Authenticity in knowledge-productive learning: what drives knowledge construction in collaborative inquiry?

Abstract

Professional learning has recently been studied as informed participation in communities of inquiry. Acknowledging the social nature of collective knowledge construction by professionals means emphasizing the individual's contribution to shared understanding as well as stressing the need for fruitful outcomes in collaborative learning. In this study we introduce and evaluate the relationship between authenticity in professional learning and the knowledge productivity of teams. Authenticity is posited as a concept that points out knowledge-building features in collective learning processes, while knowledge productivity is regarded as important for understanding team learning results. We use two team learning examples to contrast their collaborative knowledge construction process and examine the nature of knowledge exchange, as well as the (conceptual) products of team learning. A mixed method research design allows our findings to show the relevance of authenticity for revealing various constructive elements in knowledge exchange in team learning. Authenticity turned out to be especially important for knowledge sharing because it pointed to the importance of using direct, ‘local’ knowledge and individual commitment in team learning, which, in turn, can foster knowledge-productive results. Creation of conceptual artifacts that result from collaborative learning may drive the professional's participation in a community of inquiry.