Scripting peer-rating for collaborative knowledge improvement: A study on pre-service teachers’ collaborative lesson design

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of a scripted peer-rating procedure for collaborative knowledge improvement in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. The context of the study was in pre-service teacher education. Participants underwent two rounds of computer-supported collaborative lesson design (CSCLD) guided by the five-phase Spiral Model of Collaborative Knowledge Improvement (SMCKI) script. The intergroup peer-rating phase (phase 3 of SMCKI) provided opportunities for participants to view and critique lesson ideas of other design groups. To ensure the quality of peer-rating, the rating procedure was micro-scripted so that the issues of social loafing, the bias in opinion, and avoiding criticism in the attempts to maintain harmony in the Asian culture norm can be averted. The findings show that the micro-scripted intergroup peer-rating bring forth quality feedback. Results also reveal that the feedback helped develop the pre-service teachers' TP A CK competencies in Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) design, indicating that micro-scripted peer-rating was effective in supporting collaborative knowledge improvement.