The aim of this qualitative case study is to gain greater insight into the impact of online synchronous (chat) interaction on the learning process from a sociocultural constructivist perspective in the context of an online undergraduate unit. Given the sparse research on the effectiveness of chat interaction in supporting knowledge construction processes, few appropriate analytical methods available for examining educational chat discourse, together with the pedagogical imperative to determine the extent to which the real-time computer-mediated communication (CMC) mode satisfies student learning needs, this study fills the gaps in current research by examining the impact of chat interaction in facilitating participation, knowledge construction, and quality of online learning experience of two different online tutorial groups. Although the literature largely regards chat interaction as fragmented and characterized by interactional incoherence that disrupts the dialogic knowledge construction process, findings from this single-embedded case study of tutorial groups 1 and 4 (G1 and G4), involved in weekly critical discussions on set-readings over 11 weeks (one semester), show that chat interaction is more structured and complex than the literature suggests. This study utilizes a new methodological design that integrates discourse and social network analytical methods which are triangulated with self-reports of learning experiences from an online survey instrument. The application of a refined Exchange Structure Analysis coding instrument (Kneser, Pilkington, & Treasure-Jones, 2001) with social network analysis (Wasserman & Faust, 1994; Scott, 2000) to transcripts of chat interaction shows educational chat discourse to be coherent; reflecting the typical structure of pedagogical classroom exchanges. Findings from this study further establish that chat interaction enables participation opportunities in tutorial discussions which are valued as important, with variations in levels of participation within and between groups suggesting a pattern of active and peripheral participation which is not necessarily detrimental to learning. Chat interaction is also found to facilitate collaborative sharing of individual understandings and critical negotiation of meaning which are characteristic of the knowledge construction process, in the form of information-sharing and topic development phases in the exchanges of both groups. Although it is beyond the scope of this study to determine the exact form of knowledge constructed, individual and mutual appropriations of shared knowledge through chat interaction are reported by both groups. A between group comparison of available tutor scaffolding reveals consistently weak G1 tutor presence compared to strong G4 tutor support at the initial learning stages with gradual withdrawal of scaffolding over time. These results suggest differences in quality of online educational experiences which are confirmed by findings that compared to G1, G4 reported greater satisfaction with more chat tutorial factors; indicating an overall more positive, higher quality of experience with collaborative learning and group work processes afforded by the chat interaction. With its methodological design, instruments, and findings, this study contributes to existing knowledge on online interaction, advances on previous studies regarding impact of chat interaction on learning, and offers directions for future work in the fields of educational technology, linguistics, and group dynamics in educational social networks. When extrapolated to comparable cases, findings from this study could guide the pedagogical design of collaborative-constructivist learning activities that takes into account the role of chat interaction in the construction of learning conversations.

Online conversations via video have nowadays partially replaced face to face contact, and there are some challenges that occur in video conversations, e.g., time delay and the placement of the camera which leads to eliminating the possibility for direct eye contact, and time delay. There are experiences that these conditions disturb the social connection with the other, which does not mainly affect problem solving effectiveness, but something relational seems to alter. This study investigated if eye-movement can used to measure social connectedness during video conversation. In order to study this, two custom made units (“NUNAs”) with robotized cameras were built, which e.g. allow for unprocessed eye contact. A feasibility pilot was conducted, which data this report is based on. The experimental conditions were 1, available eye contact, 2, skewed visuality and 3, time delayed signal. The participants (n = 12) took part pairwise, they were familiar with online conversation and did not self report autism spectrum disorder. They were instructed to talk naturally and unprobed through video using the NUNA’s for 30-50 minutes, and the three conditions were changing every 4 minutes. Eye movement behavior within the three conditions was compared, such as the duration of the visit in the eyes area. None of the results showed a significant difference. Factors that might lead to these results, such as limited sample size, are discussed. Eye movement in relational processes may be needed to be studied on a dyadic level, and not on individual. / Onlinekonversationer via video har numera delvis ersatt kommunikation ansikte mot ansikte. Det finns dock vissa utmaningar som uppstår vid videosamtal, exempelvis placeringen av kameran som leder till ett omöjliggörande av ögonkontakt, och tidsfördröjning. Det finns erfarenheter av att dessa förhållanden stör känslan av samhörighet till den andre, vilket inte påverkar problemlösningens effektivitet nämnvärt, istället är det de relationella aspekterna som förändras. Denna studie undersökte om ögonrörelser kan användas för att mäta social anknytning under videokonversation. För att studera detta byggdes två specialtillverkade enheter (”NUNA”) med robotiserade kameror, som t.ex. tillåter obearbetad ögonkontakt. En pilotstudie genomfördes och data ifrån studien har legat till grund för denna rapport. Experimentförhållandena var 1, tillgänglig ögonkontakt, 2, skev visualitet och 3, fördröjd signal. Deltagarna (n = 12) deltog parvis, de var bekanta med onlinekonversationer och rapporterade själva att de inte var inom autism spekrat. De instruerades att prata naturligt genom video med hjälp av NUNA i 30-50 minuter, och de tre förhållandena ändrades var 4:e minut. Ögonrörelsebeteenden inom de tre tillstånden jämfördes, såsom längden på besöket i ögonområdet. Inget av resultaten visade någon signifikant skillnad. Faktorer som kan leda till dessa resultat, såsom begränsad urvalsstorlek samt att ögonrörelser i relationella processer kan behöva studeras på dyadisk nivå, och inte på individnivå, diskuteras.