investigate the interaction between the knowledge map and collaborative learning strategies on teachers’ learning performance and self-efficacy of group learning, a 2 × 2 experiment was acted out. The study subjects were 179 in-service teachers from primary schools in China. The participants were divided into four groups to learn theories and cases of educational research methods using different online learning strategies (individual learning or collaborative learning) and knowledge map strategies (using a knowledge map or not). The results revealed two notable findings. First, both the knowledge map and collaborative learning strategies were significantly conducive to enhance the teachers’ learning performance. Second, the interaction between the two kinds of strategies showed that the knowledge map strategy was potential to promote the self-efficacy of group learning among teachers who used the collaborative learning strategy. Thus, we conclude that the collaborative construction of group knowledge map could be an effective approach to promote teachers’ knowledge construction and provide visual interaction support for teachers’ online professional development.

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... At the same time there are multiple challenges when providing OPD in comparison to f2f PD (Bragg et al., 2021;Powell & Bodur, 2019), and the former can perpetuate socioeconomic and gender-related inequity. For example, digital poverty is widespread and not all educators will have appropriate access to digital devices and the internet (Rienties et al., 2013), nor the skills, and competences to learn and work independently (Ma et al., 2020) and/or together online (Lantz-Andersson et al., 2018;Rets et al., 2023). OPD can therefore perpetuate inequity through 'distanciation' (Therborn, 2014). ...
... In a qualitative study of six teachers following an OPD in the US Powell and Bodur (2019) found that the lack of social interaction and collaboration in OPD experience was a substantial weakness. Indeed in a recent quasiexperimental study of 179 in-service teachers in China following a four week OPD Ma et al. (2020) found that participants who worked together in the collaborative condition had significantly better learning outcomes and self-efficacy than those who worked in the individual condition, in particular when they were supported with so-called knowledge maps. ...
... While there is emerging evidence that OPD can provide flexible learning experiences for educators, at the same time OPD might not be suitable for all educators, in particular those who do not have access to a suitable space (both in terms of location and time) in which to study. There are also concerns that OPD may lead to relatively lower completion rates relative to f2f PD (Ma et al., 2020) and some have questioned whether educators are able to transfer their learning to their own unique settings (Bragg et al., 2021). Indeed, Powell and Bodur (2019, p. 20) argued that "access to [OPD] does not ensure quality experiences or outcomes and may create a false sense of effectiveness if technology is used merely as a delivery tool void of effective design or implementation principles". ...
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A claimed technological advantage of online professional development (OPD) is the flexibility for educators to learn at a time and space of their convenience. However, the question of how, and with whom educators learn in OPD has received limited empirical attention. Using a participatory design approach, we explored the lived experiences and social networks of 19 educators following a formal OPD in a microcredential format. The mixed method study findings indicated that most (but not all) educators developed learning ties with their peers. This suggests that additional structural opportunities are needed to maintain social engagement in OPD. The findings will be of interest primarily to educators developing and delivering OPD, as well as current or potential professional learners who want to make the most out of OPD.
... At the same time there are multiple challenges when providing OPD in comparison to f2f PD (Bragg et al., 2021;Powell & Bodur, 2019), and the former can perpetuate socio-economic and gender-related inequity. For example, digital poverty is widespread and not all educators will have appropriate access to digital devices and the internet (Rienties et al., 2013), nor the skills, and competences to learn and work independently (Ma et al., 2020) and/or together online (Lantz-Andersson et al., 2018;Rets et al., 2023). OPD can therefore perpetuate inequity through 'distanciation' (Therborn, 2014). ...
... In a qualitative study of six teachers following an OPD in the US Powell and Bodur (2019) found that the lack of social interaction and collaboration in OPD experience was a substantial weakness. Indeed in a recent quasi-experimental study of 179 in-service teachers in China following a four week OPD Ma et al. (2020) found that participants who worked together in the collaborative condition had significantly better learning outcomes and self-efficacy than those who worked in the individual condition, in particular when they were supported with so-called knowledge maps. ...
... While there is emerging evidence that OPD can provide flexible learning experiences for educators, at the same time OPD might not be suitable for all educators, in particular those who do not have access to a suitable space (both in terms of location and time) in which to study. There are also concerns that OPD may lead to relatively lower completion rates relative to f2f PD (Ma et al., 2020) and some have questioned whether educators are able to transfer their learning to their own unique settings (Bragg et al., 2021). Indeed, Powell and Bodur (2019, p. 20) argued that "access to [OPD] does not ensure quality experiences or outcomes and may create a false sense of effectiveness if technology is used merely as a delivery tool void of effective design or implementation principles". ...
... The micro-level of the model, namely teacher preparation, is frequently adopted to investigate how a local program can promote self-efficacy in technological skills, engagement, motivation, and self-regulation (Tondeur et al., 2016). The original model suggested seven key strategies: (1) alignment of theory and practice in a training program (Tondeur et al., 2012(Tondeur et al., , 2016(Tondeur et al., , 2020, (2) modeling technology use (Aşık et al., 2020), (3) reflection on the role of technology in education (Jeong, 2017;Ma et al., 2020), (4) design-based learning (Al-Furaih, 2017;Campbell et al., 2020), (5) collaborative work (Jeong, 2017;Ma et al., 2020), (6) authentic experiences in teaching (Cheong, 2010), and (7) continuous feedback (Al-Furaih, 2017;Campbell et al., 2020). These studies allude to the potential benefits of the SQD approach to develop pre-service teachers' technological awareness by activating their agency with authentic, active learning based on hands-on practices along with feedback from a teacher and peers (Young, 2004). ...
... The micro-level of the model, namely teacher preparation, is frequently adopted to investigate how a local program can promote self-efficacy in technological skills, engagement, motivation, and self-regulation (Tondeur et al., 2016). The original model suggested seven key strategies: (1) alignment of theory and practice in a training program (Tondeur et al., 2012(Tondeur et al., , 2016(Tondeur et al., , 2020, (2) modeling technology use (Aşık et al., 2020), (3) reflection on the role of technology in education (Jeong, 2017;Ma et al., 2020), (4) design-based learning (Al-Furaih, 2017;Campbell et al., 2020), (5) collaborative work (Jeong, 2017;Ma et al., 2020), (6) authentic experiences in teaching (Cheong, 2010), and (7) continuous feedback (Al-Furaih, 2017;Campbell et al., 2020). These studies allude to the potential benefits of the SQD approach to develop pre-service teachers' technological awareness by activating their agency with authentic, active learning based on hands-on practices along with feedback from a teacher and peers (Young, 2004). ...
