Computer-supported Collaborative Learning Research Research Articles

Investigating Linguistic Alignment in Collaborative Dialogue: A Study of Syntactic and Lexical Patterns in Middle School Students.

Linguistic alignment, the tendency of speakers to share common linguistic features during conversations, has emerged as a key area of research in computer-supported collaborative learning. While previous studies have shown that linguistic alignment can have a significant impact on collaborative outcomes, there is limited research exploring its role in K-12 learning contexts. This study investigates syntactic and lexical linguistic alignments in a collaborative computer science-learning corpus from 24 pairs (48 individuals) of middle school students (aged 11-13). The results show stronger effects of self-alignment than partner alignment on both syntactic and lexical levels, with students often diverging from their partners on task-relevant words. Furthermore, student self-alignment on the syntactic level is negatively correlated with partner satisfaction ratings, while self-alignment on lexical level is positively correlated with their partner's satisfaction.

Learning within fiber-crafted algorithms: Posthumanist perspectives for capturing human-material collaboration

AbstractA key commitment of computer-supported collaborative learning research is to study how people learn in collaborative settings to guide development of methods for capture and design for learning. Computer-supported collaborative learning research has a tradition of studying how the physical world plays a part in collaborative learning. Within the field, a material turn is emerging that considers how digital and tangible technologies actively contribute to collaborative learning processes. Studying how tangible materials produce collaborative learning visibly and algorithmically is particularly important at a time when advanced algorithms are integrated into educational contexts in ways that are not always transparent. However, the needed methodologies for capturing how non-human agents take part in collaborative learning remains underdeveloped. The present study builds on current CSCL research that investigates materials in collaborative learning and introduces posthumanist perspectives with the aim to decenter humans methodologically and to probe empirically whether and how these perspectives contribute to empirical understanding of collaborative learning processes. Taking fiber crafts (e.g., weaving and fabric manipulation) as a context for computational learning, the present study conducted a posthumanist analysis of differences among human and non-human participants in collaboration using video data to investigate how middle school youths and fiber craft components performed algorithms over time. The findings show how both youths and craft materials actively contributed to the performance of algorithms. In weaving, algorithms became repeated youth-material movements one dimension at a time. In fabric manipulation, algorithms became a repeated confluence of component parts. Decentering humans through an analysis of differences among human and non-human introduced human-material collaboration as a productive unit of analysis for understanding how materials and people together contribute to producing what can be recognized as computational performance. The findings of this research contribute to ongoing conversations in CSCL research on how computational materials can be considered in collaborative learning and present a new approach to capture collaborative learning as physical expansion over time. The study has implications for future research on capturing collaborative computational learning and designing physical computational learning opportunities that show technology as evolving.

Escaping binary gender roles: Gender diversity dynamics in a CSCL‐Escape game

AbstractBackgroundGender and gender diversity are group features affecting social interaction and are critical for gender‐inclusive and equitable education. As such, the role of gender and gender diversity is of particular relevance to computer‐supported collaborative learning (CSCL). However, up until now, research on this topic in CSCL remains scarce. Those studies that explore gender frequently utilise a binary gender view, investigating collaboration patterns in terms of differences between men and women despite the pitfalls of this binary view, e.g. the risk of reproducing gender stereotypes.ObjectivesThrough gender diversity modelling based on group communication analysis, this study used a novel approach to investigate the role of gender in CSCL. It explored how gender diversity in CSCL is associated with emergent roles in small group interaction, providing evidence about how gender diversity interacts with the dynamics of group communication in a unique CSCL scenario.MethodsIn this explorative study, we used group communication analysis (GCA) to identify emergent team roles in the communication of triads in a CSCL escape game, realised through a Minecraft computer game. We elaborated on the differences between the team roles with respect to gender‐diverse and non‐diverse groups of our sample (N = 123) to estimate the role of gender diversity in CSCL learning processes.ResultsThe clustering of the group communication resulted in four emergent team roles with distinct communicative patterns: learner, lurker, follower, and leader. Non‐diverse teams were more likely to be dominated by leaders, whereas gender‐diverse teams showed more egalitarian tendencies in their group communication. Further, in gender‐diverse teams, there were more learners, and interaction was more productive overall.ConclusionsGender diversity is an important factor for understanding group dynamics in CSCL. A main advantage of gender diversity modelling – as explored here – is a more nuanced understanding of the role of gender in group communication, in contrast to reproducing existing gender difference paradigms. The approach demonstrated in this study enables CSCL researchers to extend traditional measures of gender towards gender diversity as steps towards more gender‐inclusive and bias‐free education. Further, it yields the practical design recommendation of ensuring group diversity to enhance the likelihood of productive group communication.

