Web-Based Collaborative Learning Environment: Theoretical and Practical Discourse, and Future Directions

The purpose of this paper is to discuss appropriate theoretical orientation for collaborative learning in a WBLE, identify current and potential challenges and solutions to collaborative learning on the web, and recommend future directions for research and development. The review of theoretical and empirical issues indicates, a research agenda is required to gain a better understanding of the social, affective, and cognitive processes involved in collaborative learning in a WBLE. The use of WBLE as a medium for collaborative learning has in many respects outstripped the development of theory on which to base such utilization. The field of Web-based learning has evolved over the past decade; nevertheless, the development of Webbased learning environment (WBLE) has been focused on the use of emerging Internet technologies without fully considering the previous research on the learning as a social process (Hmelo, Guzdial, & Turns, 1998). The social process of learning can involve participation in a community where learners make inferences of phenomenon through group discussions. With the vast spread of the web, it was not until recently that collaborative learning became increasingly popular (Bull, Bull, & Sigmon, 1997). The goal of this paper is to discuss appropriate theoretical orientation for collaborative learning in a WBLE, identify current and potential challenges and solutions to collaborative learning on the web, and recommend future directions for research and development. Theoretical Orientation Research and development of web-based learning environment and activities rely heavily on the underlying theories of cognitive development, such as theories of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Spiro (O’Donnell & King, 1999; Topping & Ehly, 1998; Tudge & Rogoff, 1989). Meaning-Making Through Collaboration: Piagetian Perspective According to Piaget, children think and acquire knowledge through their actions; the successful action precedes the conceptual understanding in their learning. Thus, a learning environment should be designed to facilitate individual learners to initiate and complete their own activities, which leads them to make meaning, discover problems, and resolve problems within their minds (Driscoll, 1994; Lis & Golbeck, 1999). Piaget believed that peer interactions are essential in helping children move beyond egocentric thought. Learners who are close in age are likely to have similar cognitive structures; hence they can understand each other s logic of thinking better than adults (Piaget, 1951; Driscoll, 1994). Learning through a series of actions with peers, however, does not guarantee that the learners in the group share the same level of understanding. Cognitive development, defined by Piaget, is a process where the learners reconcile their cognitive conflicts as expressed by their different points of views. This process allows learners to infer meaning through collaborative learning. An individual learner brings important value to the group that enhances the quality of learning and level of understanding (Lis & Golbeck, 1999; Topping & Ehly, 1998). Overcoming Challenges Through Collaboration: Vygotskian Perspective According to Vygotsky (1962, 1978), collaborative learning, either among students or between students and an expert (or a more competent peer), is essential to learners in advancing through their zone of proximal development (ZPD) (Warschauer, 1997). ZPD refers to the difference between the learner s actual independent problem solving ability and the potential ability to solve problems under expert guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers (Vygotsky, 1978). Unlike Piaget (1951), Vygotsky (1978) does not focus on the benefits of peer collaboration, but more on those of the adult-child interaction. His theory suggests that cognitive growth may occur not only when adults assist children but also when children collaborate with a more competent peer. It is important for learners to be exposed to a higher level of reasoning than their current level so that ZPD can be exposed and confronted (Hogan & Tudge, 1999). Vygotskian scholars have stressed that learners need to take each other s perspective into account and come to joint understanding of a problem (Hogan & Tudge, 1999; Wertsch, 1985). Individuals bring their unique characteristics that are not only socially rooted but also shaped from their personal experiences to any kind of interactions (Vygotsky, 1994). Vygotsky s position is that knowledge does not preexist in the world, but is socially constructed first and then individually absorbed (Hogan & Tudge, 1999). In other words, Vygotsky s sense of collaboration is not just