Interaction Analysis of a Biology Chat

This is an analysis of data from initial attempts to combine (a) technology from the Virtual Math Teams (VMT) Project, (b) helping agents, (c) collaborative small groups, and (d) accountable-talk prompting in order to scaffold biology student online chats about videotaped results of a biology experiment. Analysis of the response structure of the chat log of a student group reveals characteristics of their interactions in terms of building collaborative knowledge. In particular, the mediation by the VMT technology, helping agents, and accountable-talk training is analyzed to determine their influences in promoting productive learning-oriented interaction. A design-based-research analytic perspective provides suggestions for redesign of the socio-technical approach based on the findings from the interaction analysis. Redesign in response to the analysis results in clear improvement, as seen in analysis of the response structure of a chat log from a second test cycle.

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