Effects of Group Support Systems and Content Facilitation on Knowledge Acquisition

This paper investigates the effects of group support systems (GSS) and content facilitation on individual knowledge acquisition in general, and on changes in an individual's knowledge structures in particular as indicated through concept mapping development. We present a model explaining the enabling effects of GSS and content facilitation on group processes (group participation, quality of feedback, domination, and communication barrier), cooperation in learning, and individual knowledge structures (knowledge complexity, integration, and commonality). An experiment that employed a 2X2 factorial design was used to explore the main and interaction effects of GSS and content facilitation on knowledge acquisition. Experimental subjects were randomly assigned to one of the four treatment groups; that is, nonfacilitation and non-GSS, nonfacilitation and GSS, facilitation and non-GSS, facilitation and GSS. Results of the experiment indicated that both GSS and content facilitation positively affect certain aspects of individual knowledge acquisition. Content facilitation particularly enhanced learners'knowledge commonality,whereas GSS enhanced the quality of feedback and cooperation in learning, and reduced domination and communication barrier. However, the results also indicated that GSS and content facilitation have crossover interaction effects on group participation and knowledge commonality. The effects of combining GSS and content facilitation were not additive in this study. Explanations are presented.

[1]  Alan R. Dennis,et al.  Process Structuring in Electronic Brainstorming , 1996, Inf. Syst. Res..

[2]  Mark Adkins,et al.  Layers of learning: facilitation in the distributed classroom , 1997, Proceedings of the Thirtieth Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[3]  Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa,et al.  The Use of Information Technology to Enhance Management School Education: A Theoretical View , 1995, MIS Q..

[4]  Dennis S. Gouran,et al.  Facilitation of Group Communication , 1989 .

[5]  Gary W. Dickson,et al.  Exploring Modes of Facilitative Support for GDSS Technology , 1993, MIS Q..

[6]  R. Bostrom,et al.  Group Facilitation and Group Support Systems , 1993 .

[7]  Bonita L. Daly,et al.  The influence of face-to-face versus computer-mediated communication channels on collective induction , 1993 .

[8]  Jay F. Nunamaker,et al.  1001 Unanswered Research Questions in GSS , 1997, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[9]  L. Phillips,et al.  Faciliated Work Groups: Theory and Practice , 1993 .

[10]  Jay F. Nunamaker,et al.  Flaming in the Electronic Classroom , 1997, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[11]  T. Shuell.  Cognitive Conceptions of Learning , 1986 .

[12]  R. Shavelson,et al.  Problems and Issues in the Use of Concept Maps in Science Assessment. , 1996 .

[13]  J. Jenkins.  Remember that old theory of memory? Well, forget it. , 1974 .

[14]  Leonard M. Jessup,et al.  The Effects of Anonymity on GDSS Group Process with an Idea-Generating Task , 1990, MIS Q..

[15]  I. Janis.  Victims of Groupthink: A psychological study of foreign-policy decisions and fiascoes. By Irving L. Janis. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1972. viii + 276 pp. Map, illustrations, chart, notes, sources, bibliography, and index. Cloth, $7.95; paper $4.50.) , 1973 .

[16]  Contents , 2013, Physiology & Behavior.

[17]  Robert P. Bostrom,et al.  Meeting facilitation: process versus content interventions , 1999 .

[18]  S. Kiesler,et al.  Group processes in computer-mediated communication☆ , 1986 .

[19]  Jay F. Nunamaker,et al.  Electronic meeting systems , 1991, CACM.

[20]  Larry Press,et al.  Technetronic education: answers on the cultural horizon , 1993, CACM.

[21]  Fred Niederman,et al.  Issues and Concerns About Computer-Supported Meetings: The Facilitator's Perspective , 1996, MIS Q..

[22]  Howard B. Lee,et al.  A first course in factor analysis , 1973 .

[23]  Noel Entwistle,et al.  Experiences of understanding in revising for degree examinations , 1992 .

[24]  Joel Ager,et al.  Analysis of Variance in Small Group Research , 1978 .

[25]  Dale Hunter,et al.  The Facilitation of Groups , 1996 .

[26]  Moez Limayem,et al.  Facilitating computer-supported meetings: A cumulative analysis in a multiple-criteria task environment , 1996 .

[27]  Izak Benbasat,et al.  Development of an Instrument to Measure the Perceptions of Adopting an Information Technology Innovation , 1991, Inf. Syst. Res..

[28]  Richard T. Watson,et al.  Reducing Status Effects with Computer-Mediated Communication: Evidence from Two Distinct National Cultures , 1998, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[29]  Jay F. Nunamaker,et al.  ELECTRONIC BRAINSTORMING AND GROUP SIZE , 1992 .

