Anthony Anderson

Saying What You Mean in Dialogue : A Study in Conceptual and Semantic Co-Ordination

Abstract This paper explores how conversants co-ordinate their use and interpretation of language in a restricted context. It revolves around the analysis of the spatial descriptions which emerge during the course of 56 dialogues, elicited in the laboratory using a specially designed computer maze game. Two types of analysis are reported. The first is a semantic analysis of the various types of description, which indicates how pairs of speakers develop different language schemes associated with different mental models of the maze configuration. The second analysis concerns how the communicants co-ordinate in developing their description schemes. The results from this study would suggest that language processing in dialogue may be governed by local principles of interaction which have received little attention in the psychological and linguistic literature to date.

Conceptual knowledge in physics: The role of group interaction in computer-supported teaching

Abstract The impact of knowledge distribution and group interaction on computer-based teaching was examined via a kinematics task which required comparisons of the speed of moving objects. Undergraduate subjects were pre-tested individually and paired on the basis of being either similar or different on each of three dimensions: judgements (responses made to problems), strategies (the conceptual basis for judgements) and principles (relevant abstract knowledge). Subsequent problem-solving sessions were videotaped to allow scrutiny of the relation between pre- to post-test conceptual change and pattern of group interaction. Subjects were found to gain significantly in strategic knowledge, but only marginally in principles. Change was greatest when groups differed in both or neither of judgements and strategies. The critical variable in the former case was found to be conflict-induced coordination of strategies across problems; in the latter case, feedback from the computer seemed to be more important. These results suggest that both peer conflict and hypothesis testing are effective in promoting gains in strategic knowledge.

The significance of dialogue in learning and observing learning

Abstract Given the widespread usage of computers by groups of learners rather than individuals, this paper focuses on the issue of the significance of dialogue, and the potential relevance of dialogue analysis to research on learning with computers. At the theoretical level there are two considerations. “Cultural Psychology” (descended from the work of Vygotsky) argues that most learning is a social phenomenon and that dialogue is central to this. On the other hand, arguments derived from Wittgenstein assert that dialogue cannot be viewed as the reliable exchange of mutually understood messages, but on the contrary the two conversants (never mind an observer or recorder) can never be sure they have a common understanding of what was said. This latter casts fundamental doubt on the use of dialogue as data, at least as an indicator of the beliefs of individuals, and yet evidence for the importance of peer interaction mediated by dialogue to conceptual development can be found. Possible methods of dialogue analysis and their difficulties are then reviewed. Our conclusion is that for investigations of individual learning, naturalistic dialogue is unreliable while more structured (though unnatural) interviewing is more reliable and can be used to accumulate knowledge. On the other hand investigations of the social processes promoting such learning must look at natural dialogue itself.

Engaging first-year students through online collaborative assessments

Substantial increases in the size of many undergraduate classes in recent years have limited the ways in which students can engage with their disciplines and become active participants in their learning. This paper presents a methodology which uses a basic WebCT platform to improve the way in which students in large classes learn. The approach, termed the Collaborative Online Assessment approach, provides a structured, scaffolded learning environment for students to engage with their peers in collaborative assessments. Results from a year-long application of the approach with first-year psychology students are presented. These show that the approach facilitates active student engagement throughout the academic year, and is associated with improved marks in the final written exam. This improvement in exam performance is significantly greater for students not intending to major in psychology (traditionally poorer performers). The paper discusses the implications of these findings in relation to learning theories and provides a critique for further improvement of the approach.

Computer-assisted vs. teacher-directed teaching of numeracy in adults

Whilst a good deal of research literature has been published on using Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) to help teach children with learning disabilities, there are fewer published studies examining the use of CAI with adults with a mild learning disability. This paper reports on an experiment comparing computer-assisted and teacher-implemented instruction in numeracy with this population, with a third group acting as a control group. All groups were pre-tested on two psychometric tests of numeracy, after which the experimental groups received one half-day per week training in numeracy, with all groups being reassessed after three months and after six months. It was found that overall the three groups improved in their numeracy scores, and that teacher-led and computer groups improved more as a function of time on the intervention than did the control group. The issue of how much teacher support is required when this population uses CAI is discussed, as are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the software used in the study.

Small Group Collaborative Discovery Learning from Hypertext

A study is reported in which pairs of students were set the task of learning specified material from a hypertext-based discovery learning system (StrathTutor). Conventional pre- to post-test change measures of learning were employed and demonstrated an average learning gain of some 20%, which was highly significant. In addition, the pairs were videotaped as they used the system together and the resulting dialogue was fully transcribed and annotated to reflect the subjects’ interactions, both with each other and with the machine. In this paper, we compare those dialogues in which the subjects were relatively more successful at the learning task, with those dialogues corresponding to less successful learning outcomes in an attempt to illuminate the process aspects of collaborative learning around the computer.

The effect of software type on the quality of talk

Research was undertaken comparing teacher-pupil and pupil-pupil dyads using computer-assisted learning programs, of both ‘open’ (where the means of achieving the task goal are under the users’ control) and ‘closed’ (where the routes to achieving the task goal are much more controlled by the computer) types. The interactions within teacher-pupil and pupil-pupil dyads whilst using the programs were videorecorded and subsequently analysed to ascertain whether the nature of the software (open or closed) exerted any constraining effect upon the dyads’ interactions. Variations in interactional styles were identified using quantitative methods; these, plus other more qualitative data are discussed with reference to specific examples of software. It is concluded that the open-closed distinction conflates several dimensions of machine behaviour, particularly the number of options of action available to users at any given point, the frequency of computer interventions, the nature of computer interventions (eg. prompt versus question) and the granularity of the task.

Patterns of learning in a sample of adult returners to higher education

This article presents empirical research exploring adult returner students’ patterns of learning via qualitative analysis of a series of semi-structured interviews. Interviewees’ comments shed light on the relation between patterns of learning on the one hand, and study skills, epistemological issues and attitudes to peer interaction on the other. The data suggest that this group of students adopt a reproductive approach to learning, which is coupled with rudimentary study skills and a dualist, right/wrong epistemology. This constellation leads to a certain scepticism regarding the usefulness of peer interaction, even though such student-centred types of teaching are held to promote ‘deep’ learning.

Information Literacy in Adult Returner Students: The Pre-Entry Class Case Study

We describe a case study in which we interviewed 20 adult returner students who were engaged in a university access course designed to assist mature students to return to full-time academic study after a period of employment away from full-time education. Among the questions asked was one concerning how the students went about obtaining information to support their general studying. Their responses were qualitatively analysed and various interesting themes emerged, such as trust (textbooks were regarded as inherently more trustworthy than websites), study skills and techniques, and transformation. We argue that our mature sample of beginning students is more typical of the general population than are samples of school-leaver undergraduates, and shed some light on information literacy concerns that members of the public at large are likely to share.

Epistemological Thinking, Metacognition and Their Relation to Critical Thinking and Information Literacy

This chapter reviews the psychological literature on epistemological thinking and metacognition, and relates both of these to critical thinking and information literacy. The implications for critical thinking and information literacy of different types of epistemological positions (absolutist, multiplist and relativist/evaluativist) are explored. We also draw upon the work of Tanner (2012) , which is aimed at promoting the development of metacognition in biology students, to make some suggestions regarding how to improve information literacy using the kinds of prompting which Tanner advocates.