... The other two strategies, namely collaborative work and actual technology use, provided constructive learning opportunities for the participants. Research shows the combined effect of the two strategies on promoting pre-service teachers' technological, content knowledge (Jeong, 2017;Ma et al., 2020). Jeong (2017, p. 503) argued that the collaborative work on ICT development project for micro-teaching promoted EFL pre-service teachers' confidence in "their understanding of pedagogical purposes of educational technology." ...
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Although numerous studies have reported the educational benefits of virtual environment (VE), little is known about whether the design-based learning project of developing VEs contributes to pre-service EFL teachers’ noticing and utilizing of its pedagogical affordances. Drawing on the affordance theory and the synthesis of qualitative evidence (SQD), this study first aimed to explore the pedagogical affordances of VEs noticed by 78 Korean EFL pre-service teachers. It further investigated how the participants gained benefits in noticing and using these affordances from the SQD-based VE development project. We adopted a qualitative-dominant mixed research approach with multiple data sources, such as interviews, group discussions, reflective journals, and a survey. The findings reported four pedagogical affordances, including communication, engaging learning environment, constructability, and multimodal sharing. The findings also showed that the participants positively evaluated the SQD strategies for noticing and utilizing those affordances in their projects by activating their teacher agency. The study suggests the SQD strategies for the interactive learning environment in which EFL pre-service students can be trained to activate their agency in noticing and using ICT affordances. Academic and practical implications for pre-service teacher training and future research are suggested.
... Their study suggests ambiguity regarding whether students benefit more from peers with similar or higher levels of prior knowledge. On the other hand, Ma et al. (2023) found no significant difference in self-efficacy between collaborative learning and individual learning approaches, adding complexity to the understanding of effective learning strategies. In collaborative settings, students expand their understanding through peer interaction and provide mutual assistance during activities like guided reading exercises (Ramzan et al., 2023). ...
... Moreover, the findings of the study of Mesghina et al. (2024) revealed that it remains unclear whether students gain more from peers at relatively higher or similar levels of prior knowledge. In a similar study, Ma et al. (2023) found no significant difference in selfefficacy between collaborative learning and individual learning. Table 4 shows the distribution of statistics of the respondents' reading proficiency levels. ...
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Studies show that Filipino learners are not demonstrating proficiency in reading. In the recent Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2023 results, Filipino students were found to be poor at reading proficiency. One potential strategy is collaborative learning. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effect of the Collaborative Learning Approach (CLA) on the reading proficiency of seventh-grade students. This study used a quasi-experimental design with two experimental and control groups. Using purposive sampling, two grade 7 sections of the research site were included in the study. There were 26 students in one section who were chosen to be part of the experimental group and 24 in the other section, constituting the control group, for 50 students. Each group was given a pretest and a post-test. Students in the experimental group employed the collaborative reading method, while the control group used the traditional method. The questionnaire was validated by experts and deemed reliable, scoring .70 on the Kuder-Richardson test. Mean scores and independent t-tests were used to analyze the data. Results revealed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups regarding reading proficiency after the intervention of CLA with a p-value of 0.000. It was concluded that CLA significantly influences reading proficiency and can be recommended for use in the classroom. However, based on the PHIL-IRI criteria for reading proficiency, the students in the experimental group did not meet the minimum instructional or proficiency level requirements. It is therefore suggested that further research must be done to make conclusive evidence that CLA significantly influences reading proficiency and evaluate PHIL-IRI criteria for reading proficiency, considering that it is inconsistent with the independent t-test results showing a significant difference in the reading proficiency of the experimental group.
... In a similar vein, Cho and Cho (2017) reported that maintaining high levels of learner-content and learnerinstructor interactions were significantly associated with high selfefficacy. Ma, Du, et al. (2020) found that compared with learners in the control group, those in the interactive group experienced higher selfefficacy. Another experimental study had similar results that positive learner-learner interaction and learner-content interaction would lead to higher learning self-efficacy (Ma, Liu, et al., 2020). ...
... On the one hand, the learner-learner interaction and learner-content interaction during online learning were positively associated with learners' self-efficacy. This finding is similar to prior studies (Cho & Cho, 2017;Duan & Hong, 2019;Ma, Du, et al., 2020;Ma, Liu, et al., 2020;Yin & Xu, 2011). When students engaged in interaction with peers and content, they can express and share ideas with others and gain a deeper construct of what they are learning, thus enhancing confidence in completing online learning tasks. ...
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Learning engagement is recognized as a critical indicator in the evaluation of online courses, as it is related to the quality of online education and students' performance. Prior studies have found that interactions among learners, instructors, and content were associated with students' learning engagement, yet gaps remain in identifying the internal mechanisms. To contribute to this gap in the knowledge, this study uses self-report survey to examine the mediating roles of online learning self-efficacy and academic emotions in the relationship between interaction and learning engagement in online learning. Data were collected from 474 college students who participated in online courses in China. Multiple mediation analysis showed that (1) learner-content interaction and learner-learner interaction, but not learner-instructor interaction, could predict online learning engagement; (2) online learning self-efficacy and academic emotions (enjoyment; boredom) mediated the link between interactions (learner-content interaction and learner-learner interaction) and learning engagement; (3) both learner-content interaction and learner-learner interaction could predict learning engagement through the sequential mediation of online learning self-efficacy and academic emotions (enjoyment; boredom). This research sheds light on the internal mechanism of different interactions on learners' learning engagement, and provides important theoretical and practical implications for promoting learners' learning engagement in the online learning context.
... Literature [18], in order to improve the assessment method of English independent learning motivation, designed a strategy for assessing the intervention effect of English independent learning motivation with a knowledge graph as the core logic, which has better fluency of English learning motivation assessment compared with the traditional method. Literature [19] conducted a teaching experiment to study how knowledge mapping and collaborative learning strategies affect the interaction of teachers' professional learning performance and group self-efficacy, and the results of the study showed that both knowledge mapping and collaborative learning strategies promoted teachers' learning performance and teachers' self-efficacy, which is of positive significance for teachers' professional development. Literature [20] attempted to use structural equation modeling to analyze students' attitudes toward knowledge mapping methods for improving English interpreting knowledge competence, and the study pointed out that students showed a very positive attitude toward knowledge mapping methods and confirmed that knowledge mapping played a positive role in facilitating interpreting knowledge acquisition. ...
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The outcome-oriented e-education concept is one of the current international advanced education concepts, and its generation and development fit with the development of information technology and the social demand for the quality of talent cultivation. In this paper, a knowledge mapping system for university English courses based on the concept of outcome-orientated education is investigated to enable the integration of university English course knowledge and its visualization in the form of web pages. Knowledge points, concepts, definitions, and other information about the university English subject are extracted, and various data sources, which contain structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data, are collected, integrated, and extracted in the form of English knowledge triads. The system testing results indicate that, in comparison to the traditional DistMult method, this paper’s method enhances the classification accuracy of the three English course datasets by 0.93%, 1.68%, and 0.85%, respectively. The experimental results validate the effectiveness and superiority of the system. Meanwhile, the questionnaire survey found that the system can effectively help learners improve their confidence, interest, and initiative in learning, enhance their learning effectiveness, improve their learning efficiency, and provide them with high-quality learning resources that have good application value.