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T18:22:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Erisana Celia Sanches Victoriano.pdf: 3011444 bytes, checksum: 0077e3316d46d2f7b287c64a52b1f91d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-26 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The new ICTs have been used in face-to-face and distance courses to support and enrich teaching-learning processes. However, their use demands planning and adequacy so that it corresponds to educational goals. For this reason, many studies have been developed. They usually focus on the use of the tools, or on the roles teachers and students play during the interactions (Gervai, 2007; Costa, 2005; Leal, 2005). However, these investigations do not seem to consider language as central in teaching-learning processes; they do not discuss the importance of pedagogic practice and the knowledge structure that are involved in the interactions. In order to contribute to the filling of these gaps, this research was suggested. Therefore, the general objective of this study is to contribute to the improvement on the use of ICTs, more specifically to the use of synchronous communication tools in educational contexts, by considering language as central in teaching-learning processes. In order to reach this goal, seven synchronous sessions (chats) were collected from a distance course that was offered for teachers of English. In addition, the data were analysed under two theoretical frameworks: the systemic-functional theory and the Bernstenian social theory. The analysis developed during this research favoured detailed comprehension about some kinds of interactions that can take place in online synchronous communication in educational contexts, as it highlighted differences in the pedagogic and discursive practices, and in the knowledge structure during the sessions. The analysis developed with the support of the systemic-functional approach for the description of conversations, exchange structure (Martin, 1992), allowed a detailed study of some discursive practices that can take place during this kind of communication. This analysis, combined with the concepts of regulative and instructional discourse suggested in the Bernsteinian theory (Bernstein, 1990), allowed reflections about pedagogic practices that had been involved in the online synchronous sessions. Finally, the concept of entity (Martin and Rose, 2003) and the concepts of horizontal and vertical discourse (Bernstein, 1990) contributed to the comprehension about the nature of knowledge which had been involved in the interactions. This research indicates that the combination of the systemic-functional theory and the Bernsteinian theory can be powerful for the comprehension of language, pedagogic practices and different nature of knowledge that were brought to the interactions; and, it presents results which can contribute to an adequate use of chats in educational contexts , and to the quality of distance education / As tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TICs) vêm sendo usadas em cursos presenciais e a distância com o objetivo apoiar e enriquecer o ensino-aprendizagem. Porém, seu uso exige planejamento e adequação para que corresponda aos objetivos educacionais. Por esse motivo, muitos estudos vêm sendo conduzidos. Esses estudos geralmente focam o uso das próprias ferramentas, ou o papel de professores e alunos durante as interações (Gervai, 2007; Costa, 2005; Leal, 2005). No entanto, essas investigações não consideram a centralidade da linguagem no ensino-aprendizagem, e não discutem a importância da prática pedagógica e das naturezas do conhecimento envolvidas nas interações. Para contribuir com o preenchimento dessas lacunas, esta pesquisa foi proposta. Dessa forma, o objetivo geral deste trabalho é contribuir para o aprimoramento do uso das TICs, mais especificamente com o uso de ferramentas de comunicação síncrona, em contexto educacional considerando a centralidade lingüística em contextos de ensino-aprendizagem. Para tal, sete sessões síncronas online (bate-papos) foram coletadas de um curso a distância, oferecido para professores de inglês. Além disso, os dados foram analisados sob duas perspectivas teóricas: a teoria sistêmico-funcional e a teoria social Bernsteiniana. Ao apontar diferenças nas práticas discursivas e pedagógicas, e na estrutura do conhecimento durante as sessões, a análise conduzida durante essa pesquisa ajudou a compreender mais detalhadamente o tipo de interação que pode acontecer em comunicações síncronas online em contexto educacional. A análise conduzida com ajuda do conceito sistêmico-funcional de estrutura da troca (Martin, 1992) possibilitou um estudo detalhado de algumas práticas discursivas que podem acontecer neste tipo de comunicação online. Essa análise, combinada com os conceitos de discurso regulador e instrucional propostos na teoria bernsteiniana (Bernstein, 1990) permitiu reflexões sobre as práticas pedagógicas que estiveram envolvidas nas sessões síncronas online. Por fim, o conceito de entidade (Martin e Rose, 2003) e os conceitos de discurso horizontal e discurso vertical (Bernstein, 1990), colaboraram para o entendimento sobre a natureza dos conhecimentos envolvidos nas interações. Esta pesquisa indica que a combinação da teoria sistêmico-funcional com a teoria Bernsteiniana mostra-se ferramenta poderosa para a compreensão da linguagem, da prática pedagógica e das diferentes naturezas de conhecimentos trazidos para contextos educacionais; e, apresenta resultados que podem contribuir com usos adequados de ferramentas síncronas digitais em contexto educacional e, assim, com a melhoria da qualidade da educação a distância.