Examining the interplay of knowledge construction and group-level regulation in a computer-supported collaborative learning physics task

Group-level regulation (co-regulation (CoRL) and socially shared regulation (SSRL)) supports knowledge construction (KC), but it is not yet clear how the two phenomena intertwine in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). This study aims to explore how phases of CoRL and SSRL (planning, task understanding, strategy use, evaluation) occur in relation to KC in collaborative interactions. Secondary school students (N = 34) were videotaped while collaborating in groups of three to four. Their task was to create a poster about “center of gravity” using an interactive tabletop. In the analysis, video data were coded for KC phases and phases of CoRL and SSRL. Process mining was applied to visualize sequential associations between KC and regulation as process maps. This was complemented by qualitative examples illustrating these associations in interactions. Results revealed that KC and regulation manifested either simultaneously via the same talk or interaction or prompted or followed one another. Group-level regulation guided, and supported KC. Current study contributes to CSCL research by demonstrating reciprocal relationships between KC and group-level regulation and the importance of regulation for collaboration. It also provides implications for designing pedagogical tools to support regulation and KC and advancing analytical methods that enable tracking CSCL processes for its better understanding.

Patterns of action transitions in online collaborative problem solving: A network analysis approach

In today’s digital society, computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and collaborative problem solving (CPS) have received increasing attention. CPS studies have often emphasized outcomes such as skill levels of CPS, whereas the action transitions in the paths to solve the problems related to these outcomes have been scarcely studied. The patterns within action transitions are able to capture the mutual influence of actions conducted by pairs and demonstrate the productivity of students’ CPS. The purpose of the study presented in this paper is to examine Finnish sixth graders’ (N = 166) patterns of action transitions during CPS in a computer-based assessment environment in which the students worked in pairs. We also investigated the relation between patterns of action transitions and students’ social and cognitive skill levels related to CPS. The actions in the sequential processes of computer-based CPS tasks included using a mouse to drag objects and typing texts in chat windows. Applying social network analysis to the log file data generated from the assessment environment, we created transition networks using weighted directed networks (nodes for those actions conducted by paired students and directed links for the transitions between two actions when the first action is followed by the second action in sequence). To represent various patterns of action transitions in each transition network, we calculated the numbers of nodes (numbers of actions conducted), density (average frequency of transitions among actions), degree centralization (the dispersion of attempts given to different actions), reciprocity (the extent to which pairs revisit the previous one action immediately), and numbers of triadic patterns (numbers of different repeating formats within three actions). The results showed that pairs having at least one member with high social and high cognitive CPS skills conducted more actions and demonstrated a higher average frequency of action transitions with a higher tendency to conduct actions for different number of times, implying that they attempted more paths to solve the problem than the other pairs. This could be interpreted as the pairs having at least one student with high social and high cognitive CPS skills exhibiting more productive CPS than the other pairs. However, we did not find a significant difference across the pairs in terms of alternating sequences of two or three actions. Investigating the patterns of action transitions of the dyads in this study deepens our understanding of the mutual influence between the CPS actions occurring within dyads. Regarding pedagogical implication, our results offer empirical evidence recommending greater awareness of the students’ social and cognitive capacities in CPS when assigning them into pairs for computer-based CPS tasks. Further, this study contributes to the methodological development of process-oriented research in CSCL by integrating an analysis of action transition patterns with a skill-based assessment of CPS.

