Abstract The aim of this study was to examine and develop statistics education by implementing computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL). This study has been influenced by design-based research, and it focuses on describing the statistical learning of upper secondary school students (N=138) in a CSCL environment, both quantitative and qualitative methods have been utilised. The present study is filling a gaping void in classroom study and disseminates new knowledge with a novel approach in combining CSCL, mathematics education at secondary level and statistical literacy. First, the students’ starting level in statistical literacy was assessed in the pre-test in which students’ perceptions and knowledge of statistics was evaluated. The results showed that students had a severe lack of understanding of basic statistical concepts. Second, CSCL supports students in collaborating asynchronously in different small-groups by using technology. Results suggest that studying in a group fostered their learning and the electronic and interactive material clarified learned topics which was designed by integrating the principles of cognitive theory of multimedia learning. Third, the shift from traditional didactic instruction towards student-centred CSCL learning was challenging for students. According to the results, students had only a few earlier experiences in learning CSCL environments. The quality of the students’ conversational acts varied considerably. It seems that learning how to collaborate productively needs practice. According to the results, the articulation and quality of mathematical discussion increased as students’ acquaintance with their teammates improved. Students’ collaboration in small groups was examined by using video analyses and content analyses. Contact summary sheet -instrument used in analyses facilitated observation of the magnitude and quality in student’s inter-subjective phenomena in collaborative learning. Fourth, students in the treatment group had better learning outcomes than students in the control group. The results suggest a statistically significant difference between treatment and control groups only in the delayed post-test and the effect size indicates a medium effect. The interactive material and CSCL seemed to foster and facilitate the development of statistical literacy. Nevertheless, students were critical of studying in the CSCL environment. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tutkia ja kehittää tilastojen opetusta hyödyntäen tietokoneavusteista yhteisöllistä oppimista (CSCL). Tutkimus on saanut vaikutteita design-perustaisesta tutkimuksesta ja se keskittyy kuvaamaan lukio-opiskelijoiden (N=138) tilastojen oppimista CSCL-ympäristössä ja tutkimuksessa on hyödynnetty kvantitatiivisia ja kvalitatiivisia menetelmiä. Tämä tutkimus lisää tietämystä luokkahuonetutkimuksesta ja yhdistää CSCL:n ja tilastollisen lukutaidon opetuksen toisella asteella. Ensimmäiseksi oppilaiden tilastollisen lukutaidon lähtötaso mitattiin alkutestissä, missä arvioitiin heidän ennakkokäsityksiä ja tietoa tilastoista. Tutkimustulokset osoittivat, että oppilailla oli suuria vaikeuksia ymmärtää tilastollisia peruskäsitteitä. Toiseksi CSCL-teknologia tukee asynkronisesti pienryhmätyöskentelyä. Tulosten mukaan opiskelu ryhmissä tuki opiskelijoiden oppimista ja sähköinen ja interaktiivinen oppimateriaali selkiytti opeteltavia asioita, joka oli suunniteltu kognitiivisen multimedia oppimisteorian periaatteiden mukaisesti. Kolmanneksi opiskelijat kokivat haasteellisuutta siirryttäessä perinteisestä opettajajohtoisesta opetusmenetelmästä oppijakeskeiseen CSCL-oppimismenetelmään. Tulosten mukaan opiskelijoilla on ollut vain vähän aikaisempia kokemuksia oppimisesta CSCL-ympäristöissä. Opiskelijoiden funktionaalisten roolien laadut vaihtelivat huomattavasti. Näyttää ilmeiseltä, että produktiivisen yhteistoiminnallisuuden oppimiseen tarvitaan harjoittelua. Tutkimustulosten mukaan artikulaatio ja laatu matemaattisissa keskusteluissa lisääntyivät oppimistilanteissa, kun opiskelijoiden ryhmätyöskentelytaidot kehittyivät. Opiskelijoiden pienryhmätyöskentelyä tutkittiin video- ja sisällönanalyysin avulla. Analysoinnissa käytetty contact summary sheet -instrumentti auttoi havainnoimaan opiskelijoiden intersubjektiivista yhteistoiminnallisen oppimisen laatua ja määrää. Neljänneksi opetuskokeiluun osallistuneilla oli parempia oppimistuloksia verrattaessa kontrolliryhmän oppilaisiin. Tutkimustulosten mukaan tilastollisesti merkittävä ero oli havaittavissa opetuskokeilu- ja kontrolliryhmän välillä ainoastaan viivästetyssä lopputestissä ja vaikutuksen suuruus on keskivoimakasta. Interaktiivinen opetusmateriaali ja CSCL näyttäisivät edistävän tilastollisen lukutaidon kehittymistä. Tästä huolimatta, opiskelijat suhtautuivat kriittisesti opiskeluun CSCL-ympäristössä.

