Journal of Educational Computing Research

This study attempts to find appropriate interaction analysis/content analysis techniques that assist in examining the negotiation of meaning and co-construction of knowledge in collaborative learning environments facilitated by computer conferencing. The authors review strengths and shortcomings of existing interaction analysis techniques and propose a new model based on grounded theory building for analyzing the quality of CMC interactions and learning experiences. This new Interaction Analysis Model for Examining Social Construction of Knowledge in Computer Conferencing was developed after proposing a new definition of “interaction” for the CMC context and after analyzing interactions that occurred in a Global Online Debate. The application of the new model for analysis of collaborative construction of knowledge in the online debate and in a subsequent computer conference are discussed and future research suggested.

Nghiên cứu này xem xét vai trò của việc học tự điều chỉnh (SRL) trong việc tạo điều kiện cho sinh viên chuyển sang các mô hình tâm lý phức tạp hơn về hệ thống tuần hoàn, như được chỉ ra bởi cả dữ liệu hiệu suất và quy trình. Chúng tôi bắt đầu với mô hình xử lý thông tin về SRL của Winne và các đồng nghiệp (Winne, 2001; Winne & Hadwin, 1998) và sử dụng nó để xem xét cách sinh viên điều chỉnh việc học của mình khi sử dụng môi trường siêu phương tiện để học về hệ thống tuần hoàn. Sinh viên đại học (N = 24) đã được đào tạo để sử dụng một môi trường siêu phương tiện để học về hệ thống tuần hoàn. Dữ liệu từ bài kiểm tra trước, bài kiểm tra sau và giao thức bằng lời đã được thu thập để đo lường sự chuyển biến trong sự hiểu biết khái niệm (từ bài kiểm tra trước đến bài kiểm tra sau) và các biến SRL liên quan đến sự chuyển biến trong sự hiểu biết khái niệm. Chúng tôi đã sử dụng phân chia trung vị để chia mẫu thành hai nhóm học sinh—nhóm chuyển biến cao và nhóm chuyển biến thấp (tức là, sinh viên đã cho thấy sự tiến bộ lớn trong sự hiểu biết khái niệm hoặc chỉ có tiến bộ ít hoặc không có tiến bộ trong sự hiểu biết khái niệm của họ). Các phát hiện cho thấy rằng nhóm chuyển biến cao đã chuyển đổi trung bình 4,5 mô hình tâm lý, trong khi nhóm chuyển biến thấp có sự chuyển đổi trung bình là dưới một mô hình tâm lý từ bài kiểm tra trước đến bài kiểm tra sau. Dữ liệu giao thức bằng lời đã được mã hóa cho các biến tự điều chỉnh khác nhau để xem xét các biến SRL nào phân biệt nhóm chuyển biến thấp với nhóm chuyển biến cao. Nhóm chuyển biến cao thể hiện khả năng điều chỉnh việc học của mình tốt hơn trong suốt hoạt động xây dựng kiến thức. Nói chung, họ đã sử dụng các chiến lược hiệu quả, lập kế hoạch học bằng cách tạo ra các mục tiêu phụ và kích hoạt kiến thức trước đó, theo dõi sự hiểu biết đang phát triển và lập kế hoạch thời gian và nỗ lực của mình. Ngược lại, nhóm chuyển biến thấp đã sử dụng một lượng bằng nhau các chiến lược hiệu quả và không hiệu quả, lập kế hoạch học bằng cách sử dụng các mục tiêu phụ và tái chế các mục tiêu trong bộ nhớ làm việc, xử lý những khó khăn và yêu cầu của nhiệm vụ chủ yếu bằng cách tìm kiếm sự giúp đỡ, và không dành nhiều thời gian để giám sát việc học của họ. Kết quả của chúng tôi cung cấp một mô tả khởi đầu có giá trị về vai trò của SRL trong việc giải thích sự khác biệt trong những tiến bộ về kiến thức khái niệm khi sinh viên sử dụng môi trường siêu phương tiện để học về các chủ đề khoa học phức tạp. Ngoài ra, chúng tôi thảo luận về những ý nghĩa giáo dục tổng thể của những phát hiện của chúng tôi và cách chúng có thể được sử dụng để thông báo cho việc thiết kế các môi trường siêu phương tiện nhằm dạy sinh viên về các hệ thống phức tạp.

Electronic books (e-books) are a prevalent method for integrating technology in preschool and elementary classrooms; however, there is a lack of consensus concerning the extent to which e-books increase literacy skills in the domains of comprehension and decoding. This article assesses the efficacy of e-books with a comprehensive review method, including a systematic literature search, comparison of outcomes with effect sizes, and discussion of individual studies that met either (a) randomized-trial synthesis criteria, or (b) quasi-experimental/observational narrative synthesis criteria. Seven studies met the randomized-trial criteria and 20 studies met the quasi-experimental/observational narrative review criteria. Results from the randomized trials indicate that the effects of e-books on comprehension-related outcomes were small to medium in size. Only two randomized trials examined decoding-related outcomes, thereby preventing firm conclusions. The narrative review suggests some interactive e-book features support comprehension, whereas other incongruent features may hinder comprehension. Educational implications and future research directions are discussed.