Role Scripting as a Tool to Foster Transactivity of Asynchronous Student Discussions

Transactivity of student discussions is crucial in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). However, CSCL learners often lack well-developed argumentation and negotiation skills, which makes it challenging for them to engage in and maintain a transactive discussion. Collaboration scripts have been implemented in CSCL contexts and have demonstrated positive effects on students' collaboration and argumentation skills. Yet, the degree of transactivity of student interactions is rarely addressed directly in CSCL research. Employing a qualitative content analysis approach, this study seeks to understand how a role script affects the transactivity of students' argumentative knowledge co-construction in the context of a multicultural master's degree CSCL course. The study employs an experimental design. The results demonstrate that students in the scripted condition produced more contributions on higher levels of argumentative knowledge construction than unscripted students. However, tutor involvement may be necessary to ensure proper script appropriation.

Using Three Social Network Analysis Approaches to Understand Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

Sharing the same philosophy of “relations matter” with computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), social network analysis (SNA) has become a common methodology in the CSCL research. In this research, I use SNA methods from relational ties, network modes, and integrated methods perspectives to understand attributes of relations in CSCL. I design, conduct, and evaluate three SNA analytics on the same dataset from an online course to understand CSCL entities, relations, and processes. This online collaborative discussion in this course stresses students’ knowledge inquiry, construction, and building through peer interactions. Results show that compared to traditional SNA methods, these three SNA approaches can reveal more detailed, richer picture of the collaborative learning processes, particularly, the interactional, multi-modal, and temporal aspects. Moreover, these SNA approaches are generalizable for understanding similar CSCL settings. Based on the results, this research proposes methodological implications to further apply and develop SNA in the CSCL field.

Benefits and Challenges of Interdisciplinarity in CSCL Research: A View From the Literature.

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has a history of being interdisciplinary from its conception. Its beginnings have included computer scientists, psychologists, cognitive scientists, and educational researchers. These collaborations have been fruitful but have also posed challenges (Suthers et al., 2013). This article builds on the authors’ extensive review of the CSCL literature to examine the nature of interdisciplinary collaboration in CSCL research as well as an interdisciplinary CSCL workshop. Using a corpus of more than 700 CSCL articles, we reported an updated analysis for the theories and methods used in CSCL research. In addition, bibliometric analyses examined journals that publish CSCL research and are cited by CSCL research. CSCL research is published in journals that are aligned with interdisciplinary research with large contributions from educational research followed by technology related fields and social sciences. The contributions from domain knowledge journals are relatively weak. These analyses revealed disciplinary influences and uptakes of CSCL research and how they might differ across CSCL research clusters. Lastly, we provide a case example of a CSCL workshop to further demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of the field. Through these analyses we aim to characterize the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration in CSCL research. Interdisciplinarity has helped CSCL research to adopt multiple theories and methods to understand CSCL. While cultivating diversity, we also need to be mindful that research outcomes are exchanged and appropriated actively across participating disciplines so that our understanding of CSCL rises above individual disciplines.

Applying collaborative cognitive load theory to computer-supported collaborative learning: towards a research agenda

Research on computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has traditionally investigated how student-, group-, task-, and technological characteristics affect the processes and outcomes of collaboration. On the other hand, cognitive load theory has traditionally been used to study individual learning processes and to investigate instructional effects that are present during individual learning (e.g., expertise reversal effect). In this contribution we will argue that cognitive load theory can be applied to CSCL. By incorporating concepts such as collective working memory (i.e., individuals share the burden of information processing), mutual cognitive interdependence (i.e., individuals learn about each other’s expertise and become dependent on their partners’ expertise), and transaction costs (i.e., the burden placed on individuals working memory capacity when communicating and coordinating collaborative activities), collaborative cognitive load theory (CCLT) can be used to formulate testable hypotheses for pressing issues in CSCL research. The aim of this paper is to develop a research agenda to guide future CSCL research from a CCLT perspective. We highlight how variables associated with student-, group-, task-, and technological characteristics may be investigated using CCLT. We also address important steps CSCL research needs to make with respect to the measurement of variables and the methodologies used to analyze data.

