A Comparative Study of Online Discussion Board Protocols and the Impact on Knowledge Construction in High School Students Cara Kugler CECS 5610

Background At least 21 state-wide virtual high schools Enrollment in online classes increasing 50%-100% on yearly basis Flexible options for ALL students- not just for home- schoolers anymore Estimated: Every high school student takes at least one online course before graduating

Background (cont) Majority of current research is based on college/graduate level students Findings are currently being applied to high school level courses Need more research for this age group based on their unique social and developmental needs!

Online Learning: Discussion Boards Current research show discussion boards play a key role in online learning environments: –Based on Cognitive Learning Theories: Deepest learning occurs in the writing and discussing of content within a community of learners

Discussion Boards Previous Research: –Studies have seen varying levels of knowledge construction in student responses on discussion boards –Some evidence supports that structure and facilitation is important in promoting higher-order thinking/knowledge construction –Majority of research on college/graduate students in this area –What strategies can be employed to foster knowledge construction specifically in high school students?

The Proposed Study Research Hypothesis: Students that use a structured discussion board protocol will display a higher level of knowledge construction and increased participation than those students who use a non-structured protocol

The Proposed Study Design: –Stanley & Campbell True Experimental: Posttest-Only Control Group Design –Independent Variable- Discussion Board Protocol- either structured or non-structured –Dependent Variable- Knowledge construction and participation (number of posts)

Methods and Procedures Participants: 40 high school students- divided randomly into two online sections of a Health course: –Section one: follow basic discussion protocol –Section two: follow structured protocol Peer-to-Peer facilitation 5 students as team facilitators: Initiator, Supporter, Challenger, Summarizer, and Monitor (Roby’s Discussion Types); rotates weekly Remaining 15 students “general community”

Data Analysis Two raters will be used to analyze transcripts: –Instrument: Interaction Analysis Model (IAM) detects knowledge construction Inter-rater reliability checks to resolve coding differences (Chi 1997) Chi square analysis will be used to determine whether there is a significant relationship between discussion board protocol and IAM phases noted Students’ postings will be averaged for each section to determine whether the protocol had an effect on overall participation

Conclusions and Implications “One-size doesn’t fit all” when it comes to online learning Practical implications for effective design of discussion boards in H.S. courses to promote knowledge construction Additional research needed to better understand the needs of high school students in online environments