TY - JOUR
T1 - Global Learning Communities
T2 - A Comparison of Online Domestic and International Science Class Partnerships
AU - Kerlin, Steven C.
AU - Carlsen, William S.
AU - Kelly, Gregory J.
AU - Goehring, Elizabeth
N1 - Funding Information:
FLEXE is an Earth Systems Science Project (ESSP) funded by the (US) National Science Foundation as a collaboration with the international GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Program. The GLOBE Program brings together students, teachers, and scientists around the world working together to better understand, sustain, and improve Earth’s environment at local, regional, and global scales (Finarelli 2004; The GLOBE Program 2008). As an ESSP, one of FLEXE’s goals was to develop an inquiry-based approach to Earth Systems Science education by leveraging online communication and collaborations.
PY - 2013/8
Y1 - 2013/8
N2 - The conception of Global Learning Communities (GLCs) was researched to discover potential benefits of the use of online technologies that facilitated communication and scientific data sharing outside of the normal classroom setting. 1,419 students in 635 student groups began the instructional unit. Students represented the classrooms of 33 teachers from the USA, 6 from Thailand, 7 from Australia, and 4 from Germany. Data from an international environmental education project were analyzed to describe grades 7-9 student scientific writing in domestic US versus international-US classroom online partnerships. The development of an argument analytic and a research model of exploratory data analysis followed by statistical testing were used to discover and highlight different ways students used evidence to support their scientific claims about temperature variation at school sites and deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Findings show modest gains in the use of some evidentiary discourse components by US students in international online class partnerships compared to their US counterparts in domestic US partnerships. The analytic, research model, and online collaborative learning tools may be used in other large-scale studies and learning communities. Results provide insights about the benefits of using online technologies and promote the establishment of GLCs.
AB - The conception of Global Learning Communities (GLCs) was researched to discover potential benefits of the use of online technologies that facilitated communication and scientific data sharing outside of the normal classroom setting. 1,419 students in 635 student groups began the instructional unit. Students represented the classrooms of 33 teachers from the USA, 6 from Thailand, 7 from Australia, and 4 from Germany. Data from an international environmental education project were analyzed to describe grades 7-9 student scientific writing in domestic US versus international-US classroom online partnerships. The development of an argument analytic and a research model of exploratory data analysis followed by statistical testing were used to discover and highlight different ways students used evidence to support their scientific claims about temperature variation at school sites and deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Findings show modest gains in the use of some evidentiary discourse components by US students in international online class partnerships compared to their US counterparts in domestic US partnerships. The analytic, research model, and online collaborative learning tools may be used in other large-scale studies and learning communities. Results provide insights about the benefits of using online technologies and promote the establishment of GLCs.
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U2 - 10.1007/s10956-012-9407-7
DO - 10.1007/s10956-012-9407-7
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84880511662
VL - 22
SP - 475
EP - 487
JO - Journal of Science Education and Technology
JF - Journal of Science Education and Technology
SN - 1059-0145
IS - 4
ER -
