Students assessing their own knowledge advances in a knowledge building environment

Abstract

We describe the design of a knowledge-building environment and examine the roles of knowledge-building portfolios in characterizing and scaffolding collaborative inquiry. Three classes of Grade 9 students in Hong Kong used Knowledge Forum (KF) under several design conditions. Results showed (1) Students working on portfolios guided with knowledge building principles showed more participation, deeper inquiry and conceptual understanding than students working on KF only, or producing KF portfolios with no principles, (2) Students' knowledge-building inquiry and discourse were related to their conceptual understanding, and (3) Knowledge-building portfolios provided ways for identifying and characterizing collective knowledge advances in the community.