ERIC Number: EJ1136911
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Jan
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1931-4744
EISSN: N/A
Dialogic Communication in Collaborative Problem Solving Groups
Innes, Robert B.
International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, v1 n1 Article 4 Jan 2007
Discourse, especially dialogic communication between students in collaborative problem-solving groups, plays a central role in educational reforms informed by learning science. This study examined the quality of discourse in problem-based learning groups in a university course. The study found a low incidence of high quality dialogue (dialogic communication, elaboration and co-construction of ideas, productive disciplinary discourse) in 12 one-hour planning meetings. The most competent students took leadership in groups and made the majority of the conceptual contributions. Although there was a reasonable amount of time spent connecting theories to cases, there was little time spent in high-level analysis and very few instances of true dialogic discourse. The majority of time was devoted to activities involving organizing, planning and logistics and organizing the presentation. There was very little off-task behavior.
Descriptors: Problem Solving, Cooperative Learning, Teamwork, Discourse Communities, Interpersonal Communication, Discourse Analysis, Problem Based Learning, Undergraduate Students, Video Technology, Group Discussion, Observation, Leadership Styles, Time Factors (Learning), Learner Engagement, Educational Quality, Incidence, Interpersonal Competence
Centers for Teaching & Technology at Georgia Southern University. IJ-SoTL, Georgia Southern University, Henderson Library 1301, Statesboro, GA 30460. e-mail: sotlij@georgiasouthern.edu; Web site: http://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ij-sotl/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A