Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Fostering collective and individual learning through knowledge building

  • Published:
International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to design and examine a computer-supported knowledge-building environment and to investigate both collective knowledge-building dynamics and individual learning in the context of a tertiary education course in mainland China. The participants were 102 students in four intact Year-one tertiary business classes. Two classes experienced a knowledge-building environment (CKB) and the other two were taught using a regular project-based approach (RPBL). Data were obtained from interactions in the forum, writing quality, group-learning portfolios, and surveys. Quantitative analyses indicated that the knowledge-building groups outperformed the comparison groups on academic literacy assessed in terms of conceptual understanding and explanation, and obtained higher scores on beliefs about collaboration. Within-group analyses indicated that the students’ engagement in Knowledge Forum was a significant predictor of their academic literacy. Qualitative contrastive analyses of high- and low-performance groups identified different patterns of conceptual, metacognitive and social processes, and showed that student groups engaging in more collective and meta-discourse discourse moves performed better on individual scores in academic literacy. The implications of examining both collaborative dynamics and individual learning and designing computer-supported knowledge building for tertiary students are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, J. R., Greemo, J. G., Reder, L. M., & Simon, H. A. (2000). Perspectives on learning, thinking, and activity. Educational Researcher, 29(4), 11–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, M., Andriessen, J., Lund, K., van Amelsvoort, M., & Quignard, M. (2007). Rainbow: a framework for analyzing computer-mediated pedagogical debates. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 2(2&3), 315–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bereiter, C. (2002). Education and mind in the knowledge edge. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bielaczyc, K. (2006). Designing social infrastructure: critical issues in creating learning environments with technology. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 15, 301–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braine, G. (2002). Academic Literacy and the Nonnative Speaker Graduate Student. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 1(1), 59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, A. L. (1992). Design experiments: theoretical and methodological challenges in creating complex interventions. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2, 141–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burtis, J. (1998). The analytic toolkit. The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/ University of Toronto Centre for Applied Cognitive Science.

  • Carle, A. C., Jaffee, D., & Miller, D. (2009). Engaging college science students and changing academic achievement with technology: a quasi-experimental preliminary investigation. Computers & Education, 52, 376–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, C. K. K. (2011). Bridging research and practice: implementing and sustaining knowledge building in Hong Kong classrooms. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 6, 147–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, C. K. K. (2013). Collaborative knowledge building: Towards a knowledge-creation perspective. In C. Hmelo-Silver, C. Chinn, C. K. K. Chan, & A. O’ Donnell (Eds.), The international handbook of collaborative learning. New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chan, C. K. K., & Chan, Y.-Y. (2011). Students’ views of collaboration and online participation in knowledge forum. Computers & Education, 57, 1445–1457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, C. K. K., & van Aalst, J. (2004). Learning, assessment, and collaboration in computer-supported collaborative learning. In J. W. Strijbos, P. Kirschner, & R. Martens (Eds.), What we know about CSCL and implementing it in higher education (pp. 87–112). Boston: Kluwer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Chi, M. T. H. (2011). Theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and trends in the study of expertise. In Y. Li (Ed.), Expertise in Mathematics Instruction: An international perspective. New York: Springer.

  • Collins, A., Joseph, D., & Bielaczyc, K. (2004). Design research: theoretical and methodological issues. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(1), 15–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Wever, B., Valcke, M., Schellens, T., & Van Keer, H. (2005). Content analysis schemes to analyze transcripts of online asynchronous discussion groups: a review. Computers & Education, 46(1), 6–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dosi, R., Nelson, R. R., & Winter, S. G. (Eds.). (2000). The nature and dynamics of organizational capabilities. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eastman, J. K., & Swift, C. O. (2002). Enhancing collaborative learning: discussion boards and chat rooms as project communication tools. Business Communication Quarterly, 65, 29–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, F., Bruhn, J., Grasel, C. & Mandl, H. (2002). Fostering collaborative knowledge construction with visualization tools. Learning and Instruction 12, 213–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, F., Kollar, I., Stegmann, K., Wecker, C., & Zottmann, J. (2013). Collaborative scripts in computer-supported collaborative learning. In C. Hmelo-Silver, C. Chinn, C. K. K. Chan, & A. O’Donnell (Eds.), The international handbook of collaborative learning (pp. 403–419). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gan, Y. C., Scardamalia, M., Hong, H. Y., & Zhang, J. (2010). Making thinking visible: growth in graphical literacy, grades 3 to 4. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 36 (1) [online]. http://www.cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/view/581/284.