Student Perceptions on the Role of the Classroom Environment on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning

The physical classroom remains the one constant space where most schooling takes place and where everyday Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) practices in formal educational settings occur. While educational advocates have championed the need for a change to schooling, pedagogy and various teaching and learning practices, the learning environment where these activities are taking place especially at the university level remain the same year after year, creating challenges for those attempting to implement CSCL. In this paper we argue that we cannot improve learning without looking at how the physical classroom space and furniture layout is designed and its impact on learning. Given that the CSCL research emphasizes social interactions, collaboration and knowledge growth, all of which should be occurring in the classroom, it seems appropriate to look at classroom space and changing pedagogies.

When coding-and-counting is not enough: using epistemic network analysis (ENA) to analyze verbal data in CSCL research

Research on computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is often concerned with the question of how scaffolds or other characteristics of learning may affect learners’ social and cognitive engagement. Such engagement in socio-cognitive activities frequently materializes in discourse. In quantitative analyses of discourse, utterances are typically coded, and differences in the frequency of codes are compared between conditions. However, such traditional coding-and-counting-based strategies neglect the temporal nature of verbal data, and therefore provide limited and potentially misleading information about CSCL activities. Instead, we argue that analyses of the temporal proximity, specifically temporal co-occurrences of codes, provide a more appropriate way to characterize socio-cognitive activities of learning in CSCL settings. We investigate this claim by comparing and contrasting a traditional coding-and-counting analysis with epistemic network analysis (ENA), a discourse analysis technique that models temporal co-occurrences of codes in discourse. We apply both methods to data from a study that compared the effects of individual vs. collaborative problem solving. The results suggest that compared to a traditional coding-and-counting approach, ENA provides more insight into the socio-cognitive learning activities of students.

A review of methodological applications of social network analysis in computer-supported collaborative learning

Social network analysis (SNA) is a promising research method for analyzing relational ties in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL)—activities in which learners interact towards a common learning goal with the aid of computers—because they share the same underlying assumption that learning and behavior are influenced by one's relations. This methodological review examines whether CSCL research (n = 89) (1) reflects the diversity of actors (learners and artifacts) and relational ties that are important in CSCL environments; and (2) relates these relational ties as measured by SNA indices to CSCL learning outcomes. The results suggest that SNA applications in CSCL (1) do not reflect this diversity of CSCL actors and relational ties, investigating only one-mode networks of learners connected by communication-based relational ties; and (2) are limited to a descriptive reporting of SNA results. Future directions for CSCL are focused on filling these gaps by (1) integrating technical, instructional and knowledge artifacts as SNA actors, and (2) relating SNA findings to cognitive, social and motivational CSCL outcomes using statistical analysis.

Seven Affordances of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning: How to Support Collaborative Learning? How Can Technologies Help?

This article proposes 7 core affordances of technology for collaborative learning based on theories of collaborative learning and CSCL (Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning) practices. Technology affords learner opportunities to (1) engage in a joint task, (2) communicate, (3) share resources, (4) engage in productive collaborative learning processes, (5) engage in co-construction, (6) monitor and regulate collaborative learning, and (7) find and build groups and communities. We elaborate our framework using in-depth explorations of how technologies are actually used to support collaborative learning in CSCL research and identify representative design strategies and technology examples. While technology can play an important role in addressing the demands of collaborative learning, it needs to be considered in conjunction with pedagogical strategies and other social and cultural supports for collaborative learning. The supports also need to remain at an appropriate level so as not to interfere with long-term learning goals.

