The present study investigated how 6 Korean graduate students at a Canadian university used a suite of multiple Web-based reference resources (named i-Conc), consisting of concordancers and dictionaries, as a cognitive tool for solving linguistic problems encountered over the course of completing—in English, their second language (L2)—an academic writing assignment for one of their graduate courses. Using a mixed methods design employing surveys, interviews, screen recordings, a query tracking log, and detailed case studies, the thesis provides rich descriptions of (a) the processes, and outcomes of the 6 participants’ uses of i-Conc as a reference tool for their writing authentic academic tasks and (b) their perceptions of the suite as a means of writing assistance. Overall, i-Conc served as an intellectual partner that aided the participants in strategically solving lexical and grammatical problems during their writing assignments: About 70 % of the problems they addressed with i-Conc resulted in correct text formulations or revisions. The different resources in i-Conc were each shown to have unique functions for which they were best suited, suggesting that concordancing may optimally be consulted in combination with, not in place of, other resources. The benefits of consulting i-Conc for L2 writing went beyond simply helping the participants’ problem solving to potentially facilitating their language acquisition. Input-feedback interactions with the reference suite prompted the participants to carry out robust meaning negotiations in their efforts to verify their intuitive hypotheses and to venture beyond their current linguistic repertoires. Participants acted on these potential benefits somewhat differently. Case studies and cross-case analyses demonstrated complex interactions between the participants’ individual traits and goals, the educational contexts for which they were writing, and their perceptions and evaluations of particular affordances provided by i-Conc. These findings imply that to build meaningful cognitive partnerships with reference tools, L2 writers should receive progressive guidance on principles for effective reference resource consultation along with training in strategies for using different types of resources, contingent on individuals’ abilities and ongoing needs arising from their macro and micro contexts for writing and for language learning.

The present study investigated how 6 Korean graduate students at a Canadian university used a suite of multiple Web-based reference resources (named i-Conc), consisting of concordancers and dictionaries, as a cognitive tool for solving linguistic problems encountered over the course of completing—in English, their second language (L2)—an academic writing assignment for one of their graduate courses. Using a mixed methods design employing surveys, interviews, screen recordings, a query tracking log, and detailed case studies, the thesis provides rich descriptions of (a) the processes, and outcomes of the 6 participants’ uses of i-Conc as a reference tool for their writing authentic academic tasks and (b) their perceptions of the suite as a means of writing assistance. Overall, i-Conc served as an intellectual partner that aided the participants in strategically solving lexical and grammatical problems during their writing assignments: About 70 % of the problems they addressed with i-Conc resulted in correct text formulations or revisions. The different resources in i-Conc were each shown to have unique functions for which they were best suited, suggesting that concordancing may optimally be consulted in combination with, not in place of, other resources. The benefits of consulting i-Conc for L2 writing went beyond simply helping the participants’ problem solving to potentially facilitating their language acquisition. Input-feedback interactions with the reference suite prompted the participants to carry out robust meaning negotiations in their efforts to verify their intuitive hypotheses and to venture beyond their current linguistic repertoires. Participants acted on these potential benefits somewhat differently. Case studies and cross-case analyses demonstrated complex interactions between the participants’ individual traits and goals, the educational contexts for which they were writing, and their perceptions and evaluations of particular affordances provided by i-Conc. These findings imply that to build meaningful cognitive partnerships with reference tools, L2 writers should receive progressive guidance on principles for effective reference resource consultation along with training in strategies for using different types of resources, contingent on individuals’ abilities and ongoing needs arising from their macro and micro contexts for writing and for language learning.

本研究共涵蓋三個主要的學科領域：學習理論、媒體與教學設計。其焦點在於透過對於建構論、超文本以及教學設計的剖析，勾勒出本研究題目所揭示之「建構論之超文本教學設計」。在理論上藉由文獻分析的方式，分析詮釋理論的內容，此外在應用上提供一個簡單的教學模型，做為理論上的實踐。 本研究首先透過對於媒體的探討，重申近來做為教學科技的媒體不僅式侷限於以往傳輸資訊的功能，此外更進一步協助學習者監控、調節認知活動，並使得學習者主動投身於深度的資訊處理過程，當媒體能夠符合以上的敘述時，其本身即是一種認知工具(cognitive tool)，而超文本即具備這樣的潛能。認知工具是必須奠基於建構論的基礎上，才能夠有效地促進學習，因此在學習理論上進一步廓清建構在哲學知識論及學習理論上的意涵，做為從事教學設計時的理論基礎。之後，從教學設計的歷史發展，澄清建構論教學設計之適當性問題，主要從 Merrill 等人所倡導之第二代教學設計，與建構論教學設計之衝突上著手，並且從一個教學者的立場提出建構式教學應有的策略及其可能的限制。最後提出一個教學系統的雛形以供未來發展之用。 / The research contains three main subject matters; they are learning theory, medium and insturctional design. By analyzing constructivism, hypertext and instructional design, the researcher wants to make the topic clear, the application of constructivism on hypertext mediated instructional design. Concerning the research methods, the researcher adopts document analysis to analyze and interpret the thesis. In addition, a simple instructional model is provided for the realization of theory.

Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die Wirkung von Lernsoftware durch eine Kausalkette vom verstehenden Lernen (Edelmann, 1996) über generative Aktivitäten (Wittrock, 1990) hin zu computergestützten kognitiven Lernwerkzeugen (Jonassen, 1992)in seiner Gesamtheit empirisch nachzuweisen. Dazu wurde eine digitale Lern- und Testumgebung geschaffen, in deren Mittelpunkt ein Beschriftungswerkzeug, ein Operatorentool sowie eine Simulation standen. Mit ihrer Hilfe sollten Aufbau, Funktionsweise und Bedienung einer einfachen technischen Anlage erlernt werden. Erhoben wurden Maße des Lernprozesses (Zeit, Eingaben) und des Lernerfolges (Wissenstest, Handlungsaufgaben). Im Rahmen eines klassischen Lernexperiments im Labor wurde in einer ersten Testreihe kein oder eins der 3 Tools zum freiwilligen Gebrauch angeboten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass ein jedes Lernwerkzeug seine Nutzer in zusätzliche generative Aktivitäten verwickelt. Darüber hinaus bewirken sie auf Grund der Interaktionsmöglichkeiten, der repräsentierbaren Inhalte sowie der Visualisierungsform eine Aufmerksamkeitsfokussierung auf einzelne Lerninhalte. Demzufolge verbessert sich die Güte des mentalen Modells toolbedingt vor allem in entsprechenden Teilfacetten. Der statistische Vergleich dieser Ergebnisse mit älteren Daten einer parallelen Testreihe (Wipper, 2004) ergab keine bedeutenden Unterschiede, was auf eine Allgemeingültigkeit dieses Effekts hinweist. Im Rahmen einer zweiten Studie wurden die 3 Werkzeuge in einer Lernumgebung kombiniert angeboten. Im Resultat ergänzten sich die fokussierenden Wirkungen der Einzelapplikationen additiv zu einem ausgeglichenen mentalen Modell. Darüber hinaus war das Leistungsniveau jener Nutzer in allen Maßen des Lernprozesses und -erfolgs konstant höher als das aller anderen Probanden. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen die bereits existierenden Hinweise auf die eingangs erwähnte Kausalkette bzgl. des verstehenden Lernens mit Hilfe eines Computers. / In the light of instructional psychology the outcome of computer based learning aids can be described as a chain of causation consisting of constructivist forms of knowledge acquisition (Edelmann, 1996), generative processes (Wittrock, 1990) and digital mind tools (Jonassen, 1992). Aim of the present work is to proof this causal assumption empirically. Therefore, a computer based learning and testing environment was set up. It based on 3 single digital mind tools, which are supposed to help learning the construction, functionality and handling of a simple deterministic plant for soap production. Additionally, paper & pencil were provided. The measured variables cover the learning process (e.g. time, inputs) and the learning outcome (multiple-choice test, operating test). In a first series of 4 laboratory experiments 109 students were given no or one of the digital mind tools. In result, all 3 means initiate new generative processes. But the mental models of their users are not more sophisticated in whole. There was improvement in special areas, depending on characteristics of the tools (interaction modes, representable content, and visualisation). The findings were statistically compared to older data of a parallel test series (Wipper, 2004) but only marginal differences occurred. In a further laboratory experiment 98 students were given a combination of the 3 digital mind tools mentioned above. This hybrid learning environment initiates new generative processes as well. Because of an additional combination of the focussing effects caused by the tools, the mental model of its users is comprehensively more sophisticated now. Moreover, those people reach constantly much higher scores in all measures than the other subjects. The findings confirm the causal chain mentioned at the beginning.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T14:32:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sandra Aparecida da Costa.pdf: 2060189 bytes, checksum: a1bce2d71b51ae3a14014c22ba96e2e0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-05-26 / The aim of this work is to point out the contributions of conceptual maps and the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as strategies in the construction of a significant learning. The intention is to head for the writing development of our students so that we can get contributions to the use of the Information and Communication Technologies in the school environment. As a theoretical fundamentation in the search for the comprehension of the subject, some writers as Jonassen, Moreira, Ontoria and Okada, give us subsidies so much that we can understand the concepts of conceptual maps, technology and significant learning. The research teacher and the fifth-grade students in tutorial situation of a public and elementary school participated in the research. We use the qualitative methodology in our work. At the end of this research, we have made it clear that to develop the concept of mapping, it is necessary to select, link, integrate, reorganize and open concepts so that the construction of the knowledge goes through the interaction, organization and share. The concept of construction is intrinsically linked to the concept of sharing. From this confirmation derives the proposal of the ampliation of this knowledge net to all the school scope from the ICTs that were important elements in the construction of the practice and researches route / O objetivo desta pesquisa é destacar as contribuições dos mapas conceituais e das Tecnologias da Comunicação e Informação (TIC) como estratégias na construção de uma aprendizagem significativa. A intenção é procurar encaminhamentos para o desenvolvimento da escrita de nossos alunos numa visão de rede de modo a buscar contribuições para o uso das Tecnologias de Comunicação e Informação no ambiente escolar. Como fundamentação teórica na busca da compreensão do tema alguns autores, como Jonassen, Moreira, Ontoria e Okada, forneceram subsídios de modo a compreender os conceitos de mapas conceituais, tecnologia e aprendizagem significativa. Participaram da pesquisa a professora pesquisadora e alunos do 5º ano do ensino fundamental em situação de recuperação, em uma escola pública de ensino fundamental. Empregamos a metodologia qualitativa nesse trabalho. No final desta pesquisa ficou claro que, para desenvolver o conceito de mapeamento, é necessário selecionar, relacionar, conectar, integrar, reorganizar e abrir conceitos, ou seja, que a construção do conhecimento passa pela interatividade, organização e partilha. O conceito de construir está intrinsecamente ligado ao conceito de partilhar. A partir dessa constatação nasce a proposta de ampliação dessa rede de conhecimento por todo âmbito escolar por meio das TIC que foram elementos importantes na construção do percurso de práticas e pesquisas