... According to the negative bias effect, humans attach great importance to negative objects (Rozin & Royzman, 2001), i.e. negative sentiment has a greater impact than a positive one. In the learning process, the absence of certain factors may trigger dissatisfaction, but the presence of these factors is not sufficient to produce satisfaction (Hew et al., 2020;Ma et al., 2023). As a result, learners focus more on the negative aspects of the course. ...
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In Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), online reviews serve as a basis for teachers to improve their courses. The disconfirmation effect of online reviews, i.e. the inconsistency between the level of attention paid to a course factor and the actual weight of that factor's influence on learner satisfaction, leads to erroneous judgments by teachers. Based on the two-factor theory of emotion, 4,070 courses and 165,705 online reviews are adopted as a corpus to identify the effect of learner sentiment on the disconfirmation effect. The empirical results show that there is a significant disconfirmation effect for negative reviews, but not for positive ones. A fine-grained analysis on negative sentiment finds that reviews containing more sadness and anger sentiments have a stronger disconfirmation effect. A comparison of course types reveals that the disconfirmation effect is stronger for instrument-based courses than that for knowledge-based and practice-based ones. In addition, negative word-of-mouth weakens the disconfirmation effect of sadness and anger reviews and enhances the disconfirmation effect of positive reviews. Further, learner's reputation weakens the disconfirmation effect of sadness reviews and enhances the disconfirmation effect of positive and anger reviews. ARTICLE HISTORY
... Through these stages, all children's activities will be directed at positive things so that a more active learning atmosphere can be created in finding concepts so that students feel happy and motivated to solve mathematical problems. In addition, using PBL built on collaborative learning experiences and promoting good relationships between peers is very effective for growing their confidence in learning (Bada & Jita, 2022;Han et al., 2022;Ma et al., 2020;Suseelan et al., 2022;Tanjung et al., 2022;Umar & Ko, 2022;Yang, 2023). This self-confidence also greatly supports students' ability to solve problems. ...
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Objective: Problem solving skills and character education are two important things that should be promoted in Indonesia education system. To promote those two things, an effective teaching model is needed. Thus, this research attempts to analyze the effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning with the Tri Kaya Parisudha model to improve elementary school students' mathematical problem-solving skills and character. This teaching model was developed using Balinese local wisdom concept. Theoretical Framework: Some theories were used in this study. They were problem-based learning, tri kaya parisudha, problem-solving skills, and characteristics of young learners. Method: This study used a quasi-experimental approach and involved with 130 students as the study samples. Specifically, the study was conducted by following post-test only control group design. The researchers used questionnaires and problem-solving ability tests to collect the study data. In this study, the questionnaires and post-test results were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Simultaneously, inferential statistical analysis using the MANOVA test was performed. Results and Discussion: The analysis shows that problem-based learning with Tri Kaya Parisudha model effectively improves elementary school student's mathematical problem-solving skills and character. Thus, it is recommended that problem-based learning with Tri Kaya Parisudha model to be used by the elementary schools that have problems in improving their students’ mathematical problem-solving skills and character. Research Implications: Integrating local wisdom in teaching mathematical problem-solving skills and character brings some positive effects for the students. Originality/Value: Local wisdom is normaly considered as something traditional and not compatible with current era. However, this study found that local wisdom, especially tri kaya parisudha concept is still relevant to our current education system.
... In addition, at this stage, the teacher also provides a concept map of the material to be learned, which must be done in detail and clearly. According to Ma et al. (2023), learning will be effective by making creative notes through concept maps so that each main concept to be learned is identified, which is then narrated according to the learning style of students in the classroom. ...
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The implementation of this research is due to indications of learning problems related to students' difficulties in understanding mathematics in division material in third grade elementary school which results in students being weak in understanding mathematical concepts. This needs to be improved through the implementation of a brain-based learning model with an open-ended approach so that it affects students' understanding of mathematical concepts. Quasi-experiment with pretest posttest control group design was used as the basis for this research method. The study population consisted of 96 grade 3 students from 5 schools in cluster 5, Klaten. Simple randomization was used as a sampling technique with a sample of 48 students. The research instrument used was a test of 10 questions with essay type. Based on the results of the hypothesis test obtained at 0.018, the brain-based learning model assisted by an open-ended approach has an effect on students' understanding of mathematical concepts with an average increase of 34.96 seen from the pretest and posttest. This research contributes to influencing students' mathematical concept understanding ability in a more positive direction through collaboration between the brain-based learning model with an open-ended approach.
... (Caprara & Caprara, 2022;, catering to the evolving needs of students (Wu & Yu, 2023). Furthermore, academic institutions are increasingly incorporating team-based activities into their curricula (Ma et al., 2023;Wu & Wang, 2023). This trend goes beyond mere pedagogical innovation; it strategically aligns with the expectations of employers who prioritize teamwork skills in their organizational structures (Castro, 2019;Vanoostveen et al., 2019). ...
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Students’ commitment to online collaborative learning poses a significant challenge for higher education institutions. This study explores the factors that affect students' commitment to Learning Management System (LMS) groups. A conceptual framework is developed that integrates social identity theory, DeLone and McLean's information systems success model, and Hofstede’s cultural theory. By adopting a quantitative research design, 367 responses were gathered from university students. The data was analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM). The findings reveal that factors such as LMS group identification, adherence to LMS group norms, perceived system quality, perceived service quality, and perceived information quality positively influence students’ commitment to the LMS group. Interestingly, collectivism as a cultural variable moderates the positive relationship between compliance with LMS group norms and commitment to LMS groups. Furthermore, uncertainty avoidance amplified the positive relationships that perceived system quality and information quality had with LMS group commitment. The model presented in this study offers significant predictive power concerning commitment to an LMS group. These findings will provide valuable insights for systems developers, higher education institutions, and instructors aiming to bolster online group commitment within LMS.
... Nonetheless, there could be several challenges when providing OPD in comparison to f-2-fPD or single-institution PD (Bragg et al., 2021;Powell & Bodur, 2019). For example, there are concerns that OPD may lead to relatively lower completion rates relative to f-2-fPD (Azzolini et al., 2022;Ma et al., 2020). It is well documented that online provisions, when not appropriately designed, might have lower retention rates due to a higher need of self-regulation and persistence (Bragg et al., 2021;Divjak et al., 2022b;Mercader & Gairín, 2020). ...