The study examines the role of social networks’ in collaborative group working within a blended setting. Lingua Franca, Pakistan, an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) training institute, has been investigated as a case study for the aforementioned research question. Focus groups consisting of the institute’s students and training staff were solicited for primary data collection. Theories of learning, social comparison, social exchange and connectivism theory provided the theoretical understanding for the study along with relevant extant literature. Content analysis has been used to analyze and interpret the data. The findings shed light on the myriad yet significant role social networks play in enhancing collaborative group work through their inherent interactive and dynamic features, which unlocks opportunities for self-validation, self-improvement and self-development. The study thus opens new avenues of research into this less studied area of social networks and collaborative group working with respect to learning

I rapporten undersöks problemställningen ”Hur kan teorin om Gemensam grund och specifikt ”gemensamt avslut” bidra till en ökad förståelse för betydelsen av social interaktion i flexibel undervisning via datorförmedlad kommunikation?” i en fallstudie med fokus på videokonferenssystem vilka används i lärandemiljöer. Resultaten som framkom tydliggjorde att då ett sociotekniskt glapp uppstår tvingas studenterna att skapa alternativa strategier för att kunna uppnå just det här gemensamma avslutet. Därmed uppvisar också resultaten att drivkraften att uppnå gemensamt avslut inte endast är stark vid kommunikation som sker ansikte mot ansikte utan även vid datorförmedlad kommunikation. Fallstudiens resultat kan därmed ses som ett bidrag till grundforskningen i det att betydelsen av att uppnå gemensamt avslut vid datorförmedlad kommunikation uppvisas, vilket också förstärker betydelsen av Clarks (1996) teori om gemensam grund. Vidare har resultaten från fallstudien också använts för tillämpad forskning då designkonsekvenser tagits fram vilka beskriver hur videokonferenssystem i lärandemiljöer bör utformas för att studenter lättare ska kunna uppnå gemensamt avslut via systemen. Med hjälp av dessa designkonsekvenser kan det sociotekniska glappet reduceras och därigenom skapa ett framgångsrikt lärande för studenter vilka studerar via flexibelt lärande.

L'intérêt pour l'utilisation de tablettes en classe se traduit par le développement d'un grand nombre d'applications éducatives. Cependant, peu de travaux prennent en compte le rôle de l'enseignant dans l'orchestration, c'est-à-dire la préparation en amont et la gestion en temps réel, de ce type de situation. Et lorsque des travaux de recherche proposent de fournir des outils informatiques pour supporter les enseignants dans cette orchestration, les logiciels développés sont souvent spécifiques à un exercice et ne peuvent donc pas être réutilisés pour l’orchestration d’exercices différents. Le travail de cette thèse se place dans ce contexte et vise à fournir une librairie d’outils logiciels pouvant servir de base pour le développement de technologies d’orchestration. Pour cela, je propose (1) une modélisation de l’orchestration d’un scénario pédagogique qui explicite les actions d’orchestration d’un enseignant et sur quoi portent ces actions ; (2) des modèles d’interface utilisateur offrant la possibilité aux enseignants de réaliser ces actions d’orchestration ; (3) un framework logiciel pour tablette facile à instancier implémentant ces modèles d’interface, et dont les instanciations ont pour objectif de supporter efficacement un enseignant dans l’orchestration d’une situation donnée. / The use of tablets in classrooms is soaring. This phenomenon can be witnessed by the large amount of applications developed for educational purposes. Yet, little work has addressed the teacher’s role in the orchestration, which stands for the planning beforehand and the management at run-time, of such situations. When these works do address this issue, it often leads to the design of software applications that are too tied to a specific exercise, making these applications difficult to reuse in a different situation. This doctoral project falls within this context and attempts to build a software framework that can serve as a foundation for the development of orchestration technologies. To do so, I propose (1) a model of orchestration that make explicit the teacher’s orchestration actions and on what these actions; (2) abstract user interfaces that allow teachers to perform these orchestration actions; (3) an easy-to-instantiate software framework for tablets that implements these abstract user interfaces, and whose instantiations aim towards efficiently supporting teachers in the orchestration of a specific situation.