[30]  Jay F. Nunamaker,et al.  Information Technology to Support Electronic Meetings , 1988, MIS Q..

[31]  Ron Chi-Wai Kwok,et al.  Effect of GSS on knowledge acquisition , 1998, Inf. Manag..

[32]  Ron Chi-Wai Kwok,et al.  Remote learning technologies: effectiveness of hypertext and GSS , 1999, Decis. Support Syst..

[33]  Alan R. Dennis,et al.  An experimental investigation of facilitation in an EMS decision room , 1992 .

[34]  David W. Johnson,et al.  Cooperative learning : increasing college faculty instructional productivity , 1991 .

[35]  N. Webb.  Student Interaction and Learning in Small Groups , 1982 .

[36]  Yaacov Schul,et al.  On the Cognitive Benefits of Teaching , 1980 .

[37]  Deborah Britt Roebuck,et al.  Using Team Learning in Business and Organizational Communication Classes , 1998 .

[38]  Douglas R. Vogel,et al.  Will virtual education initiatives succeed? , 2000, Inf. Technol. Manag..

[39]  Timothy G. Hatcher,et al.  The Ins and Outs of Self-Directed Learning. , 1997 .

[40]  J. Valacich,et al.  Effects of anonymity and evaluative tone on idea generation in computer-mediated groups , 1990 .

[41]  Maryam Alavi,et al.  Computer-Mediated Collaborative Learning: An Empirical Evaluation , 1994, MIS Q..

[42]  D. Vogel,et al.  Using Information Technology to Add Value to Management Education , 1997 .

[43]  Robert P. Bostrom,et al.  A Facilitator's General Model for Managing Socioemotional Issues in Group Support Systems Meeting Environments , 1998, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[44]  Mark A. Fuller,et al.  Improving student learning of conceptual information: GSS supported collaborative learning vs. individual constructive learning , 1997, Decis. Support Syst..

[45]  J. Walther,et al.  Relational communication in computer-mediated interaction , 1990 .

[46]  J. Neter,et al.  Applied linear statistical models : regression, analysis of variance, and experimental designs , 1974 .

[47]  Alex Bavelas,et al.  Communication Patterns in Task‐Oriented Groups , 1950 .

[48]  G. Keppel,et al.  Design and Analysis: A Researcher's Handbook , 1976 .

[49]  J. Heron.  The Facilitators' Handbook , 1990 .

[50]  Janet Burns,et al.  UNDERSTANDING OF UNDERSTANDING: IMPLICATIONS FOR LEARNING AND TEACHING , 1991 .

[51]  Mark A. Fuller,et al.  Facilitator Influence in Group Support Systems: Intended and Unintended Effects , 1998, Inf. Syst. Res..

[52]  Douglas R. Vogel,et al.  Facilitation Methods for Collaborative Modeling Tools , 2000 .

[53]  Robert J. Sternberg,et al.  Components of human intelligence , 1983, Cognition.

[54]  Chris Higgins,et al.  Information Acquisition and Mental Models: An Investigation into the Relationship Between Behaviour and Learning , 1996, Inf. Syst. Res..

[55]  Robert O. Briggs,et al.  An Empirical Investigation of the Electronic Classroom , 1997, PACIS.

[56]  B. E. Wynne,et al.  An experiment assessing group support system and facilitator effects on meeting outcomes , 1995 .

[57]  Joseph S. Valacich,et al.  Facilitation, GSS, and Training as Sources of Process Restrictiveness and Guidance for Structured Group Decision Making: An Empirical Assessment , 1996, Inf. Syst. Res..

[58]  Jay F. Nunamaker,et al.  Information technology for negotiating groups: generating options for mutual gain , 1991 .

[59]  David H. Jonassen.  Semantic Networking as Cognitive Tools , 1992 .

[60]  Gerardine DeSanctis,et al.  A foundation for the study of group decision support systems , 1987 .

[61]  Jian Ma,et al.  Use of a group support system for collaborative assessment , 1999, Comput. Educ..

[62]  M. Limayem,et al.  Enhancing GDSS effectiveness: automated versus human facilitation , 1993, [1993] Proceedings of the Twenty-sixth Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[63]  Fran Ackermann,et al.  Issues in computer and non-computer supported GDSSs , 1994, Decis. Support Syst..

[64]  Margaret Tan,et al.  Establishing Mutual Understanding in Systems Design: An Empirical Study , 1994, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[65]  I. Nonaka.  A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation , 1994 .