Article
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Professional development (PD) is a key element for enhancing the quality of academic teaching. An increasing number of PD activities have moved to blended and online formats, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the desire, potential, and need for collaboration among educators to learn from innovative and best practices, several institutions have started to pool their resources and expertise together and have started to implement cross-institutional and cross-national online professional development (OPD). The questions of what type of a (cross-)institutional OPD educators might prefer, and whether educators learn effectively from (and with) peers in such cross-cultural context have not been adequately explored empirically. In this case-study across three European countries, we explored the lived experiences of 86 educators as a result of a cross-institutional OPD. Using a mixed methods design approach our pre-post findings indicated that, on average, participants made substantial gains in knowledge. In addition, several cultural differences were evident in the expectations and lived experiences in ODP, as well as the intention to transfer what had been learned into one's own practice of action. This study indicates that while substantial economic and pedagogical affordances are provided with cross-institutional OPD, cultural differences in context might impact the extent to which educators implement lessons learned from OPD.
... Considering that CBCCM is an active, blended learning activity, the effects can be explained by several studies which have shown that active learning impact learning by changing the way the learners construct and apply new knowledge ( CBCCM also supports collaborative learning which fosters students' creativity and problem-solving through intensive interaction, reflection and participation, thus the success of one student aids in the success of other students as well (Wu et al.,2013). Collaborative learning promotes knowledge acquisition and retention (Cheng & Chu, 2019) through reinforcement and cooperative learning activities (Ma et al., 2020) and contributes towards the achievement of shared learning targets (Jones et al., 2012;Sugano & Nabua, 2020). Collaborative problem-based learning (CPBL) helps improve students' learning attitudes, motivation and self-evaluation (Chao et al., 2015). ...
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In most secondary schools, the conventional approaches to learning are exclusively used for science education, though with mixed results. These conventional learning approaches do not arouse the learner's interest in science or improve learners' cognitive development. The rise in new pedagogical approaches has seen the adoption of flipped learning approaches take a focal point in improving cognitive development and achievement outcomes in science education in secondary schools and university levels alike. Thus, the study adopted the flipped learning approached and used the Solomon four non-equivalent control group to explore the possibility of using flipped classroom arrangement with the aid of a computer-based collaborative concept mapping to foster meaningful learning and creativity in Biology instruction in secondary schools in Kenya. In the study, 345 form-two students were enrolled and were randomly split as a whole class into the intervention (flipped learning approach) or control (conventional teaching method) groups who were taught separately. The study was located in eight extra-county schools in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya drawn from because the school are well-equipped with computing facilities for learning. Both groups were taught the respiration concepts, with the experimental group (n = 167) being taught with the aid of computer-based concept mapping outside the normal class hours (5.00 pm-6.00 pm) in the computer laboratory while the control group (n = 178) was taught within their respective class hours. The whole concept of respiration was taught in five lessons each lasting for one hour daily over a period of five days (300 minutes). Before the commencement of the experiment, the study carried out an initial examination of attitudes and test scores. The t-test results that the initial attitudes towards biology for the two groups were equivalent (t =-0.820, p > 0.05) while the initial biology score before the experiment were equivalent (t =-1.463, p > 0.05). The study used descriptive statistics and the independent t-test to test for any differences at 0.05 significance levels. The results indicate that there were significant gender differences in the scores for the study group (t =-2.740, p < 0.05) and experimental groups (t =-4.819, p < 0.05) after the experiment. In testing for the control, there were no significant differences in the scores for the control groups (t =-1.463, p > 0.05) before the experiment, but, there were significant differences in the scores for the experimental groups (t =-4.819, p < 0.05) after the experiment. However, there were significant differences in the scores for the control group (t =-2.299, p < 0.05) after the experiment. Findings revealed that academic achievement was significantly higher in the intervention group than those in the conventional group. Based on the findings, the study concluded that computer-based collaborative concept mapping explains the gender and group differences in the post-test scores. This implies that flipped learning approach could improve students' attitudes of students towards biology, thereby improving their academic achievement. The result is especially relevant to learning science in secondary and tertiary institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. The study recommends that teachers adopt the most realistic learning approaches that may positively influence attitudes and achievement in science education.
... The professional learning community concept is a joint activity that involves school administrators and teachers in gathering information, making decisions, and implementing those decisions. In other words, it shows the existence of an element of collective learning and application among teachers and school [22]. The concept of collaboration embodied in a professional learning community with the ultimate goal of improving student achievement is also agreed upon. ...
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This study investigates the English teachers’ professional learnisg community from the students’ perspective on its implementation. It is done at some senior high schools in Bekasi. The design of this study was based on qualitative methods with a descriptive design. The data collection technique is done through a semi-structured interview technique. The selected study respondents were based on the purposive sampling technique. Through this technique, the respondents selected to be interviewed were the outstanding principals in senior high schools. The research instrument used was an interview based on the checklist found in Olivier and Hipp’s professional learning community model. The result of the study is that the professional learning community is very effective in school improvement practice and has a significant role in shaping teachers’ personal and collective ability and application. The development of a professional learning community through strengthening the practice of the main functions that are the backbone of the professional learning community, such as collective learning practices and applications, can be seen to improve teachers’ teaching practices and student learning activities which are basic practices in school improvement activities.
... The implementation of appropriate and innovative strategies is one of the variables that may influence the success of the teaching and learning process. Different approaches have been explored in the literature to be employed during learning experiences [5] online and offline. Furthermore, digital transformation (DT) has become a significant trend in recent years [6], fostering dramatic changes in society due to the popularity, implementation and use of ICT technologies [7]. ...
... The rapid development of Internet technology has meant that teacher training is no longer limited to faceto-face training. One important training mode is teacher training in an online interactive learning environment, which promotes teacher professional development by significantly enhancing the training effect and improving the quality of teachers (Ma et al., 2020). In an online interactive learning environment, interactions between learners create complex social networks. ...
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The rise of teacher training in online interactive learning environments has contributed to teachers’ professional development and brought new vitality to the informatisation of education. Many researchers have reported that there is a participation gap in online interactive learning environments. Research on the factors influencing this is very important. Social network prestige, which measures the degree to which learners gain peer attention in directed social networks, is one of the important metrics to characterise the participation gap. In this study, we offered an online teacher training course, and 1438 in-service teachers from primary and secondary schools attended. Among them, we selected 457 in-service teachers who participated in the three peer assessment activities as the final participants. To analyse the factors influencing learners’ social network prestige in online peer assessment, we first conducted a partial least squares structural equation modelling analysis to construct a model of factors influencing social network prestige. Then, we adopted several semi-structured interviews to investigate learners' perspectives to provide an in-depth analysis of the factors influencing social network prestige. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the participation gap in online interactions and make effective suggestions on how to improve learning performance in online peer assessment. Implications for practice or policy: Course designers could improve the design of the introduction to peer assessment to motivate learners and enhance their acceptance of the activities. Course designers could reduce participation gap by assigning work from low-prestige learners to high-prestige learners in a non-mandatory way later in the course.
