Role taking and conversational functions in a blended university course
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Published
Feb 10, 2016
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Abstract
Role taking is an established technique that can foster group participation in online university courses. This paper reports on a blended course in Experimental Pedagogy at Sapienza University in Rome, analyzing how conversational functions and language use differs when students are assigned a role. A total of 143 students (22 males, 121 females) participated in the study. Online messages posted in a Moodle forum were analyzed by two different experts, who used a coding system that distinguishes between global and specific conversational functions. Language analysis was conducted using the software T-Lab. The results reveal differences in the performance of roleplaying and non-roleplaying students, specifically in the employment of conversational functions and the use of pronouns. Implications for future research are discussed.
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Articles - General topics
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Black E., Dawson, K., & Priem J. (2008). Data for free: Using LMS activity logs to measure community in an online course. Internet and Higher Education, 11(2), 65-70.
Brewer S., & Klein J. (2006). Type of positive interdependence and affiliation motive in an asynchronous, collaborative learning environment. Educational Technology Research & Development, 54(4), 331-354.
Cacciamani, S., Cesareni, D., Martini, F., Ferrini, T., & Fujita, N. (2012). Influence of participation, facilitator styles, and metacognitive reflection on knowledge building in online university courses. Computers and Education, 58(3), 874-884.
Cesareni, D., & Cacciamani, S. (2011). Effects of role taking in on-line writing and reading activities in a blended University course. Paper presented to the XIV Earli conference Education for a Global Networked Society, Exeter UK.
Cesareni, D., & Rossi, F. (2011) Discutere in rete per costruire competenze professionali: costruzione di un sistema di analisi della partecipazione qualitativa alla discussione. III Congresso Nazionale CKBG Empowerment, Formazione e Tecnologie: l’individuo, il gruppo e l’organizzazione, Bari IT. Abstract retrieved from www.ckbg.org/congresso2011/wpcontent/ uploads/2011/04/III_Congresso_CKB G._Libro_degli_Abstract_completo1.pdf
Coldwell, J., Craig, A., Paterson, T., & Mustard, J. (2008). Online Students: Relationships between Participation, Demographics and Academic Performance. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 6(1), 19-30. Retrieved from www.ejel.org.
Engeström, Y., & Sannino, A. (2010). Studies of expansive learning: Foundation, findings and future challenges. Educational Research Review, 5, 1-24.
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105.
Hare, A.P. (1994). Types of roles in small groups: A bit of history and a current perspective. Small Group Research, 25, 443-448.
Kollar, I., Fischer, F., & Hesse, F. W. (2006). Collaboration scripts - a conceptual analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 18(2), 159- 185.
Lancia, F. (2004). Strumenti per l’Analisi dei Testi. Introduzione all’uso di T-LAB. Milano, IT: Franco Angeli.
Ligorio, M. B. (2010). Dialogical relationship between identity and learning. Culture & Psychology, 16(1), 93-107.
Morris, M., & Ogan, C. (1996). The Internet as mass medium. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 1(4). Retrieved from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol1/ issue4/morris.html
Muukkonen, H., Hakkarainen, K., & Lakkala, M. (2004). Computer-mediated progressive inquiry in higher education. In T. S. Roberts (Ed.), Online Collaborative Learning: Theory and Practice (pp. 28-53). Hershey, PA, USA: Information Science Publishing.
Nonnecke, B., & Preece, J. (2001). Why lurkers lurk. Paper presented at the Americas Conference on Information Systems. Boston. Retrieved from http://skeeter.socs.uoguelph.ca /~nonnecke//research/whylurk.pdf
Pontecorvo, C., Ajello, A.M., & Zucchermaglio, C. (1991) Discutendo si impara. Interazione sociale e conoscenza a scuola. Roma, IT: Carocci.
Preece, J., Nonnecke, B., & Andrews, D. (2004). The top five reasons for lurking: improving community experience for everyone. Computers in Human Behavior, 20, 201-223.
Scardamalia, M. (2002). Collective cognitive responsibility for the advancement of knowledge. In B. Smith (Ed.), Liberal education in a knowledge society (pp.76-98). Chicago, IL, USA: Open Court.
Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2006). Knowledge building: Theory, pedagogy, and technology. In K. Sawyer (Ed.), Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences. New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.
Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2010). A brief history of Knowledge Building. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology 36(1). Retrieved from http://www.cjlt.ca/index.php /cjlt/article/view/574.
Schellens, T., Van Keer, H., De Wever, B., & Valcke, M. (2007). Scripting by assigning roles: Does it improve knowledge construction in asynchronous discussion groups? International Journal of Computer- Supported Collaborative Learning, 2(2/3), 225-246.
Selwyn, N. (2012). I Social Media nell’educazione formale e informale tra potenzialità e realtà. TD Tecnologie didattiche, 20(1), 4-10. Retrieved form http://www.tdjournal.itd.cnr.it /files/pdfarticles/PDF55/Neil_Selwyn.pdf
Spadaro, P. F., Sansone, N., & Ligorio, M.B. (2009). Role-taking for knowledge building in a blended learning course. Je-LKS, 5(3), 11-21.
Strijbos, J.W., Martens, R., Jochems, W.M.G., & Broers, N.J. (2004). The effect of functional roles on group efficiency: Using multilevel modeling and content analysis to investigate computer-supported collaboration in small groups. Small Group Research, 35(2), 195- 229.
Strijbos, J. W., & Weinberger, A. (2010). Emerging and scripted roles in computer-supported collaborative learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 26, 491-494.
Wise, A. F., & Chiu, M. M. (2011) Analyzing temporal patterns of knowledge construction in a role-based online discussion. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 6, 445-470.
Wise, A. F., Saghafian, M., & Padmanabhan, P. (2012). Towards more precise design guidance: specifying and testing the functions of assigned student roles in online discussions. Educational Technology Research and Development, 60(1), 55-82.