The multi-layered nature of small-group learning: Productive interactions in object-oriented collaboration

Abstract

This article presents a study of small-group interaction in the context of collaborative learning in undergraduate education. The student groups participated in collaborative projects, which involved setting-up, conducting, and reporting on empirical research studies. This study sheds light on the nature of productive interactions, the joint efforts to co-construct knowledge and the shared epistemic agency expected to emerge when groups are addressing ill-structured, complex problems in a collaboration over time. In-depth qualitative analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze and interpret interaction data and developing knowledge objects (i.e., research reports) collected during a 20-week project period. The findings show that productive interactions can take different forms, with discourse-based and object-oriented being the most relevant patterns arising. In the latter case, the emergent knowledge objects also influence the course and productivity of the interaction. Finally, groups manifesting shared epistemic agency produce knowledge objects more complex and suitable to the problems addressed. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the collaborative learning process that includes work on knowledge objects over time. The implications for the educational practice and further research point towards the need for a better understanding of the way groups function when challenged to address complex problems and to participate in knowledge production, how these processes can benefit learning, and what is needed in terms of pedagogical and technological support, to enable students to be more than mere coursetakers, but also producers of knowledge.Keywords Knowledge co-construction . Knowledge objects . Learning in higher education . Productive interaction . Shared epistemic agency . Small-group collaboration In the context of emerging changes in the knowledge-based society, students in higher education are expected to be able to address ill-structured and open-ended problems, conceive new ideas, show inquiring attitudes and proactive behavior, and capitalize on collective expertise (Goodyear and Zenios 2007). Learning in small groups that focuses on solving open-ended problems and on managing the collaborative process has been proposed as a wayIntern.

Frameworks for mass collaboration, adaptable scripts, complex systems theory, and collaborative writing

“…To construct shared knowledge through writing in a group can be seen as a core activity in schools and in educational systems more broadly. In the CSCL field, there have been studies that trace the process of artifact production (see Damsa 2014;Järvelä et al 2016;Jeong and Hmelo-Silver 2016). However, few studies have combined analysis of the qualitative processes involved and quantitative analysis of the outcomes of writing activities.…”

Future-looking conversations in CSCL

“…Both process studies and outcome studies give us interesting accounts about variation (Chen et al 2015;Damsa 2014;Overdijk et al 2014). Different approaches contribute to the deepening of our insight into how different tools and support structures help students with varied prior knowledge and experiences.…”

Analyzing roles of individuals in small-group collaboration processes

“…The actions-paying attention, adopting a social role, providing leadership, expressing learning-consist of inter-actions among individual members, resulting in something that cannot be attributed to any one of the individuals or analyzed at the individual unit of analysis because it is an interaction within the group. It might be useful to view such actions as components of group agency (Damsa 2014). Agency is a temporal undertaking (Emirbayer and Mische 1998), including deciding what to do in the future, managing the effort now and evaluating the result of past action.…”