... Interactions in online teacher training can facilitate interaction and communication among learners [9]. Interactive communities and information networks can provide rich learning resources [10] and use group knowledge construction to form a positive learning atmosphere that significantly enhances training effectiveness (Ma et al., [11]). Despite the clear advantages of interactions, many studies have reported problems with it, especially social participation often varied among learners. ...
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Online peer assessment has been widely applied in online teacher training. However, not all learners participate equally, detailed characterization and impact analysis of peer assessment is required. This study draws on a sociological term, social network prestige, to evaluate the participation gap of learners in online peer assessment. A teacher training course was offered to in-service primary and secondary school teachers, and 457 participants were ranked according to their prestige. Then, the top 30% of learners were considered the high-prestige group (142 participants) and the bottom 30% as the low-prestige group (128 participants). Social network analysis and behavioral sequence analysis were used to explore the differences in the learning outcomes of these two groups. The results showed significant differences in learning performance, social network structure and learning behaviors among learners with different prestige. High-prestige learners have better learning performance and are affected by their prior knowledge. Learners with different levels of prestige differ in social network structure and learning behavior. Based on these findings, this study suggests improvements to reduce the participation gap.
... Fortunately, it might be earning, changing, empowering, and reducing through sociocultural and psychological approaches. In line with both perspectives, Ellis et al. (2019) highlight TBI would be effective to be implemented based on sociocultural and psychological perspectives, hence is called Similarly, the CL strategy in TBI is critical for increasing learners' self-efficacy, according to a study conducted by Ma et al. (2020). The knowledge map technique was found to boost group learning self-efficacy among teachers that use collaboration as an approach for teaching in the classroom. ...
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Self-efficacy is the belief that someone can do work successfully. The study purposes to explore whether collaborative task-based instruction (TBI) can empower EFL self-efficacy? The study uses a critical review, content analysis, and interpretation regarding five perspectives namely in terms (1) cognitive-interactionist, (2) psycholinguistics, (3) sociocultural, (4) psychological, and (5) educational. The results note TBI is effective to use to empower EFL learners’ self-efficacy. And, psychological perspective is the most significant to use.
Article
Purpose With the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in everyday life, it is critical to discuss how and why consumers respond in certain ways to AI agents. However, few studies have examined the mechanisms underlying users’ responses to these agents. This study aims to identify such mechanisms and discuss how users form loyalty toward AI agents. Specifically, this study addresses interactivity with AI voice assistants as a key determinant of user loyalty, presenting user perceptions of the human-likeness of AI voice assistants and communication self-efficacy as sequential mediators. Design/methodology/approach We investigate the effects of human-likeness and communication self-efficacy on the relationship between interactivity and loyalty to AI voice assistants by developing a sequential mediation model. To estimate the empirical model, data were collected through an online survey with 330 respondents. Findings The results indicate that interactivity influences loyalty directly and positively. In addition, interactivity affects loyalty indirectly sequentially through human-likeness and communication self-efficacy. Originality/value By uncovering the psychological mechanisms underlying users’ loyalty to AI voice assistants, this study provides new academic and managerial insights that have not been clearly identified in the current literature.
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With the ever-growing advances in digital learning technologies, the need to explore the impact of implementing new modes of digital media for instructional and assessment purposes is required more than ever. Also, there has been a significant rise in online education since the pandemic, which has made the evolution of online education faster than in previous decades. The main aim of this chapter is to propose an instructional technology task design model via interactive media and show how it can positively impact learning. A model called RECIPE (Reflection, Engagement, Collaboration, Interaction, Production, and Evaluation) is introduced, and its theoretical applications and practical implications are discussed. This chapter also discusses how this model could maximize critical instructional, assessment, and learning factors leading to active, meaningful learning with technology in online and blended higher education courses. This chapter provides significant guidelines and insights for promoting an engaging learning experience through interactive media tasks in online and blended courses in higher education in the postpandemic era. Moreover, this chapter guides further research in designing more cognitively and socially engaging tasks and courses in online and blended higher education.KeywordsOnline learningInstructional technology designInteractive mediaHigher education
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There is a limited number of existing literature exploring the nuanced relationship between online learning, academic performance and mental health among Chinese students in the COVID-19 epoch (Chi X, Liang K, Chen S, Huang Q, Huang L, Yu Q, Jiao C, Guo T, Stubbs B, Hossain M, Yeung A, Kong Z, Zou L Int J Clin Health Psychol 21:100218, 2020). The limited amount of available research prompts the development of this chapter, where the author systematically reviews, evaluates and summarises relevant studies, for the purpose of presenting a broad understanding of how the digitalisation of learning approaches is associated with Chinese students’ academic and psychological performance. As per the framework of this systematic review, existing literature focusing on (1) digital learning, (2) academic performance and (3) mental health in Chinese contexts during the outbreak of the pandemic is exclusively examined. Since 30 January 2020, China has been one of the first countries to apply school closures and massification of digital learning (Ma Z, Idris S, Zhang Y, Zewen L, Wali A, Ji Y, Pan Q, Baloch Z, BMC Pediatrics 21:1–8, 2021). Thus, understanding if the digital pedagogies result in positive outputs regarding Chinese students’ development would be conducive to shedding light on whether a similar digitalisation process in academic settings should be delivered in contexts beyond China. In this chapter, the author explores available Chinese literature that assesses the nuanced relationship between digital learning, academic performance and mental health during the pandemic. He analyses how Chinese students undertaking e-learning are, positively and negatively, impacted by digital, non-face-to-face education. In addition, the author suggests interventions on how the design and delivery of digital education can be modified or improved, and how social support can be better arranged, in order to optimise Chinese students’ academic and psychological development.
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Team-Based Learning (TBL) has been widely applied in different fields (courses) and has been indicated to be efficient. Meanwhile, many studies have asserted that Group awareness (GA) information, which visually displays peers’ learning context and activities, can increase peer participation within an online collaborative learning environment. As the level of preparation by students before class affects their subsequent learning performance in the TBL process, this study incorporates GA information into the preparation stage of TBL process and further develops the online TBL + GA system in order to raise peer preparation level. Furthermore, self-regulated learning (SRL) levels of a student and online learning environment interactively influence learning effectiveness. Accordingly, this study further investigates how the TBL + GA environment influences students with different SRL levels. Two freshman classes were randomly chosen, with one as the control class (using the traditional TBL) and the other as the experimental class using the TBL + GA. Analytical results indicate that although the two classes do not reach significance overall on preparation level, TBL + GA can significantly enhance preparation levels for high-SRL students, but not low-SRL students.
