Seírbhísí TF UCDUCD IT Services

Measures of Learning Style in the Evaluation of Blogs as Reflective Learning Tools

Niall Watts

Educational Technology Officer

Niall.watts@ucd.ie

ELSIN, Billund, June 2013

Research Background

• Working as an Educational Technologist

– Open University student

– Hype about new technologies

– Reflection and Collaboration

– Quality of educational research

– Methods criticism – student evaluations

Aims of Research

• Investigate blogging as a tool for learning

– Cycle of Experiential Learning (Kolb)

• Active (doing) or Reflective (watching)

• Individual (thinking) or Collaborative (feeling)

– Blogs promote reflective learning?

Why Blog?

• Storytelling

• Improve writing & media skills

• Opportunity to engage and reflect

• Simple technology

Research Participants

“Unrestrained by class rules”

No assessment

Lecturer well-known blogger

What is Reflection (Reflective Learning)?

• Reflection describes the processes where learners explore their experiences to gain a better understanding and appreciation of their learning (Boud, 1985).

• Many students find reflective learning difficult and initially resist it… Properly implemented blogs can help bring about reflective learning (Bartlett-Bragg, 2003).

Kolb’s Cycle of Experiential Learning

Kolb’s Learning Styles

• Preferred learning style

• Teaching to match style

• Not fixed  Approach Emotional Response Active Experimentation

AE - Doing

Reflective Observation

RO - Watching

Concrete Experience

CE - Feeling

Accommodating (CE/AE) Diverging (CE/RO)

Abstract Conceptualisation AC - Thinking

Converging (AE/AC) Assimilating (RO/AC)

Kolb’s Learning Styles

• Based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory– Accommodating: intuition, people– Assimilating: logic, theory– Converging: practice, technology– Diverging: imaginative, group work

Which would you expect to:

Be reflective/collaborative ?

Use hypermedia?

Reflection

• Assimilating

• Diverging

Collaboration

• Accommodating

• Diverging

Kolb Cycle Modified for Blogging

• Dron– ‘Reflective Observations’ on ‘Concrete Experience ‘– Comments – Theorise to explain reflective observations– Test theory in ‘Active Experimentation’

Methodology – KLSI 3.1

• Quantitative - standardised

• Literature

• Reflection, Hypermedia, Blogging

• Benefits

• Free

• Short (12x4)

• Bias

Methods – Learning Style

• Student Consent

• Ranked themselves on 12 questions– Students calculated own Learning Style– Results plotted on graph– Discussion

• Reliability & validity• Critiques

Results – Learning Style

Converging Learning Style dominant among bloggers:– Four keenest bloggers – One non-blogger

N=10

Methods – Text Analysis

• Blog posts coded for reflection using heuristics (Hatton & Smith)

• Risk of subjectivity

• Writing categorised as reflective (or not):

– “In one class we were asked how much time do we spend actually away from technology. I for one know that I can spend 5 hours online and most of that the tv is also on  (I like to multi task) and that doesn't even include college.  I don't think I can remember a week where I haven't been online every day at some time or another.  I am away to a hotel for weekend and I know my laptop will be with me, not to mention my mobile with wifi function”. 

Results – Blog Analysis

• One third of posts reflective

• One third of comments reflective

• 1 comment for 3 posts suggests collaboration

BLOG POSTS COMMENTS MADE RECEIVED

Total

Total Refl. Total Refl. Total Refl.

6 92 33 31 12 69 14

Converging Learning Style

• 4 Bloggers with Converging LS – 75% of all posts– 81% of reflective posts– 100% reflective comments (made & received)

– All “Somewhat reflective”– 2 Mature– 2 Male. 2 Female.

Methods – Triangulation

• Kember’s Questionnaire on Reflection– Agree/disagree 16 questions on their learning- Most students highly or somewhat reflective- All bloggers highly or somewhat reflective

• Blogging habits questionnaire (10 questions)– Do you enjoy blogging?– Does it help you to learn?– Do you/read comment on your classmates blogs?

Conclusions

• Bloggers reflective & collaborative learners

• Unexpected Result – Converging Learning Style– Not associated with Reflection or Collaboration– Skills with Hypermedia (Kolb)– Practical, hands-on

• Privacy?

• Matched perceptions– Sample bias?– Students existing community– Teaching & learning practices– Lecturer well-known blogger