Differences in the collaborative knowledge construction process between high- and low-achievement groups in a collaborative concept mapping task: Evidence from multiple perspectives

Collaborative learning is important for assisting students in knowledge understanding and knowledge co-construction. Many studies use concept maps, a visualized tool, to aid in this process. It is crucial to look into the ways that groups of three or more people construct knowledge and to combine implicit physiological data with explicit data. In this study, we combined content analysis, ordered network analysis (ONA), and hyperscanning technology based on electroencephalograms (EEG) to analyze the data of 28 triads of high- and low-achievement groups that participated in collaborative concept mapping tasks. The frequency statistics showed that the low-achievement groups have significantly higher monitoring and adapting behavior frequencies at the individual level in the regulation dimension than the high-achievement groups. The ONA results further illustrated the sequence of knowledge transfer based on the frequency analysis. The cognitive patterns of high-achievement groups showed a cycle that began at the group level of cognition, moved to the peer level of cognition, then to the group level of regulation, and ultimately returned to the group level of cognition. The low-achievement groups' cognitive patterns also exhibited directionality, moving from the group level of regulation to the individual level of cognition and to the group level of cognition. From the implicit perspective, the theta band and temporal-parietal regions showed greater inter-brain synchrony in the high-achievement groups. Low-achievement groups, on the other hand, had comparatively lower synchrony. Their consensus was only superficial and concentrated on ensuring that everyone participated through regulation and thought integration to finish the task. Our study's findings can help teachers and instructional designers develop tailored interventions based on differences in learners' cognitive patterns during collaborative concept mapping tasks.