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Online teacher professional development is widely regarded as a promising way to improve the quality of teachers and the effect of teaching. Micro-learning, which has the potential to fit the learner’s personalized learning needs through a variety of small educational resources and flexible learning opportunities, could be an efficient way for the online teacher professional development. However, the scattered knowledge points and fragmented learning time in micro-learning may limit the learner’s comprehension and the construction of knowledge. In this study, a knowledge map-based online micro-learning system was developed to solve this problem. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed system, a quasi-experiment was conducted during a three-week online course for teachers’ professional development. A total of 42 in-service Mandarin teachers participated in the course, and were divided into two equal groups. An experimental group learned by using a knowledge map tool while a control group learned the same contents in the form of the conventional list type. The results indicate that the experimental group outperformed the control group in terms of learning engagement, and showed a clearer and more complete knowledge structure. Furthermore, micro-learning coupled with knowledge maps was found to improve the teachers’ learning performance.
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A semantic diagram tool is proposed in this study in order to structure collaborative problem solving (CPS) based on cognitive load theory (CLT). To investigate its effects on transaction cost and the deepening of user understandings, a comparative quasi-experiment was designed and conducted with 49 participants from a university in East China. Analysis of group dialogic acts and self-reported cognitive load showed that a semantic diagram tool can decrease transaction costs during CPS. It can thereby help collaborators invest less effort into those procedural conversations that are necessary for managing social interaction but which do not directly contribute to deepening collaborative learning in the task domain. Data analysis of pretested and posttested domain understanding suggested that learners achieved a greater depth of understanding after CPS supported by the semantic diagram tool. These findings are interpreted in terms of CLT. A semantic diagram tool can release the learner's limited working memory from procedural conversation, creating more working memory capacity for deepening problem understanding. Therefore, this study demonstrates one means whereby a semantic diagram tool functions as a promising technological support to structure CPS.
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Although computer-supported collaborative learning has been successfully applied in educational settings to improve group learning performance, most such systems still lack effective strategies for knowledge representation which could help reduce discussion time. In this study, concept mapping, already applied as a tool to help visualize and organize existing or newly learned knowledge, is incorporated to address this problem in a newly developed concept map and computer-supported collaborative learning system (CMCLS). It was designed as a quasi-experiment study and was carried out with 77 university students. The system was first used by the groups of students to illustrate their knowledge and achieve consensus during a learning activity, after which their performance and feelings of satisfaction with this innovative approach were evaluated. Patterns of learning within the proposed framework were explored. The learning behaviors, including the actions and interactions with peers of the participants during the learning activity were recorded. Finally, lag-sequential analysis was used to compare the interactions and the differences in the behavior patterns of the two groups, one using the newly developed CMCLS consensus map-embedded approach and a control group which did not use this approach. The results showed significant improvement in the learning achievement of students using the novel approach, as well as a higher degree of perceived usefulness and satisfaction. The novel consensus map-embedded approach was useful for knowledge construction and for assisting with integration of the team members’ results to produce the final ER diagram.
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In higher education, most assessments or examinations comprise either multiple-choice items or open-ended questions such as modified essay questions (MEQs). Online concept and knowledge maps are potential tools for assessment, which might emphasize meaningful, integrated understanding of phenomena. We developed an online knowledge-mapping assessment tool, which provides automated feedback on student-submitted maps. We conducted a pilot study to investigate the potential utility of online knowledge mapping as a tool for automated assessment by comparing the scores generated by the software with manual grading of a MEQ on the same topic for a cohort of first-year medical students. In addition, an online questionnaire was used to gather students’ perceptions of the tool. Map items were highly discriminating between students of differing knowledge of the topic overall. Regression analysis showed a significant correlation between map scores and MEQ scores, and responses to the questionnaire regarding use of knowledge maps for assessment were overwhelmingly positive. These results suggest that knowledge maps provide a similar indication of students’ understanding of a topic as a MEQ, with the advantage of instant, consistent computer grading and time savings for educators. Online concept and knowledge maps could be a useful addition to the assessment repertoire in higher education.
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p class="3">Online learning is increasingly being used in K-12 learning environments. A concomitant trend is found towards learning becoming authentic as students learn with tasks that are connected to real-world occupations. In this study, 48 pre-service teachers use an online environment to engage in authentic practice as they developed online learning experiences for their future students. Using a design-based research methodology, the researchers were involved in planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating the higher education class across two macro cycles. An authentic learning framework was utilized in the development of the class. Findings explicate the design of the course and how it aligned to the authentic learning framework. It appears that web-based tools were beneficial as the pre-service teachers designed their own K-12 online classes. Findings show that the pre-service teachers' comfort increased when using the using online web building applications in the authentic environment. Furthermore, a high level of engagement in reflective and collaborative learning was uncovered during the activities. This research acts as a springboard for educators who are interested in designing online higher education courses incorporating authentic learning experiences.</p
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In 2012, a research project was implemented to investigate the possibility and effectiveness of instituting a personalised and virtually networked mode of professional development to promote teacher confidence and competence with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and its use as a key component of teachers’ pedagogy. The aim of the project was to examine an online mode of professional development where a network of teachers was built without any face-to-face contact and where the approach for professional development was personalised and self-directed. Six geographically dispersed schools in Queensland were involved, with twelve teachers participating over the school year supported by a mentor. Findings reveal that teachers operated in an independent manner, acknowledging community but taking from rather than contributing to the generation of co-created knowledge. Implications drawn from the case studies suggest that greater milestone setting, multiple levels of leadership and special interest groups are required to support interaction between users and content while still maintaining an agile approach.
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Despite increasing enrollment percentages from earlier years, online courses continue to show receding student retention rates. To reduce attrition and ensure continual growth in online courses, it is important to continue to review current and updated literature to understand the changing behaviors of online learners and faculty in the 21st century and examine how they fit together as a cohesive educational unit. This article reviews literature to ascertain critical reasons for high attrition rates in online classes, as well as explore solutions to boost retention rates. This will help create a starting point and foundation for a more, in-depth research and analysis of retention issues in online courses. Examining these issues is critical to contemporary learning environments.
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This study examined factors that contributed to the success of online learners in an online professional development course. Research instruments included an online survey and learners' activity logs in an online professional development course for 512 in-service teachers. The findings showed that there were several factors affecting online learners' success in online professional development. In addition, there were also significant differences between successful and unsuccessful online learners in terms of course login frequency and learning activities viewed.
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This study analyses and discusses a theoretical model that explains students’ impact in a knowledge community supported by a virtual platform (Knowledge Forum). Participants were 72 university students enrolled in the fifth course of a social sciences degree programme. First, a descriptive study is carried out that includes the explanatory elements of the students’ impact in the knowledge community (commitment to collective cognitive responsibility, cognitive complexity, creativity of the constructions in the platform and efficacy in evaluating impacting contributions generated in the community). Then, the application of a path analysis, using the bootstrap procedure, provides information about the relevance of each element (e.g., cognitive complexity) in explaining the students’ impact in the knowledge community. Based on the results, the article highlights the importance of designing and managing virtual environments that can facilitate the development of competences favouring collective cognitive responsibility and, consequently, increase the symmetry of the students’ impact and the advancement of the community’s knowledge.
