Developing and examining Collaboration and regulation in a CSCL environment

Abstract

This is a case study of the development of collaborative and regulatory learning supported by knowledge-building principles and technology. This study designed and examined a knowledge- building environment involving explanatory inquiry, collaborative knowledge mapping, and reflective regulation, premised on knowledge-building ideas and principles. It investigated student's knowledge-building dynamics and regulation moves between high- and low-performance groups, and the role played by CSCL tools in facilitating students’ knowledge building and regulation.

The participants were a group of 18 Grade 9 students from an international school in Hong Kong, who experienced this collaborative knowledge-building inquiry for eight weeks. The design integrated knowledge-building principles and employed a CSCL software called “MindMeister.” The design framework included three intertwined aspects(1) explanatory inquiry, which involves questions and explanations; (2) collaborative knowledge mapping, which supports representations of ideas; and, (3) reflective assessment with scaffolds adopted, both to scaffold and examine the knowledge building and regulation dynamics.

The results show four key findings. First, students’ collaborative inquiry and explanation go deeper in the knowledge-building environment, Second, CSCL visualization tools and KB principles - work together in supporting collaborative learning. CSCL tools not only help organize and visualize coherent ideas, but also mediate deepening inquiry, enriched with KB principles. Third, students were facilitated to engage in regulation using different patterns including self-regulation, co-regulation and collective regulation and at three levels: high, medium, and low. Regulation especially high and medium self regulation and collective regulation show positive correlation with domain understanding. Fourth, the qualitative analysis of students’ feedback on using MindMeister in the reflection represents how CSCL tools mediate regulation in five dimensions in the knowledge-building environment. Students’ collaboration and regulation towards deeper inquiry are facilitated by knowledge-building principles that are manifested in their collaborative and reflective work.

Pedagogically, this design framework of explanatory inquiry, collaborative mind mapping, and reflective assessment has implications for designing such idea-centered knowledge-building environment. Also, this study examines students’ reflection on and understanding of how they regulate their collaboration in an idea-centered environment, which theoretically expands the aspect of regulation in idea-centered, knowledge-building contexts.