This study examined 148 adolescents' use of self-regulated learning (SRL) processes when learning about the circulatory system using hypermedia. We examined participants' verbal protocols to determine the relationship between SRL processes and qualitative shifts in students' mental models from pretest to posttest. Results indicated that participants who exhibited a qualitative shift displayed differential use of six SRL processes, including metacognitive monitoring activities, learning strategies, and indications of task difficulty. We propose that these SRL processes can account for the participants' shift in mental model. Implications for the design of hypermedia learning environments are presented, including substantive recommendations for the use of trace logs and scaffolding to promote self-regulated learning with hypermedia.

The study of social media acceptance and adoption is not a new research topic. However, the analysis of the educational and information systems (IS) theories/models that are used to examine the social media acceptance and adoption is considered an important research direction. To examine these theories/models and provide researchers with a clear vision of this research topic, we should be aware of the leading educational and IS theories/models used in this line of research. To this end, this systematic review retrieved and analyzed 2,382 articles. The retrieved articles were then critically examined to meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria, in which 122 articles published between 2009 and 2018 were eventually selected for further critical analysis. The main findings indicated that the uses and gratifications theory (U&G) and the social constructivism theory were considered the most widely used educational theories in social media. Besides, the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) were considered the most extensively used IS models in studying the social media acceptance and adoption. These results afford a better understanding of social media studies related to the educational and IS theories/models and form a constructive reference for future research.

Although claims regarding the cognitive benefits of computer programming have been made, results from existing empirical studies are conflicting. To make a more reliable conclusion on this issue, a meta-analysis was performed to synthesize existing research concerning the effects of computer programming on cognitive outcomes. Sixty-five studies were located from three sources, and their quantitative data were transformed into a common scale—Effect Size. The analysis showed that 58 or 89 percent of the study-weighted effect sizes were positive and favored the computer programming group over the control groups. The overall grand mean of the study-weighted effect size for all 432 comparisons was 0.41; this suggests that students having computer programming experiences scored about sixteen percentile points higher on various cognitive-ability tests than students who did not have programming experiences. In addition, four of the seven coded variables selected for this study (i.e., type of publication, grade level, language studied, and duration of treatment) had a statistically significant impact on the mean study-weighted effect sizes. The findings suggest that the outcomes of learning a computer language go beyond the content of that specific computer language. The results also suggest to teachers a mildly effective approach for teaching cognitive skills in a classroom setting.

Patterns of computer use are studied based on analysis of data from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY) in which a cohort of students and their parents were surveyed for five consecutive years. Special attention is given to students who were heavier users of computers. Heavier use is associated with high SES as well as superiority in grades. Heavier use declined as this cohort progressed from the seventh grade to high school despite increasing access to computers at home. Parents with computers at home reported that their children used computers mostly for educational purposes. Males were significantly more likely to be heavier users until the 1992 survey when the gap with females narrowed. A substantial proportion but less than half (42%) of heavier users remained more frequent users from 1988 to 1992. Analysis suggests that computer ownership and parental interest in their children using computers exerted the biggest impacts on the likelihood of being a heavier user.

This study examined the relationship between epistemological beliefs, meta-cognition, and student achievement in a hypermedia learning environment. Epistemological beliefs refer to beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowing (see review by Hofer & Pintrich, 1997) and metacognition refers to the ability to reflect upon, understand, and control one's learning (Schraw & Dennison, 1994). We predicted that the epistemological beliefs and meta-cognitive awareness of 116 preservice teachers would be significantly related to achievement in a hypermedia tutorial. Achievement was measured by a posttest based on the tutorial content. Results from a forced-order, hierarchical regression analysis indicated that reading comprehension, GPA, and three of the five epistemological beliefs (i.e., fixed ability, omniscient authority, and quick learning) significantly predicted posttest performance. Belief in omniscient authority and fixed ability being related to lower achievement supports previous research. Contrary to our expectations, a belief in quick learning was positively correlated with achievement. Educational and instructional design implications are discussed.

A study of fifty-four female and fifty-nine male Gymnasium (high school) students from four ninth-grade classes oriented toward natural sciences and mathematics surveyed students' attitudes toward computers in relation to gender and computer experience and found that males showed a more positive attitude toward computers than females, even when computer experience was controlled. An additional study of fifty-one females and fifty-four males from the initial sample found that males did show more interest in computer science than females, but these differences could not explain gender differences in computer attitude.

There are increasing concerns about student’s possibility of becoming victim of negative online experiences, including cyberbullying victimization (CV). The outcome of these experiences on student’s psychological and mental health is not well understood. This study used stimulus–organism–response paradigm to inspect the antecedents of social media fatigue and how social media attachment (SMA) is related to internalizing disorders (depression and anxiety). We also examined the moderating role of moral disengagement in the positive association between SMA and CV. The distinctive stimulus–organism–response paradigm in the suggested model is empirically examined through a sample of 305 college students. SMA was related to more CV and greater symptoms of internalizing disorders. CV and internalizing disorders were positively associated with social media fatigue. Moral disengagement moderated the relationship between SMA and CV. Implications for online awareness struggles are discussed.