Peer Interaction in Multimodal Composition: The Story Behind the Scenes

• In Event: 72.049 - Roundtable Session 34
  In Roundtable Session: 72.049-11 - Technologies to Support Young Writers

Abstract

This paper explored how students’ interactions were initiated, mediated, and differed based on multiple modes of representations. Eighteen middle school students enrolled in an afterschool program where they worked in small groups to create multimedia science fictions. Each team member took a different role of writer, designer, or scientist. The results showed that 1) there were interactional differences within and across modes; 2) in comparison with other modes (text, audio, and animation), the visual comic fostered the most discussion; 3) students expressed their identities through avatars in the comics to discuss how modes functioned together in meaning making; 4) students rarely evaluated each other’s ideas during multimodal design.

Authors

• Shiyan Jiang, University of Miami

• Blaine E. Smith, University of Arizona

• Ji Shen, University of Miami