How internal and external scripts guide argumentative knowledge construction in a web-based collaborative inquiry learning environment

Ingo Kollar (1) , Frank Fischer (1)

1 KRMC - Knowledge Media Research Center

Collaboration scripts are a powerful means to improve collaborative inquiry learning. More specifically, they can be designed to support argumentative knowledge construction, a core activity in inquiry learning. However, not only externally induced collaboration scripts but also the learners' internal scripts on collaborative argumentative knowledge construction influence the way they argue with scientific concepts and evidence, thereby affecting what kind of knowledge is acquired during collaboration. In this study, 98 students (49 dyads) from two German secondary schools participated. We implemented two versions (high vs. low structured) of an external collaboration script designed to support argumentative knowledge construction into a web-based collaborative inquiry learning environment called WISE. Further, we classified the learners' internal scripts as either high or low structured and composed homogeneous dyads, thereby establishing a 2x2-factorial design. We investigated how external and internal scripts as well as their interaction influenced the acquisition of both domain-general and domain-specific knowledge. Results suggest that for the acquisition of domain-general knowledge, web-based collaborative inquiry learning environments can be improved by implementing a high structured external script. For the acquisition of domainspecific content knowledge, however, the learners' internal scripts on collaborative argumentative knowledge construction appeared to be more influential. Results are discussed concerning their relevance for both theory and practice of learning with collaboration scripts in computer-supported collaborative inquiry learning environments.

Keywords: collaboration scripts

Domains: Computer Science [cs]; Technology for Human Learning

Ingo Kollar, Frank Fischer. How internal and external scripts guide argumentative knowledge construction in a web-based collaborative inquiry learning environment. First Symposium of the CSCL SIG of the Kaleidoscope European Network of Excellence, 2004, Lausanne, Switzerland. 23 p. ⟨hal-00190319⟩