Assessing learners’ perceived readiness for computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL): a study on initial development and validation

The main purpose of this study was to develop an instrument that assesses university students’ perceived readiness for computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). Assessment in CSCL research had predominantly focused on measuring “after-collaboration” outcomes and “during-collaboration” behaviors while “before-collaboration” assessment was rarely studied. Given the nature of high learner agency and self-directness necessary in CSCL contexts, it was assumed that a sufficient level of student readiness for CSCL could promote positive attitudes and behaviors during the collaborative learning process and subsequent learning outcomes. Considering the importance of a before-collaboration status, this study proposes the new notion of students’ readiness for CSCL (SR-CSCL) and presents a set of criteria to theoretically define and empirically measure the perceived level of SR-CSCL. Drawing on prior research on CSCL and readiness issues, we developed the SR-CSCL instrument with a three-dimensional framework consisting of: (a) motivation for collaborative learning, (b) prospective behaviors for collaborative learning and (c) online learning aptitude. The SR-CSCL instrument was validated with the university students in China in the pilot study (N = 120) and the main study (N = 295). Overall, the results showed some evidence of reliability and validity for the proposed instrument. This study presents an empirical assessment tool that can help instructors and researchers better understand and investigate how to assess and increase students’ readiness levels in order to enhance their learning experiences in CSCL environments.

Psychological characteristics in cognitive presence of communities of inquiry: A linguistic analysis of online discussions

Benefits of social interaction for learning have widely been recognized in educational research and practice. The existing body of research knowledge in computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) offers numerous practical approaches that can enhance educational experience in online group activities. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) model is one of the best-researched frameworks that comprehensively explains different dimensions of online learning in communities of inquiry. However, individual differences, well-established in educational psychology to affect learning (e.g., emotions, motivation and working memory capacity), have received much less attention in the CSCL and CoI research published to date. This paper reports on the findings of a study that investigated linguistic features of online discussion transcripts coded by the four levels of cognitive presence — a CoI dimension that explains the extent to which a community can construct meaning from the initial practical inquiry to the eventual problem resolution. The automated linguistic analysis, conducted by using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) framework, revealed that certain word categories – reported previously in the literature as accurate indicators of specific psychological characteristics – had distinct distributions for each level of cognitive presence of the CoI framework. The most significant finding of the study is that linguistic proxies of increased cognitive load have unique representation patterns across the four levels of cognitive presence. Consequently, this study legitimizes more research on individual differences in general and on cognitive load theory in particular in communities of inquiry. The paper also discusses implications for educational research, practice, and technology.

Social Aspects of CSCL Environments: A Research Framework

Although there are research findings supporting the positive effects of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), problems have been reported regarding the learning process itself, group formation, and group dynamics. These problems can be traced back to impeded social interaction between group members. Social interaction is necessary (a) for group members to learn from each other in a CSCL environment and (b) for socioemotional processes to help create a social space where trust, sense of community, and strong interpersonal relationships exist. This article introduces a theoretical framework consisting of three core elements: sociability, social space, and social presence, along with their relationships with group members’ mental models, social affordances and learning outcomes. It postulates that the three core elements influence the social interaction needed for both learning and the emergence of a social space. This framework serves as a basis for a research agenda for systematic social CSCL research.

Sustaining learning design and pedagogical planning in CSCL

This paper tackles the issue of learning design and pedagogical planning in the context of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). In this sector, we witness the same variety of approaches and tools that we find in the technology-enhanced learning (TEL) research field. In particular, in the CSCL context, notions such as “Collaborative Learning Flow Patterns” (CLFP) or “collaborative scripts” have been used to describe and/or run online collaborative learning activities and, consequently, tools have been implemented to reify these concepts and visualise the designs. Despite the differences, most of the existing tools support the representation of learning designs that are already “in the designer’s mind”, while fewer tools specifically aim to provide guidance and support to CSCL designers in the early phases of the design process, that is, when they have to make critical decisions concerning the educational approach, the tools to be used, and the ways to engage the target population. This paper, while focusing on this gap in CSCL research, proposes a unifying model, aimed at supporting pedagogical planning and decision making in the CSCL design process based on the interplay of four model components: Task, Teams, Time and Technology.Keywords: computer-supported collaborative learning; design process; 4Ts model; learning design(Published: 16 September 2013)Citation: Research in Learning Technology Supplement 2013, 21: 17585 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v21i0.17585

