Supporting the development of a working relation in a synchronous electronic collaborative writing environment.
C. van der Puil, Jerry E. B. Andriessen · Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) · 2002
Introduction In this contribution, we report on the design of an experiment in which we examine the development of interpersonal communication during electronic collaborative writing. The work is based on earlier research findings (Veerman, 2000; Andriessen, Erkens, Peters, van de Laak & Coirier, in press) with university students. In that research we could distinguish pairs of students that focused on the meaning of conceptual information, trying to engage in epistemic discussions, and pairs of students whose main goal was to deliver a result, such as the solution to the problem, or a common text. While the first type of collaborators more closely behaved according to the goal of the task set by the experimenters, they also appeared more sensitive to characteristics of the CSCL environment they were using. As a consequence, the focus of their discussions also involved many problems that hindered meaningful discussion, such as technical matters, planning the task, and issues concerning the synchronization of the discussion. The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the effect of working with interfaces that aim at supporting (1) students in developing a better working relationship, in terms of regulation of social, task-oriented, and conceptual common ground; and (2) students in becoming more engaged in epistemic activities. The experiment is part of a project in which the regulation and coordination of interaction during several collaborative learning tasks is studied.