Enhance adult students' online knowledge construction: Exploring effective instructional designs and addressing barriers

IF 5.1 2区教育学 Q1 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning Pub Date : 2024-03-29 DOI:10.1111/jcal.12983

Yujen Ho

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background Study

Asynchronous online discussions are vital venues for collaborative knowledge construction. However, the lack of appropriate instruction designs poses challenges in promoting deep and substantive engagement with the core subject matter. This paper explores how to enhance adult students' knowledge construction in the context of asynchronous online discussions at an open university in Taiwan.

Objectives

This study explores instructional designs aimed at promoting online knowledge construction among adult students and overcoming barriers to this process.

Methods

This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design to collect concurrently both quantitative data from the students' online discussion postings for content analysis and qualitative data from the focus group and individual interviews, the online open-ended questionnaire, and the instructor's observation logs for thematic analysis. Then the results were merged in the interpretation stage.

Results and Conclusion

The research highlights the significance of instructional designs in influencing students' level of knowledge construction during online discussions. The findings suggest that instructional designs that provide teacher-led interim summaries, pose Socratic questions, and incorporate problem-solving projects can promote higher-level knowledge construction. However, time constraints, cultural influences, and unfamiliarity with peers negatively affected higher-order knowledge construction. To address these challenges, culturally responsive and technologically inclusive instructional designs that take into account the specific challenges faced by adult learners are proposed to enhance learning outcomes through active participation.

Limitation

The study's limited sample size warrants further research with a larger and more diverse cohort to validate the effectiveness of the proposed instructional designs. Another limitation is the lack of a robust theoretical base for the instructional strategies presented by the current action-research study. Further examination and broader exploration in online education are needed to prop up proposed pedagogical approaches.

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加强成人学生的在线知识建构：探索有效的教学设计并消除障碍

异步在线讨论是协作构建知识的重要场所。然而，由于缺乏适当的教学设计，在促进学生深入和实质性地参与核心主题方面存在挑战。本文探讨了如何在台湾一所开放大学的异步在线讨论背景下加强成人学生的知识建构。本研究采用收敛并行混合方法设计，同时收集学生在线讨论帖子中的定量数据进行内容分析，以及焦点小组和个人访谈、在线开放式问卷和教师观察记录中的定性数据进行主题分析。研究强调了教学设计对学生在线讨论中知识建构水平的重要影响。研究结果表明，提供教师主导的中期总结、提出苏格拉底式问题和结合问题解决项目的教学设计可以促进更高层次的知识建构。然而，时间限制、文化影响和对同伴的不熟悉对高阶知识的构建产生了负面影响。为了应对这些挑战，我们提出了考虑到成人学习者所面临的特殊挑战的文化适应性和技术包容性教学设计，以通过积极参与来提高学习效果。这项研究的样本量有限，因此需要对更大规模和更多样化的群体进行进一步研究，以验证所提出的教学设计的有效性。另一个局限性是，本行动研究提出的教学策略缺乏坚实的理论基础。需要对在线教育进行更深入的研究和更广泛的探索，以支持所提出的教学方法。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH-

CiteScore

9.70

自引率

6.00%

发文量

116

期刊介绍： The Journal of Computer Assisted Learning is an international peer-reviewed journal which covers the whole range of uses of information and communication technology to support learning and knowledge exchange. It aims to provide a medium for communication among researchers as well as a channel linking researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. JCAL is also a rich source of material for master and PhD students in areas such as educational psychology, the learning sciences, instructional technology, instructional design, collaborative learning, intelligent learning systems, learning analytics, open, distance and networked learning, and educational evaluation and assessment. This is the case for formal (e.g., schools), non-formal (e.g., workplace learning) and informal learning (e.g., museums and libraries) situations and environments. Volumes often include one Special Issue which these provides readers with a broad and in-depth perspective on a specific topic. First published in 1985, JCAL continues to have the aim of making the outcomes of contemporary research and experience accessible. During this period there have been major technological advances offering new opportunities and approaches in the use of a wide range of technologies to support learning and knowledge transfer more generally. There is currently much emphasis on the use of network functionality and the challenges its appropriate uses pose to teachers/tutors working with students locally and at a distance. JCAL welcomes: -Empirical reports, single studies or programmatic series of studies on the use of computers and information technologies in learning and assessment -Critical and original meta-reviews of literature on the use of computers for learning -Empirical studies on the design and development of innovative technology-based systems for learning -Conceptual articles on issues relating to the Aims and Scope