Computer‐supported collaborative learning: a research framework

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a computer‐supported collaborative learning (CSCL) research framework.Design/methodology/approachThe framework was developed from a review and synthesis of the literature. More specifically, gaps in the literature were identified and a general framework for future CSCL research was proposed.FindingsThis paper proposes a research framework that identifies a fit profile between learning objectives, learning tasks, and technology in CSCL. The fit profile, in turn, is expected to influence users' learning processes and outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThis framework can serve as a foundation for future research in CSCL. More specifically, research should give consideration to the collaborative learning objective and task, which will vary in degrees of complexity and cognitive demands. Also, researchers will want to evaluate the level of sophistication of the CSCL technology, as well as its appropriateness for a given objective and task, which ultimately influences the learning process and outcomes.Practical implicationsConsiderations and guidelines for development of CSCL applications are provided.Originality/valueCSCL is an important research area that has attracted the attention of researchers from various disciplines (e.g. information systems, educational psychology). However, the findings are varied and sometimes conflict with each other. By emphasizing a fit profile between learning objectives, learning tasks, and technology, this paper proposes a theory‐based research framework to address the inconsistencies observed in the literature.

Web Collage: An implementation of support for assessment design in CSCL macro-scripts

This paper presents Web Collage, an authoring tool developed to aid non-expert learning designers in the definition of assessments within Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) scripts. Web Collage fosters the consideration of assessments as a crucial aspect of CSCL scripts and tries to overcome the difficulties in their selection and configuration. Additionally, Web Collage supports the computational representation of CSCL scripts using the IMS Learning Design standard thus enabling the deployment and enactment of such scripts in compliant learning platforms. The paper describes the design process that Web Collage promotes, as well as the way the tool supports the interrelation of learning and assessment aspects of a script. Designers are also aided in the selection and application of widely accepted assessment techniques, by means of the application of assessment design patterns. The support of Web Collage to the design of CSCL scripts with assessments was evaluated in two studies, in which non-expert practitioners and experts drawn from the CSCL research community, respectively, assumed the role of script designers. The results indicate that the Web Collage successfully supports the task of assessment design for non-expert users, while they point out new research and development lines. We developed Web Collage, a collaborative learning (CL) script authoring tool.Web Collage provides support for the task of designing assessments.The tool is intended for non-expert designers, as teachers without CL experience.We carried out an evaluation both with target users, and expert designers.Evaluation results show that the provided support facilitates assessment design.

New Frontiers: Regulating Learning in CSCL

Despite intensive research in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) over the last decade, there is relatively little research about how groups and individuals in groups engage, sustain, support, and productively regulate collaborative processes. This article examines the role of regulatory processes in collaborative learning and how CSCL environments can be used for shared regulation of learning. First, we establish the importance of regulation processes and introduce three types of regulation contributing to successful collaboration: self-, co-, and socially shared regulation of learning. Second, we illuminate two strands of seemingly diverse research that lay an important foundation for supporting and researching regulation in CSCL contexts establishing that (a) computer-based pedagogical tools used to successfully support regulation in individual learning contexts can be leveraged for collaborative task contexts, and (b) computer-based tools for supporting collaborative knowledge construction can be leveraged for supporting regulatory processes. Finally, we draw on emerging research in our own programs of research to demonstrate how regulation can be supported and researched in CSCL environments. The article concludes by charting a course for future CSCL research focused on supporting regulated learning in collaborative task contexts.