Participation in Knowledge-Building Discourse: An Analysis of Online Discussions in Mainstream and Honours Social Studies Courses

Abstract

Questions about the suitability of cognitively-oriented instructional approaches for students of different academic levels are frequently raised by teachers and researchers. This study examined student participation in knowledge-building discourse in two implementations of a short inquiry unit focusing on environmental problems. Participants in each implementation consisted of students taking a mainstream or an honours version of a tenth grade social studies course. We retrieved data about students’ actions in Knowledge Forum® (e.g., the number of notes created and the percentage of notes with links), and conducted a content analysis of the discourse by each collaborative group. We suggest the findings provide cause for optimism about the use of knowledge-building discourse across academic levels: there was moderate to strong evidence of knowledge building in both classes by Implementation 2. We end with suggestions for focusing online work more directly on knowledge building. Résumé Les enseignants et les chercheurs soulèvent fréquemment des questions quant au caractère approprié des approches pédagogiques cognitives pour les élèves de différents niveaux scolaires. La présente étude a examiné la participation des étudiants à la coélaboration des connaissances lors de la formation, à deux reprises, d’une unité d’enquête de courte durée axée sur les problèmes environnementaux. Pour chacun des deux essais, les participants étaient des élèves qui suivaient un programme d’études de dixième année, soit général, soit spécialisé en sciences sociales. Nous avons récupéré des données sur les actions des élèves dans le Knowledge Forum (par exemple, le nombre de notes créées et le pourcentage de notes avec des liens) et nous avons analysé le contenu du discours de chaque groupe de collaboration. Nous pensons que les résultats incitent à l’optimisme et qu’il est possible de parler de coélaboration des connaissances entre les niveaux scolaires : des données probantes moyennement rigoureuses ou rigoureuses montrant la coélaboration des connaissances ont été obtenues dans les deux classes lors du deuxième essai. Nous concluons avec des suggestions pour orienter plus directement les travaux en ligne sur la coélaboration de connaissances.

Reflective assessment in knowledge building by students with low academic achievement

“…In the last two decades, knowledge building has been shown to enhance the performance and learning of learners of various ages (Chuy et al 2010;Niu and van Aalst 2009;So et al 2010; van Aalst and Truong 2011;Zhang et al 2007;Authors 2014). However, can knowledge building benefit students with low achievement?…”

“…They found that portfolio assessment guided by knowledge-building principles had a more positive influence on students' conceptual understanding than portfolio assessment without a foundation in knowledge-building principles, and that this influence was stronger for students with lower achievement. Niu and van Aalst (2009) measured the benefits of knowledge building for both honors students and students in regular classes at a Canadian high school. The students in the honors class outperformed those in the regular class, but the within-class differences were larger than the between-class differences.…”

Toward a classification of discourse patterns in asynchronous online discussions

“…The starting point for its analysis is the framework proposed by van Aalst (2009), which distinguishes between knowledge sharing, knowledge construction, and knowledge building/creation discourses, and highlights the similarities and differences among the major learning theories in CSCL. Knowledge sharing is underpinned by an understanding of learning as the transmission of ideas.…”

“…To build on what is known about the characteristics of online discourse, we adapted the coding scheme of content analysis developed by van Aalst (2009). We aimed to develop discourse patterns and show the variety of ways in which students go about their collaborative interactions online.…”

“…To enhance the pedagogical value of this study, we identified the discourse patterns with the involvement of teachers in the Knowledge Building Teacher Network. During weekly meetings with teachers, the three modes of discourse developed by van Aalst (2009) were introduced to teachers as a framework for discussing their students' online work. To devise pedagogical supports, teachers often analyzed the quality of students' arguments and explanations by using the three modes of discourse.…”