Abstract This study focused on enriching collaborative learning through pedagogically scripted multiplayer games. Collaborative learning was examined in the synchronous discussions of small group problem-solving activities in face-to-face and virtual game settings. The theoretical approach is socio-cognitive and builds on the contextual and situated nature of learning. Interaction between group members in social situations is a key mechanism fostering students’ collaborative learning. In the field of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning the underlying aim is to stimulate and structure socially shared construction of knowledge and development of shared understanding among the collaborators. This thesis consisted of three empirical studies. The first study focused on analysing the macro-level elements of teacher education students’ face-to-face discussions in a context of an international web-based course. The focus of the second and third empirical studies was on how distributed collaboration can be enriched by scripting multiplayer game environments. The game environments were developed and tailored as part of the empirical studies. The main aim was to analyse small-group micro-level interactions and activities taking place during the game. Moreover, the particulars of a 3D voice-enhanced multiplayer game context for small-group shared collaborative activities were investigated. The focus of the last empirical study was on aspects of collaborative game activity and shared problem solving described from the perspective of individual players. The results indicated that the synchronous small-group discussions, on the macro-level, consisted of explaining, sharing knowledge, providing critiques, reflection, and joint engagement. The micro-level elements of the players’ discussions during the game were questions, content statements, social statements, suggestions, instructions or orders, encouragements, and responses. Both macro and micro level elements varied in random order during the discussion, forming a base for small-group discussion and joint problem-solving efforts. Not all problem-solving situations in the game data were shared, indicating that if shared collaborative activity was pursued, the scripting of the game tasks must require equal participation and teamwork during the game. The 3D game environment created a strong shared context for the distributed groups by engaging the players and reinforcing individual participation through the avatar activity. The findings of this thesis contribute to the future development of serious games and highlight the potential of multiplayer games as tools for supporting the social aspects of distributed teamwork. / Tiivistelmä Väitöstutkimus tarkastelee yhteisöllisen oppimisen rikastamista pedagogisesti vaiheistettujen virtuaalipeliympäristöjen avulla. Tutkimuksessa on analysoitu pienryhmien sosiaalista vuorovaikutusta luokkahuonekeskusteluissa ja puhevälitteisissä peliympäristöissä. Teoreettisesti tutkimus pohjautuu sosiokognitiiviseen käsitykseen oppimisesta, jonka mukaan sosiaaliset tilanteet voivat käynnistää yksilöissä oppimisen kannalta keskeisiä mekanismeja, kuten esimerkiksi selittämistä ja tiedon jakamista. Yhteisöllisen oppimisen ytimeksi katsotaan jaetun ymmärryksen rakentaminen sosiaalisessa vuorovaikutuksessa, mitä tietokoneavusteisen yhteisöllisen oppimisen tutkimuslinjassa pyritään tukemaan vaiheistamalla oppimisympäristöjä. Tutkimus koostuu kolmesta eri osatutkimuksesta, joista ensimmäisessä analysoitiin korkeakouluopiskelijoiden pienryhmäkeskustelua luokkahuonetilanteessa. Lähitapaamiset toimivat kurssilla hajautetun kansainvälisen verkkotyöskentelyn tukena. Toisessa osatutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin, voiko hajautettua yhteisöllistä oppimista rikastaa puhevälitteisen monenpelaajan peliympäristön avulla. Pelin tehtävät suunniteltiin ja vaiheistettiin yhteisöllistä toimintaa