Relationships among tasks, collaborative inquiry processes, inquiry resolutions, and knowledge outcomes in adolescents during guided discovery-based game design in school

Abstract

This research study investigates US middle school students’ collaborative information-seeking, sense-making and knowledge-building practices in a guided discovery-based programme of game design learning in which students and their teachers participate in a formal, in-school class daily, for credit and a grade for an entire year. The learning is supported by information affordances including a wiki learning management system (LMS) housing the curriculum, organized design activities, social media features, tutorials and informational assignments. Students engage in a Constructionist blended learning setting in their classroom, and work collaboratively in teams on game design. The study draws on qualitative video data from six team cases using a coding scheme of categories for the concepts of task, collaborative information seeking (CIS) Modality, and inquiry resolution outcomes. The study also considers linkages between processes and learning outcomes. Variation in engagement across the categories among students was charted, and certain patterns emerged. Findings indicate that some categories of task appear related to some categories of students’ chosen CIS Modality for solving problems. Further, CIS processes in support of tasks appear related to inquiry incident resolution (resolved/unresolved). For student completion of advanced programming tasks in particular, we observe more frequent uses of the wiki-based LMS resources, and greater levels of challenge in fulfilling tasks. Results support existing work on these theoretical constructs in the information sciences, and lead to questions on how naturalistic emergence of CIS practices result from greater task knowledge, and whether learned CIS practices (as tasks in and of themselves) can yield project task knowledge gains. Findings of the study and the ongoing questions the work invites hold instructional design implications, and show how social constructivist educational contexts involving collaborative and information seeking and knowledge building among youth game designers can contribute to scholarly understanding of these processes more broadly in related project-based work contexts occurring among both youth and adults.

Connecting Student Information Resource Uses to Learning Outcomes in Guided Discovery-based Game Design

“…The data suggest that students may need greater scaffolding for information literacy, to improve the resource uses (e.g., searching online, greater orientation to the structure of the wiki LMS and its resources, and perseverance through unanswered questions). These results are supported by Reynolds (2016). These results have implications for information literacy instruction, especially as blended learning instructional models are more readily adopted by schools.…”

Information Uses and Learning Outcomes During Guided Discovery in a Blended E-Learning Game Design Program for Secondary Computer Science Education

“…For instance, Reynolds & Chiu [31,32] used multi-level analysis modeling to report upon results from two large N survey datasets in two other school years, showing that in addition to school-level differences such as those we see here, individual and team differences also play a role in various outcomes, including changes in student technology use dispositions, and knowledge. Reynolds [28] also finds that team dynamics influence resource uses and such differences appear to contribute outcomes. Adding teacher-level data, for instance on teacher information literacy skills, dispositions, and game design expertise, will offer important insights as to how much of a role individual teachers really do play, when guided discovery-based e-learning for CS education is delivered.…”

“…Further Reynolds [28] reports that for the more difficult task of programming, students use the LMS tutorial information resources to a greater extent, but also experience challenge in using the resources to code game script. The study discusses additional instructional scaffolds that might improve outcomes, while highlighting how gaps in information literacy among today's middle school and high school students can hinder the potential promise and success of blended, guided discovery-based learning protocols, for introductory programming instruction [28].…”

Development of Guided Inquiry Learning to Improve the Ability of Makeup Design Using Corel Draw

“…So it can be concluded that with the process skills students can be active in learning and take learning experiences and gain meaningful learning experiences. In light of the researcher's observations, it is believed that students' active participation in lessons by taking part in activities and answering the questions asked by the researcher within and between group discussions made positive contributions to the development of their critical thinking levels [22]. Based on the whole, it can be concluded that the use of Inquiry learning methods can improve student skills, teaching aids and student work scars in each cycle of action has a positive effect on the learning outcomes of concept mastery and student process skill performance on face design material using Corel Draw.…”