Sensitivities to early exchange in synchronous computer-supported

Abstract

This study reports the impact of high sensitivity to early exchange in 11th-grade, CSCL triads solving well- and ill-structured problems in Newtonian Kinematics. Analysis of the evolution of participation inequity (PI) in group discussions suggested that participation levels tended to get locked-in relatively early on in the discussion. Similarly, high (low) quality member contributions made earlier in a discussion did more good (harm) than those made later on. Both PI and differential impact of member contributions suggest a high sensitivity to early exchange; both significantly predicting the eventual group performance, as measured by solution quality. Consequently, eventual group performance could be predicted based on what happened in the first 30-40% of a discussion. In addition to theoretical and methodological implications, implications for scaffolding CSCL groups are drawn.