Exploring Conditions for Enhancing Critical Thinking in Networked Learning: Findings from a Secondary School Learning Analytics Environment

Elizabeth Koh,Christin Jonathan,Jennifer Pei-Ling Tan

doi:10.3390/educsci9040287

Elizabeth Koh, Christin Jonathan + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9040287

Copy DOI

Journal: Education Sciences	Publication Date: Dec 4, 2019
Citations: 10	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Nanyang Technological University

Abstract

Networked learning provides opportunities for learners to develop their critical thinking, an important 21st century competency, through dialogue with fellow learners to consider other perspectives and negotiate and critique ideas and arguments. However, much extant literature has not examined networked learning environments among younger learners nor the optimal conditions for enhancing critical thinking. Therefore, a study was carried out to investigate these conditions. A learning analytics networked learning environment was designed and 264 secondary three students participated in the 10-week long intervention as part of their English curriculum. Individual and collective social network metrics, critical reading scores, and self-reported survey data were used to quantitatively evaluate students’ critical reading performance in relation to their participation in networked learning. Results highlight several optimal conditions, notably that it is not just participation of the learner that enhances critical thinking but the learners’ reciprocity in replying and the distance of those posts in the network. Discussions and implications of the findings follow to provide insightful understanding of how the rich and complex settings of networked learning can enhance critical thinking capacities in secondary schooling.

Highlights

Critical thinking is one of the core competencies for learners in the 21st century and beyond.Networked learning provides opportunities for learners to develop their critical capacities through dialogue with fellow learners, to consider other perspectives, and negotiate and critique ideas and arguments [1]
While online learning forums are important predecessors of networked learning, technological and pedagogical developments in learning analytics point to the importance of dynamic visual learning analytics in computer-mediated learning environments [2], as well as multimodal social dialogic learning spaces [1,3]
Our research aims to contribute to addressing some of the above-mentioned issues by: (1) presenting a web-based collaborative critical reading and learning analytics environment that was designed and implemented in schools; and (2) reporting individual and collective social network metrics, critical reading scores, and self-reported survey data to quantitatively evaluate students’

Summary

Introduction

Critical thinking is one of the core competencies for learners in the 21st century and beyond.Networked learning provides opportunities for learners to develop their critical capacities through dialogue with fellow learners, to consider other perspectives, and negotiate and critique ideas and arguments [1]. While online learning forums are important predecessors of networked learning, technological and pedagogical developments in learning analytics point to the importance of dynamic visual learning analytics in computer-mediated learning environments [2], as well as multimodal social dialogic learning spaces [1,3]. Participation in such social dialogic spaces can dispose networked learners toward higher criticality [4]. Many existing networked learning environments have been implemented in post-secondary educational settings, such as distance education and higher education. Besides originating from the higher education context, it may be relatively easier to enact such networked learning with older learners as compared to younger learners due to the learner agency and self-regulation required [5]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion