Wim H. Gijselaers

Social and Cognitive Factors Driving Teamwork in Collaborative Learning Environments Team Learning Beliefs and Behaviors

A team is more than a group of people in the same space, physical or virtual. In recent years, increasing attention has been devoted to the social bases of cognition, taking into consideration how social processes in groups and teams affect performance. This article investigates when and how teams in collaborative learning environments engage in building and maintaining mutually shared cognition, leading to increased perceived performance. In doing so, this research looks for discourse practices managing the co-construction of mutually shared cognition and reveals conditions in the interpersonal context that contribute to engagement in these knowledge-building practices. A comprehensive theoretical framework was developed and tested. The constructs in the model were measured with the Team Learning Beliefs & Behaviors Questionnaire and analyzed using regression and path analysis methodology. Results showed that both interpersonal and sociocognitive processes have to be taken into account to understand the formation of mutually shared cognition, resulting in higher perceived team performance.

Computer support for knowledge construction in collaborative learning environments

Organisations increasingly use multidisciplinary teams to construct solutions for complex problems. Research has shown that multidisciplinary teams do not guarantee good problem solutions. Common ground is seen as vital to team performance. In this paper an ICT-tool to support complex problem solving is studied. A framework for knowledge construction inspired the design of computer support for knowledge construction. The basic support principle consisted of making individual perspectives explicit, which serves as a basis for negotiating common ground. This principle was embedded in a collaborative learning environment in three ways, which differed from each other in the extent to which users were coerced to adhere to the embedded support principles. Coercion, as expected, was correlated with negotiation of common ground; the more coercion, the more participants would negotiate the meaning of contributions to the ICT-tool, and the more common ground they would have. Self-report data suggested that Intermediate coercion resulted in the least common ground. This may have been caused by some disruption of group processes.

The role of academic motivation in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

In recent years, increasing attention has been devoted to virtual learning. In the last decade, a large number of studies in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) have assessed how social interaction, learning processes and outcomes in virtual settings are intertwined. Although recent research findings indicate that learners differ with respect to the amount and type of discourse contributed in virtual settings, little is known about the causes of these differences. The research presented here looks into the effects of motivation of learners on their contribution to discourse using the Deci and Ryan framework of (intrinsic/extrinsic) motivation. This study of 100 participants who were randomly distributed in six groups of 14 members collaborated in a virtual setting to remediate deficiencies in economics indicates that individuals differed with respect to the amount of discourse activity. Furthermore, an integrated multi-method approach (Content Analysis, Social Network Analysis and Academic Motivation Scale) was used in order to examine the impact of academic motivation on the type of discourse activity contributed and on the position of the learner in the social network. The results indicate that highly intrinsically motivated learners become central and prominent contributors to cognitive discourse. In contrast, extrinsically motivated learners contribute on average and are positioned throughout the social network. The research results reveal that differences in academic motivation influences the type of contributions to discourse as well as the position a learner takes within the social network.

Coercing shared knowledge in collaborative learning environments

Multidisciplinary teams are used in industry, government, and education for solving complex problems because they allow different perspectives to be brought to bear on a problem and thus enrich the problem space. This, in turn, is expected to allow for rich problem analyses and solutions. However, multidisciplinarity is not always advantageous. Good team solutions require team members to possess a good degree of common ground. To address this, researchers and educators often chose techniques such as collaboration scripts or scenarios to structure collaboration or how ICT-tools are used. They do this by making use of formalisms or constraints to structure conversation and discourse among collaborators with the aim of guiding the exchange of knowledge and information or both. Such techniques and tools have attained good results on cognitive aspects of group learning by focusing on task aspects. However, they have not explicitly addressed the problem of how teams with expertise diversity reach common ground. This article presents the results of a series of experiments that have shown that a tool that is capable of scripting the negotiation of both meaning and standpoint can have very positive effects on achieving common ground.

Perspectives on problem-based learning

Problem-based learning constitutes a radical reform in university education. Over the past ten years, problem-based learning has been put in practice especially in disciplines having a traditional orientation towards professions, such as medicine and law. During this period, problem-based learning has gained the reputation of a far-reaching innovative approach to higher education (Schmidt & De Volder, 1984; Boud & Feletti, 1991; Bouhuijs, Schmidt & Van Berkel, 1993). More recently, problem-based learning is also seen as an attractive alternative for programs having a more academic oriented nature (e.g. economics). An obvious question is why problem-based learning became so popular in higher education. What are the acclaimed benefits?

Theory-guided design of a rating scale for course evaluation in problem-based curricula

In this article, the development and evaluation of a rating scale for course improvement is described. Unlike other attempts in this area, design was guided by an explicit theory describing the teaching and learning processes taking place in problem‐based curricula. Data were collected in two curricula using the problem‐based learning approach. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test to what extent the model underlying the rating scale described the data. In addition, generalizability and utility studies were conducted. The results indicate that the rating scale data fitted the underlying model reasonably well. Most factors of the model showed good generalizability, not only across facets judged but also across items and judges. The potential utility of the instrument was illustrated by analyses of some aspects of one of the curricula. It was argued that, although the instrument developed is useful only within the context of problem‐based curricula, the general approach followed here may be o...

The interplay of perceptions of the learning environment, personality and learning strategies: a study amongst International Business Studies students

Previous research on students’ learning strategies has examined the relationships between either perceptions of the learning environment or personality and learning strategies. The focus of this study was on the joint relationships between the students’ perceptions of the learning environment, their personality, and the learning strategies they used. This study was conducted in an International Business Studies programme, with 522 students participating in the research project. Path analyses were conducted to assess the nature of the relationships between personality traits, perceptions of the learning environment and learning strategies. The first path analysis revealed that two personality traits, conscientiousness and openness to experience, are related to learning strategies. The second path analysis indicated that students’ perceptions of the various elements of the learning environment influence their learning strategies. A third path analysis revealed that personality traits are only slightly related to perceptions of the learning environment. Finally, the path analysis of the full model indicated both direct and indirect relationships between conscientiousness, openness to experience, and learning strategies. Perceptions of learning environment components mediated the relationships between the other personality traits and learning strategies.

The Structural Relationship between Students' Epistemological Beliefs and Conceptions of Teaching and Learning.

The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between students’ epistemological beliefs and conceptions of teaching and learning. The results showed that the epistemological beliefs dimension ‘learning effort/process’ was positively related to the constructivist conception of teaching and learning, and negatively related to the traditional conception of teaching and learning, indicating that students recognize the importance of self‐directed learning. The relationships that were established between the ‘expert knowledge’ dimension of epistemological beliefs and the conceptions of teaching and learning show that students who do not believe in teachers as a main source of expertise tend to have constructivist conceptions of teaching and learning. Moreover, a positive relationship was found between the ‘certainty of knowledge’ dimension and the traditional conception of teaching and learning. These findings are in line with a constructivist philosophy of education and the principles of problem‐based learning.

Peer Teaching: Academic Achievement of Teacher-Led versus Student-Led Discussion Groups.

Problem-based small-group discussions are the cornerstone of health sciences education at the University of Limburg (The Netherlands). In each of three courses, fifteen discussion groups of about eight students were randomly assigned a staff-tutor (control condition) or student-tutor (experimental condition).In two of the courses no significant differences in cognitive test achievement between the two conditions were found. In one course students tutored by staff-tutors performed significantly better than students tutored by student-tutors. However, no significant differences in test performance were found between students tutored by high-achieving versus average-achieving student-tutors. These findings contradict the “congruence” hypothesis from information processing theory. Several other explanations are explored.

Social presence, web-videoconferencing and learning in virtual teams

The potential of information technology to facilitate collaboration in education has grown considerably in recent years. The use of Web videoconferencing, whereby learners in an online classroom can simultaneously collaborate using audiovisual communication tools, increases the learners ability in social and emotional expression, thus improving communication which may enhance learning satisfaction. This paper compares two cohorts of students who attended the same online course in economics. Both could communicate via a discussion board and one cohort had the additional opportunity to participate in Web conferences. Contrary to expectations, learning satisfaction did not seem to increase with the introduction of Web videoconferencing. This finding leads to several questions for future research.