Koulutusteknologian tutkimusyksikön tutkimusstrategia

Learning and Educational Technology Research Unit
Research Strategy 2006-2010

The aim of this research strategy is to view current situation in a research unit and also to form a ground for the future development. This strategy paper is divided to the nine sections and in each section the overall description of the contemporary situation as well as the aims for the future development is presented.

1. Overview of the Learning and Educational Technology Research Unit

The Research Unit for Learning and Educational Technology is located in the Department of Educational Sciences and Teacher Education at the University of Oulu, Finland. The unit focuses its research and teaching on the issues dealing with the use of technology in learning and education.

The members of this research group have particular expertise in the integration of theoretical perspectives on social, cognitive and motivational processes of learning and utilizing it in research-based design and evaluation of technology-enhanced learning environments. The research approaches involve research themes, such as:

·         Basic processes of learning (social interaction, motivation, cognitive strategies and self-regulated learning) in technology-enhanced learning environments

·         Processes and contexts of collaborative learning involving a special focus on individual, socially shared and motivational aspects of collaboration.

·         Computer-supported collaborative learning

·         “State-of- the-art” technology in the service of learning

·         Design and evaluation of technology-enhanced learning for understanding

In addition, the members of the research unit are actively involved in developmental projects, ground-level work with schools, teacher training, virtual university, consulting companies and staff-training and pedagogical support in different contexts. One special interest of the group is virtual community building and education in the Northern dimension.

2. Theoretical background

The research group’s theoretical grounding is in sociocognitive and constructivist approaches on learning (Brandsford, Brown & Cocking, 2000) following the recent theoretical and methodological development in the learning sciences. The learning sciences are centrally concerned what is going on in a learning environment and how it is contributing to improved student performance and how does learning happen (Sawyer, 2006). Special expertise lies in self-regulated learning theory (Boekaerts, Pintrich & Zeidner, 2000) and research on motivation (Volet & Järvelä, 2000) as well as social interaction in learning and socially shared cognition (Resnick, 1991).

Individual and collaborative learning

Different notions of social aspects of learning vary from perspectives focusing on individuals who participate in group activities to perspectives focusing on groups that consist of individuals (Anderson, Reder & Simon, 1997; Greeno, 1998; Thompson & Fine, 1999). This line is blurring, and the main message by many researchers is that we should see the individual minds in interaction with group understandings (e.g. Resnick, 1991). In recent literature, collaboration is commonly referred as co-construction of knowledge (e.g. Rafal, 1996, Baker, 2002), building collaborative knowing (Stahl, 2004), co-argumentation (Baker, 2002), negotiating of shared meaning (Pea, 1993), construction of common knowledge (e.g. Elbers & Streefland, 2000; Crook, 2002), exploratory talk (Mercer, 1996) or coordination (Barron, 2003). Many definitions demonstrate the nature of collaboration as something where cognitive, social and emotional aspects are tightly intertwined. However, these definitions do not as such explain how collaborative learning takes place; neither do they explain the role of cognitive and motivational regulation in socially shared activities. It seems evident that individual-level processes of collaboration are necessary, but not sufficient in building shared understanding, and therefore, the analyses have to be extended to group level analyses which is our current research challenge.

Self-regulated learning

Models of SRL emphasize that students are more effective when they take a purposeful role in their own learning (Pintrich, 2000; Schunk, 2001; Zimmermann, 2000; Winne, 1995). Research in this area has emphasized that self-regulated learners are autonomous, reflective and efficient and have the cognitive and metacognitive abilities as well as the motivational beliefs and attitudes needed to understand, monitor and direct their own learning.

SRL includes several sub-processes. Accordingly, different studies on SRL have stressed different aspects; for example, metacognitive processes (Winne, 1995), learning strategies (Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1989), self-efficacy (Schunk & Zimmerman, 1997), motivational regulation (Wolters, 2003), emotional self-regulation (Pekrun, Goetz, Titz & Perry, 2002) and volition (Corno, 2001). Depending on the studies, there are differences in how self-regulatory processes are portrayed. Based on these studies there is strong evidence how cognitive strategies contribute on student learning and how different motivational perceptions (e.g. achievement goals, beliefs of self-efficacy) reciprocally effect on the use of strategies. In spite of increased understanding of cognitive aspects of self-regulation, motivational and social aspects of regulation have not yet been probed thoroughly, which is our current theoretical and empirical interest.

The theoretical aims in our research work are:

·         Continuously strengthen our theoretical and methodological understanding of learning

·         Put special emphasis on the recent advancements in research on collaborative learning, including the socially shared origin of cognition as well as extension of the analysis towards self-regulation.

