Collaborative learning of Java programming in the graphic-enhanced videoconferencing environment: A pilot study

The supposition that graphical external representations can enhance our higher order thinking is corroborated by a body of empirical evidence. Collaborative learning, of which the basic assumption is that human cognition is mediated by tools and socially shared, is presumed to benefit from the use of graphical tools. Nonetheless, different forms of graphic displays have different representational efficiencies for different tasks and can lead to different cognitive effects in different individuals. In the present pilot study, we attempted to investigate how the use of "whiteboard" (a tool supporting free hand drawing) could influence the extent of conceptual changes of student programmers who solved Java programming problems in the context of videoconferencing. A 2X2 factorial design was formulated. Two independent variables are the communication mode (graphics-enhanced vs. verbal-based) and the nature of the task (visual- vs. text-oriented). Four cases (i.e. dyads) were painstakingly analyzed according to a coding scheme and other methods. Some intriguing findings were obtained: (i) explanatory activities of high-level abstraction were fostered by the use of graphics; (ii) the extent of conceptual change varied predominantly with the difference in the programming expertise between the dyadic partners, however, the use of graphics also played a role; (iii) the distance of social relationship determined the quality of interactions which in turn affected the extent of conceptual change; (iv) the nature of the task influenced the tendency of using graphics for explanation.