Developmental Trajectory in Knowledge Building: An Investigation

Abstract

Knowledge building is a collaborative process whereby a community intentionally advances the collective state of knowledge through a knowledge transforming discourse. Scardamalia (2002) described 12 characteristics that can be identified in knowledge building discourses, which can be used to evaluate how far a group engaging in collaborative work is actually engaging in knowledge building. This paper reports on the level of performance in relation to 10 of the knowledge building principles as observed in the collaborative discourse of students participating in a design experiment on collaborative knowledge building involving teachers and students from 5 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Altogether 250 students participated in a summer programme, working collaboratively in groups to work on a number of topics using an electronic platform, the Knowledge Forum®. Results indicate that there is a hierarchy of accessibility for the 12 knowledge building principles and that clustering can be observed in the development of these knowledge building characteristics.