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Using asynchronous online discussions in primary school project work
Citation
Azilawati Jamaludin, & Quek, C. L. (2006). Using asynchronous online discussions in primary school project work. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 22(1), 64-87. https://dx.doi.org/10.14742/ajet.1307
Abstract
Using asynchronous online discussions for interschool collaborative project
work represents one of the innovative practices in the Singapore classroom.
With anytime, anywhere access to interactions among the students and
teachers, the asynchronous nature of these interactions leads to new
paradigms for teaching and learning, with both unique problems of
coordination and unique opportunities to support active participation and
collaborative learning. A research study was conducted to investigate how
primary school students participate and learn in project work based on coconstruction
of knowledge in asynchronous online learning environments.
10 teachers and 20 students from 5 primary schools participated in this halfyear
long research study. Teachers crafted project tasks for implementation
at the students’ level and these tasks were addressed collaboratively by the
students who formed project groups with members from another school.
Quantitative and qualitative analyses of students’ activity in the
asynchronous online environment were conducted. Students’ sent and
received notes as well as the frequency of scaffolds used in the online
environment were evaluated. Each note was also ranked according to
Gunawardena, Lowe and Anderson’s (1997) Interaction Analysis Model. The
findings provided evidence to suggest that primary school students
participating in the online project work learning environment were capable
of the co-construction of knowledge up till Phase IV of the Interaction
Analysis Model.
Date Issued
2006
Publisher
Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education
Journal
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
DOI
10.14742/ajet.1307