3. Research themes

The research themes are divided into three major parts: (1) The conceptual analysis of current knowledge on motivation, self-regulation and learning, and (2) The empirical studies integrated to the social, shared and interactive processes of learning with and without technology with the special aim of integrating innovative technological tools to make learning equally effective for all, and (3) Methodological development in order to create multiple theory-based process oriented on-line methods as well as validate and formulate them for the use of quantitative, technology-assisted measurement instruments. The empirical contexts of studies are primary and secondary school, higher education and learning at work context.

Five main objectives of the research work in the Learning and Educational Technology Research Unit are as follows:

(1) Theoretical investigation and analysis of recent advancements in research on motivation, self- and shared regulation, and learning in conventional and technology-based learning environments.

(2) Empirical study of contextual and social dimensions of individual and socially-shared learning and self- and shared regulation. In particular, we investigate how self-regulated learning is integrated to the social, shared and interactive processes of learning with and without technology.

(3) Study of innovative technological tools to enhance pedagogical possibilities of deep learning from the individual learning point of view as well as in opening new learning opportunities for sharing and creating understanding among learners in different educational levels.

(4) Study of effectiveness of technology-based pedagogical models and tools especially from the learning point of view. Particular emphasis will be laid on a critical exploration of technology for promoting equal possibilities for learning as well as fostering high quality of learning.

(5) Methodological development for process oriented methods for enhancing theoretical and empirical understanding of the dynamics of learners’ achievement and appraisals in multiple contexts.

The aims in research work are:

• Contribute to the basic research on social, cognitive and motivational processes of learning and also to the multidisciplinary challenges in the field of human learning and technology.
• Participate in leading edge research in the learning sciences and technology-enhanced learning.
 

4. Technologies

Developing and designing technologies is not our main focus, but close interdisciplinary collaboration is conducted with research groups in our universities (Departments of information sciences and electronic engineering) and industrial partners as well as SME companies. Our main focus is in a pedagogical design of “state of the art” technology, such as social computing.

The aims are:

·         Provide fundamental understanding of the learning sciences for social computing

·          Active participation to the multidisciplinary research projects (e.g.EU research programmes) including networking with local SME’s for joint collaboration in educational technology development

 

5. Research partners and scientific networks

The research unit has an active network of international and national research groups. The base for the international collaboration is grounded for partnership in Technology Enhanced Learning Networks of Excellence Kaleidoscope, Learning Ecosystems and Activities of the Future (LEAF) and active participation in AERA and EARLI scientific networks. There is also close interdisciplinary collaboration with such fields as information sciences, electrical engineering and applied language studies.

The unit is an active member of Oulu universities Virtual Laboratory, VLAB. The role of the research unit is to be a partner in multidisciplinary research collaboration by conducting experiments and implementing the ideas and results based on unit’s earlier research. Also new research initiatives will be developed in collaboration with other partners.

The aims are:

·         Strengthen national and international collaboration as well as interdisciplinary partnerships

·         Be active partner in technology-enhanced learning networks of excellence

·         Establish permanent collaboration also with partners outside of Europe

·         Active collaboration with VLAB partners and interaction with CIE

6. Doctoral studies

The unit organizes seminars and other activities for doctoral students. Full time researchers are also members or status members of different doctoral schools (KASVA and OPMON) as well as international partners. Furthermore, scientific competence is been built by offering multiple responsibilities in international research projects and networks. Opportunities for international research visits and inviting PhD students and colleagues from leading international research groups are continuously created.

The aims are:

·         Create opportunities for graduate students to participate in research projects and support motivation for post graduate studies.

·         Encourage new Ph.D. students to the research unit’s core theoretical areas and methodological traditions.

·         Connect new Ph.D. students to the research projects and simultaneously encourage candidates to develop their expertise in specific topics.

·         Create opportunities for post-doc researchers and support their own career.

·         Invite international Ph.D. students and post-doc researchers for both short-term and long-term visits 

7. Scientific publishing and publicity

The research unit’s first priority has been and will be publishing in high impact international peer-reviewed journals. Also active participation in the high quality scientific international conferences is encouraged. Furthermore, disseminating topical issues in research and practice by giving lectures and presentations as well as contributing to the variety of media is also seen as an important issue.

The aims are:

·         Increase the amount of published articles in high impact scientific journals

·         Continuously develop expertise in scientific writing and publishing

·         Popularize our scientific results, eg., in terms of seminars, social media and journal articles

 

8. Research funding

The current funders are Academy of Finland, Doctoral schools, different scientific foundations, Ministry of Education, European Union and TEKES.

 

9. Research quality assessment

The quality of the research conducted by the research unit is assessed based on the scientific criteria of the Academy of Finland. Also success in receiving new funding, success in peer-reviewed publishing and in scientific partnership inquiries as well as public interest towards our research, are indicators of the quality of our research.

The aims are:

·         Build a quality assessment procedure.

·         Submit continuously research articles and conference papers to the top level journals and conferences.

·         Follow systematically and continuously update LET Research strategy in order to establish high quality research work.

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