An Analysis of the Interactive Process in a Web-Based and Situated Learning Environment

Author: Ying-Shao Hsu(National Taiwan Normal University), Kuei-Ching Liao(Zhong-Xiao Junior High School in Taipei County)

Vol.&No.：Vol. 48, No.1
Date：April 2003
Pages：93-118
DOI：10.6300/JNTNU.2003.48(1).05

Abstract：

Quasi-experimental method and semi-structured interview were used to collect data to explore the interactive process of a situated learning environment on the web. This study is situated in two city senior high schools and the selected 132 students major in social science (60 males and 72 females) from three classes. The data showed that four of the interviewed students who used the electronic notebook and online forum to communicate with other students performed better on the posttest of concepts with one standard deviation above the mean. This result infers that the learning tools like electronic notebooks and online forums can facilitate students construct knowledge and promote their comprehension in science concepts.
The result of survey also showed that about half of students felt satisfied with the setting of the learning tools (electronic notebooks and online forums). Analysis of the interview data reveals the reasons for both the successful and ineffective online interaction. The reason for the successful online discussions is that different perspectives evoke thinking and help learning. The reasons for the ineffective online interaction are that (1) too few students participate in online discussion or no one responds for a long time in some topics; (2) the communication only in text form leads easily to use the online forum for the chatting purpose. The suggestions for future research are as follows: (1) adding animations and simulations into online forums for promotion of effective discussions; (2) the participation of teachers can provide the support of interaction for meaningful learning.

Keywords：Situated Learning, Online Interaction, Hypermedia, Web-Aided Instruction, Earth Sciences

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