  • Goodyear, P., Jones, C., Asensio, M., Hodgson, V., & Steeples, C. (2005). Networked learning in higher education: students’ expectations and experiences. Higher Education, 50, 473–508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Granville, S., & Dison, L. (2005). Thinking about thinking: integrating self-reflection into an academic literacy course. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4(2), 99–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hakkarainen, K. (2003). Emergence of progressive inquiry culture in computer-supported collaborative learning. Learning Environments Research, 6(2), 199–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hakkarainen, K. (2004). Pursuit of explanation within a computer-supported classroom. International Journal of Science Education, 26(8), 979–996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, J. M., & Sinclair, K. E. (2008). Social constructivist teaching methods in Australian universities- reported uptake and perceived learning effects: a survey of lecturers. Higher Education Research & Development, 27(3), 169–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helle, L., Tynjala, P., & Olkinuora, E. (2006). Project-based learning in post-secondary education—theory, practice and rubber sling shots. Higher Education, 51, 287–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt, J., & Scardamalia, M. (1998). Design principles for the support of distributed processes. Educational Psychology Review, 10(1), 75–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2003). Analyzing collaborative knowledge construction: multiple methods for integrated understanding. Computers & Education, 41(4), 397–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004). Problem-based learning: what and how do students learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), 235–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janssen, J., et al. (2012). Task-related and social regulation during online collaborative learning. Metacognition and Learning, 7(1), 25–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jermann, P., Soller, A., & Lesgold, A. (2004). Computer software support for CSCL. In J. W. Strijbos, P. A. Kirschner, & R. L. Martens (Eds.), What we know about CSCL and implementing it in higher education (pp. 141–166). Boston: Kluwer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Koschmann, T., Hall, R., & Miyake, N. (2002). CSCL 2: Carrying forward the conversation. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krippendorff, K. (2004). Reliability in content analysis: some common misconceptions and recommendations. Human Communication Research, 30, 411–433.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lai, M., & Law, N. (2006). Peer scaffolding of knowledge building through collaborative groups with differential learning experiences. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 35(2), 123–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lea, M., & Street, B. V. (2006). The “Academic Literacies” model: theory and applications. Theory into Practice, 45(4), 368–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, E. Y. C., Chan, C. K. K., & van Aalst, J. (2006). Students assessing their own collaborative knowledge building. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 1, 278–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lundstorm, K., & Baker, W. (2009). To give is better than to receive: the benefits of peer review to the reviewer’s own writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 18, 30–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meier, A., Spada, H., & Rummel, N. (2007). A rating scheme for assessing the quality of computer-supported collaboration process. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 2(1), 63–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Molenaar, I., Chiu, M. M., Sleegers, P., & van Boxtel, C. (2011). Scaffolding of small groups’ metacognitive activities with an avatar. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 6(4), 601–624.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muukkonen, H., & Lakkala, M. (2009). Exploring metaskills of knowledge-creating inquiry in higher education. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 4, 187–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ngai, E. W. T. (2007). Learning in introductory e-commerce: a project-based teamwork approach. Computers & Education, 48(1), 17–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oshima, J., Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (1996). Collaborative learning processes associated with high and low conceptual progress. Instructional Science, 24(2), 125–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paavola, S., Lipponen, L., & Hakkarainen, K. (2004). Models of innovative knowledge communities and three metaphors of learning. Review of Educational Research, 74, 557–576.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paus, E., Werner, C. S., & Jucks, R. (2012). Learning through online peer discourse: structural equation modeling points to the role of discourse activities in individual understanding. Computers & Education, 58, 1127–1137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pifarre, M., & Cobos, R. (2010). Promoting meta-cognitive skills through peer scaffolding in a CSCL environment. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 5, 237–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Puntambekar, S., Erkens, G., & Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2011). Analyzing interactions in CSCL: Methodology, approaches, and issues. New York: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Resta, P. & Lafferriere, T. (2007). Technology in Support of Collaborative Learning. Educational Psychological Review, 19, 65–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rummel, N., & Spada, H. (2005). Instructional support for collaboration in desktop videoconference settings. In R. Bromme, F. W., Hesse & H. Spada (Eds.), Barriers and biases in computer-mediated knowledge communication (pp. 59–88). Springer

  • Scardamalia, M. (2004). CSILE/Knowledge Forum®. In S. Barbara (Ed.), Education and technology: An encyclopedia (pp. 183–192): ABC-CLIO.

  • Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2003). Knowledge building environments: Extending the limits of the possible in education and knowledge work. In A. DiStefano, K. E. Rudestam, & R. Silverman (Eds.), Encyclopedia of distributed learning (pp. 269–272). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2006). Knowledge building. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 97–115). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scardamalia, M., Breiter, C., & Lamon, M. (1994). The CSILE project: Trying to bring the classroom into World 3. In K. McGilly (Ed.), Classroom lesson: Integrating cognitive theory and classroom practice. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheuer, O., Loll, F., Pinkwart, N., & McLaren, B. M. (2010). Computer-supported argumentation: a review of the state of the art. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 5(1), 43–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Short, D. J., Echevarria, J., & Richards-Tutor, C. (2011). Research on academic literacy development in sheltered instruction classrooms. Language Teaching Research, 15(3), 363–380.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stahl, G. (2002). Rediscovering CSCL. In T. Koschmann, R. Hall, & N. Miyake (Eds.), CSCL2: Carrying forward the conversation (pp. 169–181). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stahl, G. (2006). Group cognition: Computer support for building collaborative knowledge. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strijbos, J. W., Kirschner, P. A., & Martens, R. L. (Eds.). (2004). What we know about CSCL: And implementing it in higher education. Norwell: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun, Y., Zhang, J., & Scardamalia, M. (2010). Knowledge building and vocabulary growth over two years, grades 3 and 4. Instructional Science, 38(2), 247–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suthers, D. D., Dwyer, N., Medina, R., & Vatrapu, R. (2010). A framework for conceptualizing, representing and analyzing distributed interaction. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 5(1), 5–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, K. E., Ng, M. L. Y., & Saw, K. G. (2010). Online activities and writing practices of urban Malaysian adolescents. System, 38, 548–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai, C. C. (2009). Conceptions of learning versus conceptions of web-based learning: the differences revealed by college students. Computers & Education, 53(4), 1092–1103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Aalst, J. (2009). Distinguishing knowledge-sharing, knowledge construction, and knowledge-creation discourses. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 4(3), 259–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Aalst, J., & Chan, C. K. K. (2007). Student-directed assessment of knowledge building using electronic portfolios in Knowledge Forum. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 16(2), 175–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinberger, A., Reiserer, M. Ertl, B. Fischer, F., & Mandl, H. (2005). Facilitating collaborative knowledge construction in computer-mediated learning environments with cooperative scripts. In R. Bromme, F.W., Hesse & H. Spada (Eds.), Barriers and biases in computer-mediated knowledge communication (pp. 59–88). Springer

  • Wen, Q. F., & Zhou, Y. (2006). On developing English Majors’ thinking skills. Foreign Language Research, 132(5), 76–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeh, S.-W., Lo, J.-J., & Huang, J.-J. (2011). Scaffolding collaborative technical writing with procedural facilitation and synchronous discussion. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 6, 397–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J. (2009). Technology-supported learning innovation in cultural contexts. Educational Technology Research and Development, 58(2), 229–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J., & Sun, Y. (2011). Reading for idea advancement in a grade 4 knowledge building community. Instructional Science, 39(4), 429–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J. W., Scardamalia, M., Lamon, M., Messina, R., & Reeve, R. (2007). Socio-cognitive dynamics of knowledge building in the work of 9-and 10-year-olds. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55, 117–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J., Scardamalia, M., Reeve, R., & Messina, R. (2009). Designs for collective cognitive responsibility in knowledge building communities. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 18(1), 7–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, K. & Zheng Y. Y. (2013). Chinese Business English students’ epistemological beliefs, self-regulated strategies, and collaboration in project-based learning. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, doi:10.1007/s40299-013-0103-z

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Jan van Aalst from the University of Hong Kong as well as the anonymous reviewers and the handling editor for their helpful comments and constructive suggestions on earlier drafts of this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ke Zhao.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhao, K., Chan, C.K.K. Fostering collective and individual learning through knowledge building. Intern. J. Comput.-Support. Collab. Learn. 9, 63–95 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-013-9188-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-013-9188-x

Keywords

Navigation