What Makes Group Outstanding? Exploring Knowledge Construction Patterns in High- and Low-Achieving Online Groups

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 7
  In Poster Session: Technology, Instruction, Cognition and Learning SIG Poster Session 2 (San Diego)

Abstract

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, online collaboration via virtual tools has become a prevalent form of learning. It is increasingly important to explore patterns of knowledge construction to look for specific reasons why some groups perform better than the others. In this study, 37 post-graduate students completed interdisciplinary instructional design projects through online inquiry with1732 posts coded using a five-phase scheme. The patterns of knowledge construction processes were modeled using epistemic network analysis. The results show that members in high-achieving groups are more actively engaged in exploring dissonance, negotiating meaning, and testing and modifying ideas, while low-achievers remain at the sharing and negotiation level. This research provides guidance for investigating patterns of collaborative knowledge construction in online groups.

Authors

• Jing Leng, East China Normal University

• Xiaojun Chen, St. John's University