Abstract
This study describes the socio-cognitive dynamics of collaborative online knowledge-building discourse among Dutch Master of Education students from the perspective of openness. A socio-cognitive openness framework consisting of four social and four cognitive components was used to analyze contributions to online collective knowledge building processes in two Knowledge Forum® databases. Analysis revealed that the contributions express a moderate level of openness, with higher social than cognitive openness. Three cognitive indicators of openness were positively associated with follow-up, while the social indicators of openness appeared to have no bearings on follow-up. Findings also suggested that teachers’ contributions were more social in nature and had less follow-up compared to students’ contributions. From the perspective of openness, the discourse acts of building knowledge and expressing uncertainty appear to be key in keeping knowledge building discourse going, in particular through linking new knowledge claims to previous claims and simultaneously inviting others to refine the contributed claim.
Highlights
In higher education, there is increasing interest in collaborative learning and knowledge building communities (Garrison et al 2010; Love 2012)
Knowledge building communities vary in size and scope: collaboration can be limited to fixed, small groups that work on different subjects, but building knowledge collaboratively can be the responsibility of an entire community in which varying combinations of groups engage in a continuous, dynamic collaboration process (Zhang et al 2009)
The purpose of this study was to investigate how socio-cognitive openness manifests itself in the online discourse of two knowledge building communities of Master’s students and how openness relates to the continuation of their conversations
Summary
There is increasing interest in collaborative learning and knowledge building (within) communities (Garrison et al 2010; Love 2012). Knowledge building in educational settings is conceptually comparable to knowledge creation in innovative organizations, but involves generating new ideas, and the further development of ideas within the community (Bereiter and Scardamalia 2014). Knowledge creation is viewed as a social process among innovative communities in the pursuit of new knowledge which is built by the members of a community in interaction with each other through shared objects (Paavola et al 2004; Stahl 2012). Knowledge creation involves the development of shared objects needed to create new knowledge (i.e., ideas, theories, explanations, and justifications), while at another level it evaluates the knowledge advances and social issues in the community
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