vaativiksi sekä jaetun ymmärryksen rakentamista tukeviksi. Analyysi keskittyi korkeakouluopiskelijoiden pelinaikaisen keskustelun ja ongelmanratkaisutilanteiden tarkasteluun. Kolmannen osatutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia, mitä osatekijöitä työelämäkontekstista tulleet osallistujat joutuivat hallitsemaan puhevälitteisessä monenpelaajan pelissä. Tutkimusten video- ja haastatteluaineistot analysoitiin laadullisen sisällönanalyysin menetelmin. Tutkimustulokset osoittivat, että pienryhmän vuorovaikutus koostuu makrotasolla mm. selittämisestä, tiedon jakamisesta ja reflektoinnista. Mikrotasolla mm. kysymykset, toteamukset, auttaminen ja ehdottaminen vaihtelivat puheenvuoroittain ja muodostivat yhteisen toiminnan pohjan pienryhmän pelaamisessa. Kaikki ongelmanratkaisutilanteet pelin aikana eivät kuitenkaan olleet jaettuja. Tulokset osoittavat, että kun tavoitellaan aidosti yhteisöllisiä tilanteita, pelin tehtävät täytyy vaiheistaa niin, että ne vaativat kaikkien osallistumista ja pitävät ryhmää virtuaalisesti yhdessä. Tässä tutkimuksessa käytetyt peliympäristöt muodostivat hajautetuille ryhmille vahvan jaetun tilan ja virtuaalisten ihmishahmojen eli avatarien kautta osallistuminen vahvisti yksilöiden toimijuutta pienryhmän osana. Tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää hajautetun tiimityön kontekstissa sekä käyttää tukena tulevaisuuden virtuaalisten tiimipelien suunnittelussa.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / Steve J. Thien / This phenomenological study explored horticultural students’ intellectual development as defined by William Perry’s Scheme. Perry’s theory of intellectual development helps describe the progression in college student thinking from simple to complex. These patterns of development act as filters through which a student ascribes meaning to their world. The objectives of this study were to: 1) explore the reliability of using the Learning Environment Preference Inventory (LEP) instrument’s Cognitive Complexity Indicator (CCI) scores as a tool to recognize the positions of cognitive complexity of horticultural students, the nature of this complexity and if gender, age, class status, or previous horticultural experience would influence CCI scores; 2) determine if specific teaching methods designed to promote active involvement at a higher level of exchange than lecture might influence scores; 3) describe the effects of the collaborative interactions with classmates and instructor; 4) determine whether student journals would reveal changes in their cognitive complexity or perception of learning as a result of their learning environment and; 5) discover other significant issues that could produce advancement along the Perry scale. Students in this study began their experiences no lower than Perry position two and ranged as high as position four. The initial CCI scores affirmed that many upper-division horticultural students were still operating in Perry positions two and three. Analysis of the interviews revealed: 1) that instructor techniques may positively or negatively influence individual students ideal learning environment; 2) there are significant issues that influence student ideal learning environments; 3) learning is viewed as the responsibility of the instructor, and; 4) students prefer hands-on learning. The students CCI scores did not show upward movement as a direct result of collaborative learning, although the voices of several students expressed both benefits and drawbacks of this type of learning. Journal writing did not reveal any changes in students’ level of thinking or perception of learning but they did reveal other aspects of student learning and attitudes. An understanding of Perry’s Scheme helped the researcher to recognize that student perspective, behavior, and performance is conditioned more by the students’ cognitive complexity than by peer interaction or by teaching methodology.

This dissertation reports on an investigation into three web-based technologies to determine their usefulness and the extent to which they support learning. The study comprises three case studies, each examining a separate web-based technology, suitable for diverse groups of learners in terms of age group and background. The main contribution is to determine for whom and how these technologies could be used, with the intention of providing a systematic structure of web-learning possibilities for learners of different ages (children, undergraduates and postgraduates) and types of teaching (contact teaching and distance learning). It was found that web-based technologies could support learning. Their usefulness depends on how the instructional design addresses the different aspects of web-based learning, and whether or not the course and web-based material match the characteristics/needs of the target group. / Thesis (MA (Information Science))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Information Science / unrestricted

Mobile technology has allowed the traditional boundaries that exist between formal learning and informal learning to blend. The purpose of this research is to understand and describe the use of established and new “support networks” and the process of knowledge acquisition and knowledge creation in a formal learning environment. Factors affecting the design, testing and ultimate feasibility of using mobile devices such as cell phones to enhance teaching and learning in well-resourced developed, and under-resourced developing schools are identified. Findings in this study point to the general acceptance of using mobile technology as a readily available vehicle, to provide access to contents and allow learners to contribute to the collective body of knowledge from their own perspective. Copyright 2007, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Batchelor, J 2007, Mobile information communication and technology use in secondary schools : a feasibility study, MEd dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-09102007-161045 / > / Dissertation (MEd (Computer Integrated Education))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

Tertiary institutions in South Africa are currently faced with several challenges: Student numbers are increasing, funding is not necessarily sufficient and the type of student who enters Higher Education is part of a generation which grew up with technology (Prensky, 2001). Expectations are that tertiary education institutions need to keep up with the changing environment, whilst still maintaining high standards. Interaction within the learning environment is essential, both from an academic, as well as a social point of view. Students who leave the institution need to be able to function in a working environment, with all the challenges that accompany it, as well as be academically qualified for their careers. Universities, and specifically Economics departments, are often accused of being ivory towers with no regard for the real world (Fullbrook, 2003). The design for this study is a case-study within a qualitative research design. The study focuses on the use of an LMS to aid the learning process in a blended learning environment at the department of Economics, at the University of the Free State. In this study, several tools were used to support students and add another dimension to learning economics. Data-collection instruments include a literature review, focus group meetings, semi-structured questionnaires and observations. The value of this study is that it forms a basis for lecturers in other disciplines to include aspects of blended learning in their courses. The findings of the research include the usability of the different LMS tools, students’ experiences of these tools and the effect that these tools have on their understanding and integration of economics. The rationale of this study is based on the fact that students who attend university come from a generation identified as Digital Natives (Prensy, 2001) and have certain methods of data integration. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to focus and analyse students’ experiences of using WebCT tools as an additional aid to the course. The target group for the study was the Economics firstyear, second semester, English medium of instruction students. The course runs over a full semester, with two traditional facetoface classes, as well as tutor groups. In addition to two semester tests and an examination, students had to participate in a biweekly discussion forum, based on economic events and four online, multiple choice quizzes. They also had access to class notes, additional readings, informal discussions and a forum for questions. This research makes use of a qualitative approach and a casestudy, because it studies a “…human activity embedded in the real world which can only be studied or understood in context … which exists in the here and now that merges in with its context so that precise boundaries are difficult to draw” Gillham (2000). This study falls within the Interpretivist paradigm (Burrel and Morgan). Data were collected by means of focus group meetings, informal discussions, openended questionnaires, observations and a course evaluation. In this way, students’ attitudes towards the LMS could be gauged. Three categories were identified during the data analysis and coding process. The first category relates to interaction between students and lecturers (or tutors), the second to peerinteraction and the last category refers to contentstudent interaction. The findings of this study concludes that students need interaction with lecturers, peers and content in order to make sense of what they are learning, to link the theory with realworld issues and to enhance generic skills. Lecturers should consider making use of a hybrid learning system, but must consider their specific course content before deciding which of the available tools to use. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

This study investigates the dynamics of theory and practice in the design of instructional systems, learning events and learning environments, with a view to synthesizing an integrated metamodel as a framework to facilitate effective learning in systems which use computer technology as a tutor, tool, or environment. This framework can be used as a design aid by instructional designers and instructor-designers, or as a tool to examine existing learning events from the viewpoint of learning and instructional-design theory. The research contributes to inquiry into learning theory by an in-depth study of the elements of the framework itself, investigating how they function in different contexts and contents. Following an extensive literature survey, the researcher synthesizes a concise integrated framework of learning theories and instructional design practice from the cognitive family. This framework, the Hexa-C Metamodel (HCMm), is generated by a process of criterion-based textual filtration through effectiveness criteria, and encompasses the theoretical concepts of constructivism, cognitive learning and knowledge/skills components as well as the practical characteristics of creativity, customization and collaborative learning. Using mainly qualitative ethnographic methods within the contexts of action research and development research, case studies are undertaken, applying the elements of the HCMm as an inquiry toolset to investigate three diverse learning events to determine what they reveal about the practice of effective and motivational learning. The learning events - a computer-based practice environment, an Internet-based course, and a fieldwork project - were selected due to the researcher's close involvement with each intervention. Information from the evaluations of the learning events is then used to further examine in-depth the theories and characteristics which comprise the tool, as well as their interrelationships and ways of implementing them in domains that differ in context and content - distinguishing particularly between well-structured and ill-structured domains. / Dissertation (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Curriculum Studies / PhD / Unrestricted