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In the current research study the use of Wikis as an online didactic tool to apply project-based learning in higher education was reported. The study was conducted in university teacher education programmes. During the online activities, participants developed interdisciplinary projects for the primary school working collaboratively in small groups in a Wiki virtual environment within the Moodle platform. Science was at the core of the projects and acted as an organising hub to finding links with other disciplines. A mixed-methods approach involving the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data was adopted in the current research study. The authors developed the following three instruments in order to measure both processes and outcomes of the online activities: the interdisciplinary project-based learning questionnaire, the reflection questionnaire and a rubric for assessing interdisciplinary projects. The current paper focuses only on the qualitative data, which were subjected to an inductive content analysis. Results provided evidence of the processes involved during the collaborative activities and that online activities can develop teachers’ abilities to design projects in interdisciplinary contexts. The discussion highlights the aspects of the online environment that made the collaborative work effective in learning. Future implications and suggestions for teacher education programmes are discussed.
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Abstract Knowledge maps are node-link representations in which ideas are located in nodes and connected to other related ideas through a series of labeled links. The research on knowledge mapping in the last 12 years has produced a number of consistent findings. Students recall more central ideas when they learn from a knowledge map than when they learn from text and those with low verbal ability or low prior knowledge often benefit the most. The use of knowledge maps also appears to amplify the benefits associated with scripted cooperation. Learning from maps is enhanced by active processing strategies such as summarization or annotation and by designing maps according to gestalt principles of organization. Fruitful areas for future research on knowledge mapping include examining whether knowledge maps reduce cognitive load, how map learning is influenced by the structure of the information to be learned, and the possibilities for transfer. Implications for practice are briefly delineated.
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This study attempts to find appropriate interaction analysis/content analysis techniques that assist in examining the negotiation of meaning and co-construction of knowledge in collaborative learning environments facilitated by computer conferencing. The authors review strengths and shortcomings of existing interaction analysis techniques and propose a new model based on grounded theory building for analyzing the quality of CMC interactions and learning experiences. This new Interaction Analysis Model for Examining Social Construction of Knowledge in Computer Conferencing was developed after proposing a new definition of "interaction" for the CMC context and after analyzing interactions that occurred in a Global Online Debate. The application of the new model for analysis of collaborative construction of knowledge in the online debate and in a subsequent computer conference are discussed and future research suggested.
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Recent advances in mobile and wireless communication technologies have enabled various new learning approaches which situate students in environments that combine real-world and digital-world learning resources; moreover, students are allowed to share knowledge or experiences with others during the learning process. Although such an approach seems to be promising and innovative, researchers have indicated several problems when applying it to practical applications, in particular, the lack of proper strategies or tools to assist the students to learn collaboratively in such a learning scenario with abundant content. Students might feel interested when using the mobile devices to learn; however, without proper assistance or guidance, their learning achievements are usually disappointing. To cope with this problem, this study proposes a concept map-oriented Mindtool for collaborative ubiquitous learning. Experimental results from a natural science course in an elementary school show that this approach not only enhances learning motivation but also improves the learning achievements of the students.
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According to the social constructivism paradigm, knowledge is not transferred from teachers to students, but is the result of collaborative activities; when these activities take place in a mobile environment, it is extremely important to consider how the temporal and spatial factors can influence the collaborative process. In this work we define a model for mobile Knowledge Building Process (mKBP); starting from this model, we propose to analyse the evolution of a mobile collaborative learning experience through its interactions with the social, the information and the geographic spaces. Finally, we present the methodologies and the tools used to investigate the data gathered during a specific mobile learning experience carried out at the Institute for Educational Technologies of the Italian National Research Council, in the framework of the Mobile and Ubiquitous Learning (MoULe) project.
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In consideration of shortcomings of general teachers' training module, such as less chance, inefficiency, theory-practice gap and short duration, we expounds the concept and process of teachers' training module based on MOOC, discusses how MOOC platform promote collaborative teachers' training development and improve teachers' training methods and other issues in this paper. This paper proposes collaborative teachers' training model with analysis and argumentation on theory, performance and learning support both inside and outside the classroom, aiming for a reference for every education trainers.
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The purpose of this study was to gain insight into characteristics of teacher learning in the context of a successful continuing professional development programme (CPD programme). An in-depth case study of the learning activities of two teachers, the problems they encountered and the way they regulated their learning was conducted. Results show that these teachers differed greatly from each other: one teacher showed a meaning directed learning pattern, while the other teacher's learning pattern was undirected. Still, positive effects of the PDP on classroom behaviour were observed for both teachers. It appeared that the trainer could compensate for a lack of self-regulation.
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An intelligent tutoring system plays vital role in education and its importance is constantly increasing, meanwhile the key challenge in the teaching learning process is assessing students’ learning efficiently. In this paper, a hybrid assessment based-on ACT-R cognitive learning theory, combining ontology knowledge map with skills is proposed. In order to assess how well students master knowledge structure, an ontology knowledge map is constructed to describe declarative knowledge; and in order to assess how well students master knowledge skills, a problem solving process is constructed to describe procedural knowledge based on ACT-R. Finally, a student’s mastery of knowledge is assessed through both the knowledge map and skills in the problem solving process, as well as auxiliary indicators like time usage, prior knowledge level, self-assessment, etc. This method is implemented in a geometric intelligent assessment system and is evaluated in a junior high school. Experiments show that the assessment results are consistent with students’ actual learning levels. The hybrid cognitive assessment method can not only obtain the score of students’ mastery of knowledge points and the structure through knowledge map, but also assess the learning skills in problem solving process through exercises quantitatively.
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This study investigated the impact of collaborative and individualized student response system-based instruction on learner motivation, metacognition, and concept transfer in a large-enrolment undergraduate science course. Participants in the collaborative group responded to conceptual questions, discussed their responses in small groups, and provided a revised response to the question (peer instruction [PI]). A comparison group provided individualized responses (IRs) to the same questions. Results of the motivation measure revealed a drop in confidence for students in both groups. This may be explained by a significant increase in the knowledge of cognition in both IR and PI groups, which likely mediated a recalibration of confidence to a lower, yet more realistic level. A significant interaction was found between gender and student response system strategy relative to the regulation of cognition, revealing that females improved in the PI group, while males reported improvement in the regulation of cognition in the IR group. A custom instrument was developed to measure near and far concept transfer abilities. The PI group scored significantly higher on the test of near transfer than the IR group.
