Narrative Evolution: Learning from Students' Talk about Species Variation
In IJAIED
12 (1): "Part II of the Special Issue on Analysing Educational Dialogue Interaction"
Publication information
Abstract
Learners do not always enjoy productive interactions with Multimedia Interactive
Learning Environments. Their attention can be distracted away from the educational focus
intended by designers and teachers through poor design and operational inadequacy. In this
paper we describe a study of groups of learners using a multimedia CD-ROM research tool
called Galapagos. This tool was developed to enable us to observe groups of learners
interacting with different versions of the same multimedia content. These different versions
implemented different forms of guidance for learners both within the presented narrative
structure of the material and in the tools offered to learners to help them build the individual
content elements into a coherent whole. Our empirical work was conducted with groups of
learners within their educational establishment using the Galapagos CD-ROM as part of their
studies for national examinations in Biology. Their sessions with Galapagos were recorded
using video and audio and our analysis of their dialogue has enabled us to gain a greater
understanding of the factors that contribute to productive, educationally focused learning
interactions. Through the construction of different representations we have been able to coordinate
information about interactivity between learners and system at the interface with
interactivity between individual learners within the group around the system interface. Varying
the quantity and quality of guidance impacts upon the trajectory learners construct through
multimedia content; it also influences the manner in which they use the facilities provided by
system designers to assist them in their construction of task answers.
