2025/02/26 by Shihui Feng, David Gibson, Feng, Shihui +3 · 2 citations
Computer Science · Psychology · Social Sciences · #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods #Online Learning and Analytics #Online and Blended Learning #Social and Information Networks (cs.SI)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2502.19112
openalex publication_date 2025/02/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Understanding students' emerging roles in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is critical for promoting regulated learning processes and supporting learning at both individual and group levels. However, it has been challenging to disentangle individual performance from group-based deliverables. This study introduces new learning analytic methods based on student -- subtask bipartite networks to gauge two conceptual dimensions -- quantity and heterogeneity of individual contribution to subtasks -- for understanding students' emerging roles in online collaborative learning in small groups. We analyzed these two dimensions and explored the changes of individual emerging roles within seven groups of high school students (N = 21) in two consecutive collaborative learning projects. We found a significant association in the changes between assigned leadership roles and changes in the identified emerging roles between the two projects, echoing the importance of externally facilitated regulation scaffolding in CSCL. We also collected qualitative data through a semi-structured interview to further validate the quantitative analysis results, which revealed that student perceptions of their emerging roles were consistent with the quantitative analysis results. This study contributes new learning analytic methods for collaboration analytics as well as a two-dimensional theoretical framework for understanding students' emerging roles in small group CSCL.