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Key to introducing information and communication technologies in museums is to support meaning‐making activity in encounters with artefacts. The study presented in this paper is exploratory in nature and investigates the use of social and mobile technologies in school field trips as a means of enhancing the visitor experience. It is anchored in sociocultural perspectives of learning as meaning making, with a focus on mediating artefacts in the development of understanding. The M useum of L ondon was selected as the site of the study and the participants were a Y ear 9 H istory class (13–14 years old) in a secondary school in M ilton K eynes. The paper considers evidence of meaning making from students’ online posts on T witter ( http://twitter.com ) and activity on‐site. Observational data, the visit's T witter stream and post‐visit interview data with the participants are presented and analysed. A mixed‐method approach is employed to interpret the museum visit and examine young people's experience in the museum. Such an approach allows useful insights and shapes the understanding of how social and mobile technologies have an impact on the social dynamics of a school trip to a museum. Specifically, it explains the role of such tools in fostering the social interactions around museum artefacts and ultimately the process of shared construction of meaning making. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic School field trips are an important means of introducing young people to museum collections and have long‐term learning impact and influence perceptions. Learning in museums is conceptualised as the construction of meaning. Making meaning is a social practice—people engage with their environment and each other through “socially made and culturally specific resources, in ways that arise out of their interests” (Kress, ). Facilitating the visitors’ meaning‐making process is key to introducing new technologies in museums (Kaptelinin, ). Use of mobile tools in museum facilitates inquiry activities such as exploration, information search, communication and experience documenting (Hsi, ). Many information technologies implemented in museum and field trips fail to meet the real needs of their users (Gammon & Burch, ) and may appear to isolate visitors and inhibit social interaction (vom Lehn & Heath, ). What this paper adds Explores the use of social and mobile technologies at the interface of formal and informal contexts in K‐12 education. Provides an example of “enforced” mobile usage (Rushby, ) with empirical evidence on how social and mobile technologies could be integrated in school field trips to museums. Focuses on a learning design that allows learners to switch between different contexts (offline/online; individual/social; formal/informal) and extend the social spaces in which learners interact with each other. Employs a mixed‐method approach in analysing content generated online in a school visit to a museum. Contributes to a research agenda for mobile learning and particularly in designing and studying “seamless learning spaces”. Implications for practice and/or policy The findings will contribute to museum education initiatives for effective use of social and mobile tools within school programmes. Indicates the potential of the “interconnected opinion space” and “archival space” in designing museum programmes for meaning making across contexts. Highlights the need to develop more effective pedagogic strategies that will anticipate and encourage the ways that young people use social and mobile technologies and at the same time minimise the tension between the contexts, the content and the mediation tools.
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In this study, a collaborative game-based learning environment is developed by integrating a grid-based Mindtool to facilitate the students to share and organize what they have learned during the game-playing process. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, an experiment has been conducted in an elementary school natural science course to examine the students' performance in terms of their learning attitudes, learning motivation, self-efficacy and learning achievements. From the experimental results, it is found that the Mindtool-integrated collaborative educational game not only benefits the students in promoting their learning attitudes and learning motivation, but also improves their learning achievement and self-efficacy owing to the provision of the knowledge organizing and sharing facility embedded in the collaborative gaming environment.
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Background: Implicitly, innovative schools have historically contained some (but not usually all) of the properties of learning organizations and professional learning communities but have a weak record of sustaining success over time. Can innovative schools that self-consciously establish themselves as learning organizations and professional learning communities sustain their early promise of success in the face of the predictable cycle of the “attrition of change”; of pressure and envy in the surrounding district, profession, and community; and of the historically specific and recent pressure of standardized reform? Purpose : This article explores the impact of these influences on three innovative schools and their sustainability over time. It concentrates in particular on the promise and viability of one of these schools, which has been consciously modeled as a learning organization and professional learning community. Conclusions: Although further research is required, the article concludes that the learning organization and professional learning community model may provide a more robust resistance to conventional processes of the attrition of change and of surrounding change forces, but much like other innovative schools, it also shows signs of defaulting to conventional patterns of schooling in the face of standardized reform.
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Concept maps have been widely employed for helping students organise their knowledge as well as evaluating their knowledge structures in a wide range of subject matters. Although researchers have recognised concept maps as being an important educational tool, past experiences have also revealed the difficulty of evaluating the correctness of a concept map. It usually takes days or weeks for teachers to manually evaluate the concept maps developed by students; consequently, the students cannot receive timely feedback from the teachers, which not only affects their learning schedules, but also significantly influences the students' learning achievements. In this paper, a computer-based concept map-oriented learning strategy with real-time assessment and feedback is proposed in order to cope with the problems mentioned above. Our approach provides immediate evaluation of concept maps and gives also real-time feedback to the students. An experiment has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this new strategy in comparison with the conventional computer-based concept map approach. It is found that our innovative approach can be significantly beneficial to promote learning achievements as well as the learning attitudes of students.
Chapter
Understanding how a collaborative group as a whole constructs ­knowledge through joint activity in a CSCL setting is what sets the research field of CSCL apart from other approaches to the study of learning. Successful collaboration involves not only the incorporation of contributions of individuals into the group discourse, but also the effort to make sure that participating individuals understand what is taking place at the group level. The contributions of individuals to the group and of understandings from the group to the individuals cannot be studied by analyses at the individual unit of analysis, but only by studying the interactions at the group level. The group knowledge construction process synthesizes innumerable resources from language, culture, the group’s own history, individual backgrounds, relevant contexts and the sequential unfolding of the group discourse in which the individuals participate. Although the group process is dependent upon contributions and understanding of individuals, their individual cognition is essentially situated in the group process. Group cognition is the science of cognitive processes at the group unit of analysis. These group processes—such as the sequential flow of proposals, questioning, building common ground, maintaining a joint problem space, establishing intersubjective meanings, positioning actors in evolving roles, building knowledge collaboratively and solving problems together—are not analyzable as individual behaviors. This chapter will describe how the Virtual Math Teams project was designed as a prototypical CSCL environment in which the relevant resources and interactions could be recorded for the micro-analytic study of group cognition.
Article
The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of a computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy on EFL college learners’ English reading comprehension. The research questions were: (1) what was the influence of the computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy on different learners’ English reading comprehension? (2) did the computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy affect learners’ use of other English reading strategies? One hundred ninety-four freshmen who were enrolled in the English course were divided into low-level and high-level groups according to their English proficiency. A computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy was introduced to the learners in the experimental class to improve their reading ability. Through two-way ANOVA analysis, it was found that the computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy had greater reading benefit for the low-level group than for the high-level group. In addition, the results of independent sample t-test analysis indicated that the computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy enhanced learners’ use of other English reading strategies–listing, enforcing, and reviewing.