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T18:22:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Erisana Celia Sanches Victoriano.pdf: 3011444 bytes, checksum: 0077e3316d46d2f7b287c64a52b1f91d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-26 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The new ICTs have been used in face-to-face and distance courses to support and enrich teaching-learning processes. However, their use demands planning and adequacy so that it corresponds to educational goals. For this reason, many studies have been developed. They usually focus on the use of the tools, or on the roles teachers and students play during the interactions (Gervai, 2007; Costa, 2005; Leal, 2005). However, these investigations do not seem to consider language as central in teaching-learning processes; they do not discuss the importance of pedagogic practice and the knowledge structure that are involved in the interactions. In order to contribute to the filling of these gaps, this research was suggested. Therefore, the general objective of this study is to contribute to the improvement on the use of ICTs, more specifically to the use of synchronous communication tools in educational contexts, by considering language as central in teaching-learning processes. In order to reach this goal, seven synchronous sessions (chats) were collected from a distance course that was offered for teachers of English. In addition, the data were analysed under two theoretical frameworks: the systemic-functional theory and the Bernstenian social theory. The analysis developed during this research favoured detailed comprehension about some kinds of interactions that can take place in online synchronous communication in educational contexts, as it highlighted differences in the pedagogic and discursive practices, and in the knowledge structure during the sessions. The analysis developed with the support of the systemic-functional approach for the description of conversations, exchange structure (Martin, 1992), allowed a detailed study of some discursive practices that can take place during this kind of communication. This analysis, combined with the concepts of regulative and instructional discourse suggested in the Bernsteinian theory (Bernstein, 1990), allowed reflections about pedagogic practices that had been involved in the online synchronous sessions. Finally, the concept of entity (Martin and Rose, 2003) and the concepts of horizontal and vertical discourse (Bernstein, 1990) contributed to the comprehension about the nature of knowledge which had been involved in the interactions. This research indicates that the combination of the systemic-functional theory and the Bernsteinian theory can be powerful for the comprehension of language, pedagogic practices and different nature of knowledge that were brought to the interactions; and, it presents results which can contribute to an adequate use of chats in educational contexts , and to the quality of distance education / As tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TICs) vêm sendo usadas em cursos presenciais e a distância com o objetivo apoiar e enriquecer o ensino-aprendizagem. Porém, seu uso exige planejamento e adequação para que corresponda aos objetivos educacionais. Por esse motivo, muitos estudos vêm sendo conduzidos. Esses estudos geralmente focam o uso das próprias ferramentas, ou o papel de professores e alunos durante as interações (Gervai, 2007; Costa, 2005; Leal, 2005). No entanto, essas investigações não consideram a centralidade da linguagem no ensino-aprendizagem, e não discutem a importância da prática pedagógica e das naturezas do conhecimento envolvidas nas interações. Para contribuir com o preenchimento dessas lacunas, esta pesquisa foi proposta. Dessa forma, o objetivo geral deste trabalho é contribuir para o aprimoramento do uso das TICs, mais especificamente com o uso de ferramentas de comunicação síncrona, em contexto educacional considerando a centralidade lingüística em contextos de ensino-aprendizagem. Para tal, sete sessões síncronas online (bate-papos) foram coletadas de um curso a distância, oferecido para professores de inglês. Além disso, os dados foram analisados sob duas perspectivas teóricas: a teoria sistêmico-funcional e a teoria social Bernsteiniana. Ao apontar diferenças nas práticas discursivas e pedagógicas, e na estrutura do conhecimento durante as sessões, a análise conduzida durante essa pesquisa ajudou a compreender mais detalhadamente o tipo de interação que pode acontecer em comunicações síncronas online em contexto educacional. A análise conduzida com ajuda do conceito sistêmico-funcional de estrutura da troca (Martin, 1992) possibilitou um estudo detalhado de algumas práticas discursivas que podem acontecer neste tipo de comunicação online. Essa análise, combinada com os conceitos de discurso regulador e instrucional propostos na teoria bernsteiniana (Bernstein, 1990) permitiu reflexões sobre as práticas pedagógicas que estiveram envolvidas nas sessões síncronas online. Por fim, o conceito de entidade (Martin e Rose, 2003) e os conceitos de discurso horizontal e discurso vertical (Bernstein, 1990), colaboraram para o entendimento sobre a natureza dos conhecimentos envolvidos nas interações. Esta pesquisa indica que a combinação da teoria sistêmico-funcional com a teoria Bernsteiniana mostra-se ferramenta poderosa para a compreensão da linguagem, da prática pedagógica e das diferentes naturezas de conhecimentos trazidos para contextos educacionais; e, apresenta resultados que podem contribuir com usos adequados de ferramentas síncronas digitais em contexto educacional e, assim, com a melhoria da qualidade da educação a distância