Scaffolding and Knowledge Appropriation in Online Collaborative Group Discussions

Hwee Ling Lim

doi:10.30935/cedtech/6035

Hwee Ling Lim ¹ ^*

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CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 4, pp. 306-321

https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6035

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Abstract

Sociocultural constructivism assumes that a learner’s capacity for intellectual growth increases with the presence of scaffolding or support during interaction. Moreover, from participating in dialogic interaction, there is appropriation of the knowledge shared and jointly created by learners which could transform individual understandings. Hence, interactions are opportunities for scaffolding and appropriation that affect intellectual development. This paper presents a study of an online course based on constructivist principles and evaluates the extent to which an instructional activity, supported by synchronous communication technology in a virtual environment, fosters collaborative learning. Survey findings on two student groups’ experiences of collaborative learning during online tutorials are presented. The results indicated that scaffolding was available as peers’ efforts in provision and clarification of ideas during tutorial discussions. Also, appropriation of shared knowledge was present as students’ perceptions of own attainment of learning from peer contributions during discussions. The conclusion discusses the effectiveness of the instructional activity in facilitating collaborative learning and offers recommendations for future research.

Keywords: Collaborative learning, Computer-mediated communication, Educational technology, Sociocultural constructivism, Virtual learning environment.

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Citation

Lim, H. L. (2010). Scaffolding and Knowledge Appropriation in Online Collaborative Group Discussions. Contemporary Educational Technology, 1(4), 306-321. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6035

Lim, H. L. (2010). Scaffolding and Knowledge Appropriation in Online Collaborative Group Discussions. Contemporary Educational Technology, 1(4), pp. 306-321. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6035

Lim HL. Scaffolding and Knowledge Appropriation in Online Collaborative Group Discussions. CONT ED TECHNOLOGY. 2010;1(4), 306-321. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6035

Lim, Hwee Ling. "Scaffolding and Knowledge Appropriation in Online Collaborative Group Discussions". Contemporary Educational Technology 2010 1 no. 4 (2010): 306-321. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6035

Lim, Hwee Ling "Scaffolding and Knowledge Appropriation in Online Collaborative Group Discussions". Contemporary Educational Technology, vol. 1, no. 4, 2010, pp. 306-321. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6035

Lim HL. Scaffolding and Knowledge Appropriation in Online Collaborative Group Discussions. CONT ED TECHNOLOGY. 2010;1(4):306-21. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6035