Dynamics of human categorization in a collaborative tagging system: How social processes of semantic stabilization shape individual sensemaking

Abstract

HighlightsWe study how categories people develop in collaborative tagging change over time.Their internal cognitive categories and the tags they use are coordinated.Especially groups converging in the use of terms develop differentiated categories.Social processes around shared artefacts have a mediating effect on learning.

Supporting collaborative learning with tag recommendations

“…This entails advantages, such as the support of an adaptive level of granularity, but also challenges such as the lack of a coherent and useful tag vocabulary [32]. Along these lines, research [26,27] indicates that students seek assistance in the tagging process, regarding two aspects: (a) the take up of the process and therefore, the finding of initial vocabulary and (b) the achievement of a semantically stable vocabulary amongst their learning peers.…”

“…Other research assumes a mutual influence between learners' internal knowledge representation and the tagging vocabulary that emerges in the social information system, in which they interact [13]. Ley et al [27] investigates these dynamics and finds a positive influence of semantic stabilization on individual learning. Following this, we do not assume stabilization to be a prerequisite for learning but only that it provides some helpful structure for individual learning activities and is therefore conducive to individual learning gains [27].…”

“…Students of an IBL setting can thus be expected to benefit from semantic stabilization (e.g., [40]) -a phenomenon that becomes manifest in an increasing convergence in choosing tags for particular ranges of topics: the more stable the currently evolved tag vocabulary is, the more helpful it should be to share own and exploit others' search results (i.e., Web resources). And indeed, a study of Ley and Seitlinger [27] revealed that students tend to acquire more knowledge about domain concepts, if they act in groups that exhibit relatively higher levels of semantic stabilization. We therefore conclude that IBL can be supported by processes helping students in achieving convergence in the naming of learning concepts and development of a more stable tag vocabulary.…”

“…Contributions. Our contributions are twofold: First, we investigate the question of whether semantic stabilizationa socio-cognitive process supporting individual learning in an online IBL environment [27] -can be supported by tag recommendation mechanisms that have been developed and tested previously in offline studies on a variety of data sets.…”

Enhancing e-learning systems with personalized recommendation based on collaborative tagging techniques

“…Collaborative tagging, as a fragment of Web 2.0, is an important tool for classification dynamic content [1]. Progressive user experiences and collective intelligence impact the conception of authority in educational systems.…”