Learning through Blogging: Students' Perspectives in Collaborative Blog-Enhanced Learning Communities.
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Introduction Blogs have been increasingly utilized in higher education to facilitate student learning (Halic, Lee, Paulus, & Spence, 2010; Shana & Abulibdehb, 2015; Top, 2012). They allow users with no advanced programming skills to create an online space through posting, editing, and publishing articles composed of text, images, audio, video, and hyperlinks (Papastergiou, Gerodimos, & Antoniou, 2011). In blog-supported environments, learners learn to and begin to appreciate information sharing, idea exchange, and collaboration, which in turn contributes to student learning or professional development (Top, 2012; Wassell & Crouch, 2008). Research has indicated that blogs can serve as effective teaching and learning tools to (a) support students' active participation through collaboration in a class (Kilic, & Gokdac, 2014; Top, 2012), (b) enhance peer support and interaction (Chang & Chang, 2014; Laal & Laal, 2012), (c) increase students' motivation to learn the subject content (Pursel & Xie, 2014; Shana & Abulibdehb, 2015), and (d) develop students' critical thinking and reflective skills (Li, Bado, Smith, & Moore, 2013; Ellison & Wu, 2008; Xie, Ke, & Sharma, 2008). The majority of studies on blogging in education have been completed in higher education (undergraduate- and graduate-level) and K-12 settings across various disciplines (Shana & Abulibdehb, 2015; Top, 2012; Xie, Ke, & Sharma, 2008), and limited focus has been placed upon non-traditional adult students in continuing education (Park, Helo, & Lee, 2011). Blogs may help create a meaningful learning environment for adult students, and to some degree, blogs may also cater to adult students' learning preferences, including providing for self-direction, practical experiences, and student-centered learning (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007). Blogs can facilitate positive learning experiences among adult learners through reflection-oriented learning processes (Park, Helo, & Lee, 2011). There is little research focusing on minority students' perceptions of learning experiences with blogs. This study involves African American students in continuing education. AfricanAmerican students are considered as high context learners who have a preference to work in groups rather than work independently or individually (White, 1992). Participating in a learning community appears to increase the chance of academic success among African-American students (Duncan & Barber-Freeman, 2008; Gallien & Peterson, 2004). It would be valuable to further explore African-American adult students' learning experiences with blogs. In addition, although previous research indicated that the use of blogs enhances students' collaborative learning experiences and sense of community, little research describes effective strategies to integrate blogs into instruction so as to enhance knowledge acquisition, collaboration and communication skills, belongingness, and affective outcomes in classroom settings (Top, 2012). Presumably, one's confidence in executing bloggingrelevant tasks is important and relevant to an individual's learning experience with blogs. However, blogging self-efficacy was not included in any previous research studies as a predictor of students' perceived learning in blog-enhanced settings. Furthermore, no previous study has investigated blogging self-efficacy, collaborative learning, and sense of community together, as well as the effect of these three factors on students' perceived learning of blogging among African American adult students. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between blogging self-efficacy, sense of community, collaborative learning, and perceived learning in blog-enhanced learning settings. Theoretical framework According to the social constructivism embodied by cultural-historical activity theory, knowledge is constructed through social interactions, including conversation, discussion, and negotiation processes (Leont'ev, 1974; Luria, 1976; Rondon-Pari, 2011; Vygotsky, 1978). …
Source: Educational Technology & Society
Authors: Yu-Chun Kuo, Brian R. Belland, Yu Tung Kuo
Institutions: Rowan University, Purdue University West Lafayette
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2992143154