Student Role Play in the World Forum: Analyses of an Arctic Adventure Learning Apprenticeship*

Abstract

This study analyzes new forms of student social interaction and dialogue within asynchronous communications of six middle schools and six high schools participating in the World School for Adventure Learning. In the World Forum component of the World School, students discussed, questioned, and debated with Arctic explorers, researchers, World Forum mentors, and peers about environmental issues while assuming identities of famous people. One of the three key tasks, Flash Points, generated more lengthy dialogue than other techniques (i.e., Arctic Alerts and Questions to Explorers). Analysis of the forms of learning assistance provided to students indicated that mentor electronic interactions with students typically involved feedback, questioning, and cognitive structuring of the lesson or activity; however, minimal task structuring, direct instruction, and modeling of how to interact occurred. Whereas most student questions to explorers about envir onmental issues or expedition activities were lower-level knowledge and comprehension queries, many also were at the evaluation level. Despite the restricted assistance and limited student questioning, student role-taking activities within their environmental discussions enhanced the degree of perspective-taking exhibited in their conversations. Examining these interaction patterns, forms of mentor assistance, levels of questioning, and degrees of perspective-taking provides new insights into the impact of electronic communication on student learning when role playing, though many questions remain.