Beliefs about collaboration, approaches to learning, and participation in computer-supported knowledge-building inquiry

Abstract

This study examined students beliefs about collaboration and their relations with approaches to learning, and investigated their influences on student participation in computer-supported inquiry. Participants included 521 high-school students in Hong Kong who participated in online collaborative inquiry mediated by Knowledge ForumTM, a computer-supported learning environment. We first assessed students beliefs about collaboration based on the knowledge building framework emphasizing improvable ideas and community knowledge. Analyses indicated significant age effects on beliefs about knowledge-building collaboration favoring older over younger students. A structural equation model (SEM) indicated that deep approach was related with beliefs about knowledge building and online learning, and students beliefs about collaboration and approaches to learning predicted their engagement and inquiry on Knowledge Forum.