The Design and Development of a Collaborative mLearning Prototype for Malaysian Secondary School Science

Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com

Y

20

Program Design; Program Development; Secondary School Science; Electronic Learning; Problem Solving; Science Instruction; Computer Mediated Communication; Interaction; Interviews; Student Surveys; Computer Software Evaluation; Usability; Network Analysis; Technology Uses in Education; Foreign Countries; Participant Satisfaction

10.1007/s11423-014-9340-y

1042-1629

Collaborative problem-solving in science instruction allows learners to build their knowledge and understanding through interaction, using the language of science. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools facilitate collaboration and may provide the opportunity for interaction when using the language of science in learning. There seems to be little interaction among students in the science classrooms as teachers only seem to be concerned with teaching the facts of science. An exploratory implementation study for a collaborative mobile learning (CmL) prototype design using CMC tools provides the opportunity for interactions using the language of science. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the CmL prototype can be used for interaction and learning in secondary school science. The prototype, designed based on Merrill's First Principles of Instruction, was evaluated by five experts before implementation among 14 students. Data collected from interviews with the experts and from students who used the prototype, as well as from online communications, was analyzed. The findings show that interactions when the CmL prototype was used enabled the language of science to be modeled for knowledge-building. This study is explorative in nature and the preliminary results seem to indicate that the CmL prototype has the potential to increase interactions in learning. However, further investigation is required to determine whether the CmL prototype could be used for collaborative problem-solving in science as well as in other subjects, especially in the current educational environment in Malaysia.

As Provided

48

2014

EJ1037047